Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > Johannesburg, South Africa > Firm Profile
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP Offices
2 SANDTON DRIVE
ENTRANCE 145 SECOND STREET
SANDTON, JOHANNESBURG, 2196
South Africa
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Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
South Africa > Projects and infrastructure Tier 1
At Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, the ‘very hands-on‘ energy and projects team is highly regarded for advising on complex, integrated infrastructure and power transactions and projects. Renewable energy mandates form the backbone of the practice, which is led by the ‘solution-driven‘ Brigette Baillie, who stands out for her ‘exceptionally deep legal and commercial knowledge in energy and project finance‘. The ‘extremely efficient‘ Carey-Anne Jennings focuses on public-private partnerships and limited recourse project finance transactions. Biddy Faber has an excellent track record in handling project finance mandates, and Nathan Mallinson acts on PPP and concession agreements. Busisiwe Sibeko, Ross Lomax and Sarah Burman also stand out for their contributions.Practice head(s):
Brigette Baillie
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Brigette Baillie has excellent negotiation skills and an uncanny ability in guiding the client.’
‘Brigette Baillie is an outstanding project finance lawyer, with an exceptional market understanding, deep legal and contractual experience, amazing negotiation skills and – cherry on the cake – is fun to work with !’
‘The team is adaptable to clients’ needs. This is an important skill when working on dynamic, challenging infrastructure projects.’
‘A dedicated team.’
‘The team has experience on most major energy projects in the country and are very familiar with current market practices.’
‘Brigette Baillie has exceptional market knowledge.’
‘Brigette and Biddy remain the “go to” for innovation and complex deals.’
‘Brigette Bailie and Carey-Anne Jennings make an exceptional team and their strengths complement each other.’
Key clients
Air Liquide S.A.
EDF Renewables Pty Ltd
G7 Renewable Energies Pty Ltd
Rand Merchant Bank
Scatec ASA
Egis, IC İÇTAŞ İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret, African Infrastructure Investment Fund and STOA
Engie Afrique
Facility for Investments in Renewable Small Transactions (RF) (Pty) Ltd
Illovo Sugar Africa (Pty) Ltd
Mulilo Renewable Project Developments (Pty) Ltd
Sedibelo Platinum Mines Ltd
Seriti Green (Pty) Ltd
International Finance Corporation
Work highlights
- Advised IFC and RMB on the financing of Scatec’s 50MW solar PV project at Selebi Phikwe in Botswana.
- Advised Africa Rainbow Energy & Power, as equity funder and shareholder, on the financing of the equity investments in the SOLA sponsored PPA with ARM.
- Advising Seriti Green on its renewable energy project and PPA for Seriti Power.
South Africa > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 2
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP‘s corporate and M&A team draws on the firm’s broader global expertise to assist with prominent cross-border transactions. The group is very experienced in advising mining and telecoms clients on high-value transactions and divestments; restructuring matters have also been prominent in the department’s recent workload. Practice head Rudolph Du Plessis is ‘calm and measured at all times‘ and provides ‘exceptional legal advice‘. Ross Lomax handles BEE transactions in the mining, telecoms and renewable energy sectors, and Patrick Leyden assists with joint ventures, corporate restructurings and private equity matters. Huneiza Goolam left the firm in May 2023.Practice head(s):
Rudolph du Plessis
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Breadth of talent in the team and they collaborate together to provide client solutions efficiently.’
‘Ross Lomax brings a wealth of knowledge to the team and a commercial eye to bringing practical, workable solutions to tricky matters. Patrick Leyden has a keen eye for detail and unpacking legal problems.’
‘Ross Lomax’s prior litigation experience is extremely valuable in constructing contracts that envisage all possibilities.’
‘Exceptional people.’
‘Rudolph Du Plessis has exceptional attention to detail and excellent negotiation skills.’
‘The HSF team has a variety of capabilities across corporate, tax, employment and BEE law.’
‘Ross Lomax has great business acumen in addition to being an expert lawyer, in particular regarding BEE legislation.’
Key clients
IHS Holding Limited
Huge Group Limited
Publicis Groupe Holdings B.V
Unigreen
Engie
Scatec ASA
African Thunder Platinum Ltd
African Phoenix Investments Limited
Pearson
Bel Fromagerie
EDF
Creadev
NTT
Harmony
Anglo American
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
Mulilo Renewable Energy South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Extract Group Limited
River Energy South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Bundu Power
Work highlights
- Providing ongoing advice to Lagos-based IHS Holding Limited on the acquisition of 5,709 towers from MTN South Africa.
- Acting as South African legal advisors to Capital and Counties Properties Plc in relation to the ongoing, proposed all-share merger with Shaftesbury Plc by way of a scheme of arrangement in terms of English law.
South Africa > Competition Tier 2
The ‘extremely commercial, strategic and intelligent‘ team at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is led by the ‘strong‘ Jean Meijer, who garners praise for her ‘exceptional knowledge of competition law‘. The competition, regulation and trade practice has been kept busy handling abuse of dominance claims, high-profile market inquiries, cartel investigations and merger control matters. Nick Altini stands out for his expertise in representing clients in the full range of competition law issues, and has advised on high-profile cases involving discriminatory and predatory pricing matters, contested mergers and cartel investigations. Sandhya Foster and Stewart Payne are key names to note. Leana Engelbrecht left the firm in January 2024.Practice head(s):
Jean Meijer
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team’s advice is always practical and of enormous value to a business, because of their ability to quickly grasp the issues, understand the business and what outcome the business is looking to achieve. They do not over complicate matters with legal jargon but rather find commercial, workable solutions to suit the business and achieve the required outcome. They continually keep clients updated on current competition matters in a practical, informative way which is easy to understand.’
‘Jean Meijer is highly intelligent, strategic, commercial and practical. She is able to quickly understand what a business requires and give advice which is implementable and understandable. Sandhya Foster is extremely commercial, intelligent and practical.’
‘The team is highly experienced and well connected.’
‘Both Jean and Sandhya are fantastic-they are always professional and a real asset in any negotiation/transaction.’
‘This team is top drawer with a superior knowledge of competition law and how best to use that knowledge as an inter-play with the competition authorities. This team also has an innate ability to find practical solutions to complex legal issues.’
‘Nick Altini is one of the best competition lawyers in the country. He has a profound knowledge of the law and an exceptional skill at applying that knowledge in practice, delivering outstanding results for his clients.’
‘Jean Meijer and her team are on the ball, organised, anticipate strategic moves and are always well prepared. If a client is looking for a team that will crystalise complex issues and make it palatable and defensible – this is the team!’
‘The Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa LLP competition team are subject matter experts with a proven track record of delivering with excellence. The team is very solutions oriented and straight to the point, which is highly appreciated in our field given the fast turnaround required to make decisions.’
Key clients
Associated British Foods (including subsidiaries, Illovo Sugar South African and Zambia Sugar)
Air Products South Africa Proprietary Limited
Airlink
Harmony Gold
IHS Holdings
Life Healthcare Group Limited
Naspers Group operating companies (AutoTrader, Mr D, OLX South Africa, Property24 and Takealot.com)
Rain
The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (including subsidiaries Liberty Life, Liberty 2 Degrees and Stanlib)
Uber Portier B.V. and Uber Eats South Africa Proprietary Limited
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
Stanlib
Work highlights
- Successfully defended I&J against allegations of cartel conduct before the Competition Tribunal and in an appeal heard before the Competition Appeal Court, brought against the client by the Competition Commission.
- Acting for a number of South African digital companies, including e-commerce retailer, Takealot.com, and food delivery service, MrD, in the ongoing OIPMI inquiry.
South Africa > Dispute resolution Tier 2
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP’s ‘excellent‘ disputes team has a solid track record in handling a wide gamut of commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution matters. The group’s recent workload includes instructions from the energy, construction, and financial services sectors. Department head Jonathan Ripley-Evans stands out for his ‘excellent strategic advice‘ on international arbitration and disputes in the engineering, mining, hospitality and tourism sectors. Cameron Dunstan-Smith leads the corporate crime and investigations group, and is active in cross-border investigations and compliance work. Fiorella Noriega del Valle, Candice Grieve and Ryan Hosking are singled out for their contributions.Practice head(s):
Jonathan Ripley-Evans; Cameron Dunstan-Smith
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Led by Jonathan Ripley-Evans, the team is exceptionally able and efficient and are able to undertake complex and urgent work without much difficulty.’
‘Fiorella Noregia Del Valle – superb output quality. Ryan Hosking and Candice Grieve – very able associates.’
‘Jonathan Ripley-Evans and Candice Grieve are excellent at building and maintaining client relationships. They listen to our needs as a client and are able to provide extremely valuable insights.’
‘Jonathan is respectful, kind and amazing at his job. I have also had the pleasure of working closely with Candice on a matter and was blown away by her professionalism, her approach to the matter at hand, her strong communication skills and also how dedicated she was.’
‘Jonathan Ripley-Evans and Fiorella Noriega Del Valle show commitment to providing the best possible client service. They have in all instances gone above and beyond to satisfy our requirements.’
Key clients
G7 Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd
EDF Renewables
Binance
Kapsch Trafficom AG
Mercedes Benz South Africa (Pty) Limited
Scatec Solar Africa (Pty) Ltd
Takealot Online (RF) (PTY) LTD
Standard Bank Group Ltd
Mulilo Total Coega (Pty) Ltd & Mulilo Total Hydra Storage (Pty) Ltd
Tourvest Holdings (Pty) Limited
Thales Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd (Thales Group South Africa)
Kaxu Solar One (RF) Proprietary Limited
Oya Energy (Pty) Ltd
Umoyilanga (Pty) Ltd
ACWA Power Energy Africa (Pty) Ltd
Gartner, Inc.
NTT Communications
Work highlights
- Representing Kapsch Trafficom AG in arbitration proceedings against Lamise Trading, in relation to a dispute arising from the shareholders agreement concluded by the entities.
- Representing G7 Renewable Energies in judicial review proceedings concerning the setting aside of Eskom’s IGCA rules; the client had applied for grid capacity allocation from Eskom concerning two wind energy projects owned by the client, and brought proceedings against Eskom on the grounds that the IGCA Rules were introduced ultra vires, Eskom did not have the legislative or regulatory power to implement the rules, and also that the procedure by which the rules were introduced was materially flawed.
- Representing Thales South Africa Proprietary Limited in ongoing proceedings concerning its being charged as a co-accused with former President Jacob Zuma, in a criminal case.
South Africa > Mining Tier 3
Patrick Leyden heads Herbert Smith Freehills LLP’s mining team, which advises on a broad range of transactional and contentious work in the industry. The client base includes government departments, international and local companies and non-profit organisations. Leyden is sought after for his expertise in advising on cross-border M&A in the mining space. Ernst Muller brings experience in assisting multinational mining companies with ESG matters. Peter Leon is now based in the London office, and acts as the firm’s global chair of its Africa group.Practice head(s):
Patrick Leyden
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Natal Portland Cement Company (Proprietary) Limited
Anglo American Plc
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited
China Molybdenum Company Limited (CMOC)
CIMIC Group Limited
POSCO
Pala Investment Limited
Green Hydrogen Organisation |International Lawyers Project (pro bono)
Thiess (Proprietary) Limited
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > Firm Profile
Herbert Smith Freehills is a leading global law firm with over 5,000 people, including 2,600 lawyers, in 24 offices across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the US.
As one of the world’s leading law firms, we advise many of the biggest and most ambitious organisations across all major regions of the globe. Our clients trust us with their most important transactions, disputes and projects because of our ability to cut through complexity and mitigate risk. We offer local insight and seamless cross-border service in all major regions. Positioned to support the major trade flows, we help the world’s top companies thrive in the global economy.
Seven of our 24 global offices are located in Europe including offices in Belfast, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan and Paris. A pre-eminent and recognised firm in litigation, arbitration, contentious regulatory work, public and private M&A, private equity, capital markets, infrastructure, dispute resolution, real estate, restructuring and insolvency, PPP, energy, ESG and banking and finance; we have advised on European transactions for over 50 years and today our multidisciplinary teams act for international clients conducting business across Europe and the rest of the world. Herbert Smith Freehills is now a top 20 firm in Continental Europe by lawyer headcount.
We work with domestic and international investors, governments, financial institutions and asset managers as well as IBEX 35 companies and a large number of CAC 40 and SBF 120 companies. With a major focus on cross-border work we operate seamlessly within our global network partnering with our clients to gain an in-depth understanding of their environment to provide our clients with the highest level of service.
Our EU law experts have handled a large number of cases in the EU courts and guide clients through the EU’s legislative and administrative processes. Our teams have an excellent understanding of the workings of the EU, drawing on the experience of former secondees, officials and judges at the European Commission and EU courts. Our Brussels office is also the hub of our global International Trade/WTO practice, acting on disputes under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and advising on market access strategies, sanctions, export controls and trade remedy matters.
Herbert Smith Freehills is the largest fully integrated law firm in Asia Pacific and is one of the world’s top ranked and most experienced energy & resources firms; a globally pre-eminent and recognised firm in litigation, arbitration and contentious regulatory work; and an international leader in M&A, private equity, capital markets, infrastructure and banking and finance.
Visit our website to read more about our vision, our determination to drive diversity, inclusion and responsible business, and our ambition to redefine legal services for the digital-first age.
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