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Webber Wentzel
Headquarters Johannesburg[1]
No. of offices2[2]
No. of attorneys400+ (2012)[3]
No. of employees750+ (2012)[4]
Major practice areasGeneral practice
Key peopleDavid Lancaster (Senior Partner)[5]
RevenueUnknown
Date founded1868 (Fort Beaufort)[6]
FounderEdward Solomon, Henry Charles Hull, Walter Webber, Henry Bowen and Charles Augustus Wentzel[7]
Company typePartnership[8]
Websitewww.webberwentzel.com

Webber Wentzel is an African law firm principally based in Johannesburg, South Africa and a member of the "Big Five law firms" of leading South African law firms. The firm serves its client base, including many of Africa's top 100 companies in banking, insurance, media, mining, property and telecommunications companies, from its offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Webber Wentzel was founded in 1868 and is the only large South African law firm to retain a traditional partnership organistion and not incorporate into a limited liability company. Major mergers in Webber Wentzel's history include Webber Wentzel & Co merging with Bowens Inc in 1995 and Webber Wentzel Bowens merging with Mallinicks Inc in 2008.[9]

The firm is the South African associate of the largest African association of law firms ALN (formerly the African Legal Network)[10] and on 1 February 2013 the firm entered into a collaborative alliance with global law firm Linklaters.[11]


Offices

File:Cape Town Convention Tower.jpg
Webber Wentzel's Cape Town offices are located in Convention Tower

Awards and rankings

Award Year
Who's Who Legal South African law firm of the year 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013
  • Webber Wentzel was the highest ranked South African firm in the Chambers & Partners 2013 edition[12]
  • Webber Wentzel topped the 2010 rankings by deal volume and value in Africa.[13]
  • In 2009, Webber Wentzel was ranked first by deal value for corporate finance and second for M&A by deal value in South Africa.[14]

Notable practice areas

The firm is ranked as a top tier South African firm in the following practice areas:[15][16][17]

  • Capital markets
  • Banking
  • Projects and infrastructure
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Media & Broadcasting
  • Competition/Antitrust
  • Dispute resolution
  • Mining
  • Shipping

Webber Wentzel is further recognised as one of the leading law firms in Africa.

Notable deals

Major deals include acting for:[18]

Notable cases

  • In 1957 the firm advised Consolidated Diamond Mines of South-West Africa (CDM) in the Great South-West Diamond Case. CDM had been given exclusive rights to mine for diamonds in a diamond-rich area by the administrator of South West Africa, who subsequently conferred the right to Suidwes-Afrika Prospekteers. CDM successfully sued South West Africa to protect their sole right to mine.[23]
  • In 1973 the firm successfully completed the case of Venkatrathnan and Another vs Officer Commanding Robben Island. In the case the court decided that prisoners were in principle entitled to study for tertiary degrees.[24]
  • In 2004 the firm successfully challenged South African pharmaceutical price capping legislation in the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa in terms of which pharmacists, when dispensing prescription medicine, could charge a fixed fee limited to 26% and capped at R26.00.[25][26]

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the firm include:[27]

References

  1. ^ http://www.leadingmanagers.co.za/profiles/SALM10_WebberWentzel.pdf Webber Wentzel Retrieved 31 December 2010
  2. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/ww/ww-who-we-are Webber Wentzel Retrieved 31 December 2010
  3. ^ http://www.leadingmanagers.co.za/profiles/SALM10_WebberWentzel.pdf Webber Wentzel Retrieved 31 December 2010
  4. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/ww/ww-who-we-are Webber Wentzel Retrieved 31 December 2010
  5. ^ http://www.whoswholegal.com/profiles/32084/0/Lancaster/david-lancaster/ David Lancaster Retrieved 18 June 2010
  6. ^ http://www.sabar.co.za/law-journals/2007/august/2007-august-vol020-no2-p46.pdf The Firm: a Biography of Webber Wentzel Bowens Retrieved 31 December 2010 2010
  7. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/timeline History Retrieved 18 June 2010
  8. ^ http://www.leadingmanagers.co.za/profiles/SALM10_WebberWentzel.pdf Webber Wentzel Retrieved 31 December 2010
  9. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/timeline History Retrieved 18 June 2010
  10. ^ http://www.polity.org.za/article/webber-wentzel-joins-aln-2011-08-02 Webber Wentzel Retrieved 18 June 2010
  11. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/ww/ww-in-the-news?oid=38298&sn=Detail-2011&pid=32438 Webber Wentzel in alliance with Linklaters Retrieved 25 December 2012
  12. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/accolades-detail?oid=29584&sn=Detail&pid=173 Chambers & Partners Retrieved 3 June 2011
  13. ^ http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1938134/local-leaders-rank-alongside-links-freshfields-herbert-smith-middle-east-asia Local leaders rank alongside Links, Freshfields and Herbert Smith in Middle East/Asia M&A Retrieved 5 March 2011
  14. ^ http://www.dealmakers.co.za/ Dealmakers Retrieved 5 March 2011
  15. ^ http://www.iflr1000.com/JurisdictionFirm/1432/129/Webber-Wentzel.html IFLR Webber Wentzel Retrieved 18 June 2010
  16. ^ http://www.legal500.com/firms/51407/offices/54303 Legal 500 Webber Wentzel Retrieved 18 June 2010
  17. ^ http://www.chambersandpartners.com/Global/Firms/3753-35287 Webber Wentzel Retrieved 18 June 2010
  18. ^ Deals – Webber Wentzel
  19. ^ http://www.thelawyer.com/linklaters-joins-norton-rose-and-new-sa-ally-on-13bn-barclays-africa-sale/1015911.article Retrieved 25 December 2012 Webber Wentzel
  20. ^ www.legal500.com/firms/51407/offices/54303 Retrieved 3 June 2011 Webber Wentzel
  21. ^ Financial Times – Bharti shares jump as MTN merger called off
  22. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/announcements?oid=26772&sn=Detail&pid=1 Announcements Retrieved 18 June 2010
  23. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/timeline History 19 June 2010
  24. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/timeline History 19 June 2010
  25. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/timeline History 19 June 2010
  26. ^ http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=561&fArticleId=2616894 Pricing regulations leave pharmaceutical industry in a state of flux Retrieved 19 June 2010
  27. ^ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/timeline History 19 June 2010
  28. ^ http://www.parktownheritage.co.za/plaques.htm Parktown Heritage Retrieved 31 December 2010
  29. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F20F14F63E5B17738DDDAB0A94D9415B848DF1D3 Sir ED.P. Solomon Dead Retrieved 31 December 2010
  30. ^ http://www.worldservicesgroup.com/members-alpha.asp?action=pro&n1=32875 Ed Southey Retrieved 31 December 2010
  31. ^ http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Mallinick_Gerald_366088.aspx Gerald Mallinick Retrieved 31 December 2010
  32. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=el9ytj7aT0YC&pg=PT27&lpg=PT27&dq=brett+kebble+mallinicks&source=bl&ots=JigqlXI-qk&sig=hs1NHGddKWbraSTlx3Xmkyx9ao8&hl=en&ei=cfEbTL_5BdX74Abf2OSDDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=brett%20kebble%20mallinicks&f=false Brett Kebble: the inside story By Barry Sergeant Retrieved 18 June 2010
  33. ^ http://www.saembassybulgaria.com/h.-e.-ms.-sheila-m.-camerer/ambassadors/h.-e.-ms.-sheila-m.-camerer.html
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