Werksmans Attorneys is a South African

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

with offices in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

and

Stellenbosch Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

. It was established in the early 1900s. In 1993, Werksmans was one of the founding members of LEX Africa, currently the oldest and largest

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

network. The firm has recently been considered as the latest a member of the "

Big Five law firms The Big Five law firms is a term informally used in South Africa to refer to those law firms which, collectively, are perceived to be the leading law firms based in South Africa. The following firms are usually seen as comprising the "Big Five" ...

" of leading South African law firms.

Practice areas

With a focus on

corporate A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and re ...

and

commercial law Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branc ...

, the firm's practice areas include banking and finance; business recovery, insolvency, and restructuring;

competition law Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

; labour law; environmental law; health, pharmaceutical, and

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...

; and mining, energy, and natural resources. It also provides legal advisory services for

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

, litigation and dispute resolution (and alternative dispute resolution in the form of mediation and arbitration), media and communications,

mergers and acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

, property transactions, sports and entertainment, tax, and information technology.

In the news

In November 2019, the firm was representing celebrity

Boity Thulo Boitumelo Thulo (born April 28, 1990), popularly known as Boity, is a South African television personality, rapper, actress, businesswoman and model. In 2019, Thulo was named as one of ''Forbes'' Africa's 30 Under 30 for her contribution in the ...

in her legal attempt to terminate her contract with her management agency. After an apparent issue with non-payment of fees, Werksmans severed ties with its client the

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is a South African state-owned enterprise responsible for most passenger rail services in the country. History In 1910, as a consequence of the formation of the Union of South Africa, all railwa ...

in February 2020.

References

{{Witwatersrand companies Law firms established in 1917 Companies based in Johannesburg Law firms of South Africa 1917 establishments in South Africa