South Africa continues to be the continent’s economic powerhouse, and world-class companies from a range of industry sectors call the rainbow nation home. Supporting these efforts are a huge number of highly talented and experienced general counsel, chief legal officers other corporate counsel that mitigate risks, spearhead new transactions and business lines, and contribute to overall company strategy. We at Legal 500 our delighted to share this list of 110 of the country’s foremost GCs, although selecting these from the long list of nominations we received was not an easy task.

Through exclusive interviews, we explore the challenges and opportunities shaping their industries—from ESG compliance and data protection to dispute resolution and AI-driven legal operations. These in-house counsel are not just advisors but architects of change, navigating businesses through uncertainty with resilience and foresight.

Their voices offer a unique perspective on the evolving legal and business climate in South Africa, and in total add up to over 32,000 words. There were a number of notable takeaways from this year’s research that the excerpts below are emblematic of.

Given the turbulent state of the global geopolitical order currently, we focused on how legal teams react to crisis. Kim Edwards, Head of Legal at SPAR Group, spoke eloquently about the importance of being the company’s rock in tough times:

“Two important attributes that I think are key for an in-house lawyer are adaptability and the ability to keep a cool head.  The worst thing that an in-house advisor can do is create or encourage an environment of panic. In times of crisis or pressure, our team’s approach is to engage with colleagues on the issue at hand and assist in developing an immediate action plan. This provides the business with reassurance and a level of certainty during the uncertainty. This encourages them to not respond to situations hastily – most knee jerk reactions do not result in good business decisions.”

Many GCs chose to talk about the importance of diversity within an organisation. Howard Snoyman, head of legal and ethics at Discovery Health Medical Scheme, championed the benefits of diversity to organisations:

“Diversity of competent thought is a valuable asset to any team, and such diversity can only be achieved by including team members from various backgrounds and skill sets. It is important to be slow in dismissing perspectives that differ from your own and to empower those employed to help solve legal and regulatory dilemmas to actually do so. Having a suitably skilled team and not listening to them creates an expensive echo chamber, which cannot deliver the optimal benefits to the enterprise.”

As experienced leaders of legal teams, GCs are key mentors to those in the team more junior than them and must develop and motivate them effectively to make a truly high-performance team. Zinhle Mariani, General Counsel Africa of Experian South Africa, spoke of how important it is to treat everyone in the team as individuals and take their unique circumstances into account:

“This requires thoughtfulness, understanding, and knowledge of my team. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, as each individual is driven by different needs. For instance, I have a young team, some are married with children, others are not, some are mobile, and others are not. Some are highly educated and need different incentives, while others are eager to learn and develop in their fields. So, it requires considerable understanding, and I engage fully with each one to meet their needs, expectations, and, to some extent, what they believe they are entitled to. It’s important to tailor rewards and responses to each individual’s needs, ensuring I respond appropriately to each situation while maintaining a cohesive, collegial, collaborative, transparent, supportive, and high-performing environment.”

Finally, we looked to ask the GCs what they rank as the top trends facing them currently. Matthew Burchell, Head of LegalAfrica for Ninety One, gave an answer that summed up many of the key concerns for GCs in South Africa now nicely:

“Increased legislation and regulatory scrutiny: the presence of new and evolving legislation has been particularly prevalent in Southern Africa in recent years, including as a result of countries being grey-listed and various socio-political initiatives. In terms of AI and technology,  the advancements in this space are seismic and they present a multitude of opportunities to make legal services more effective and efficient. As a result of the large volumes of information and data digested by lawyers, LLMs and GPTs are proving particularly useful.”

We are proud to celebrate their achievements and share their perspectives with the global legal community, and pleased we can have South African in-house legal minds take centre stage in the GC Powerlist South Africa 2025. Congratulations to all included, as many fine in-house lawyers were unfortunately unable to make the cut on this occasion.

It is indeed an honour and a privilege for Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) to partner with Legal 500 in bringing the Legal 500 GC Powerlist to South Africa for the second time in 2025. This initiative underscores our deep appreciation and respect for the country’s esteemed General Counsels (GCs) and their pivotal role in driving business success across the country.

The role of General Counsels (GCs) in South Africa has been undergoing a significant shift as businesses face increasing complexity in their operations and regulatory environments. Traditionally, GCs were seen primarily as legal advisors, responsible for managing legal risks and ensuring compliance. However, today’s GCs are expected to play a much more dynamic role, extending their influence beyond legal matters. They are now key strategic partners in guiding corporate decision-making, addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, and driving broader risk management initiatives. This evolving role reflects the growing demand for GCs to contribute to a company’s overall strategy, mitigate emerging risks, and help navigate an increasingly complex business landscape.

CDH continues to recognise the value that GCs add as integral and indispensable members of corporate executive teams, respecting their ability to wield well-informed influence in key strategic decisions and contribute to the overall success of the business. As a firm that accompanies clients from vision to fruition in relation to their business and strategic objectives, we believe that the relationships we hold with GCs are vital to the success of businesses across South Africa and ultimately contribute to the economic growth of our country.

We are therefore delighted to once again be partnering with Legal 500 to shine a spotlight, “not only on the most distinguished in-house lawyers in South Africa, but also on the rising stars and next-generation lawyers being groomed to lead the best in-house legal departments in the country.”

We congratulate the GCs and in-house lawyers who are included in this year’s GC Powerlist. This recognition honours these ‘unsung heroes’ of business and corporate development, who have long been at the forefront of excellence when measured against their global peers. We hold each of you in high regard and believe that your role as GC across South African businesses remains critical for navigating legal complexities, managing risks, and upholding ethical standards and corporate integrity in an ever-changing and challenging business environment. By addressing emerging challenges proactively and leveraging legal expertise and business acumen, GCs help their businesses thrive in the face of uncertainty, adversity, and change.

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is honoured to acknowledge the impact of those GCs on their businesses and on South Africa’s corporate landscape that have been included on the Powerlist South Africa, for the second time this year.

CDH is a full-service law firm consisting of more than 260 lawyers across Africa, with a track record spanning over 170 years. We provide experienced corporate and commercial legal support and authentic, knowledge-based, and cost-effective legal services for clients looking to do business in key markets across Africa. Our Africa practice brings together the resources and expertise of leading business law firms across the continent that have direct experience acting for governments, state agencies, and multinational corporations. This combined experience across the continent produces an extensive African corporate legal services capability. We also partner with other professional disciplines such as audit, business consulting, and corporate finance to provide a seamless and integrated solution for projects that have a multi-disciplinary and cross-border dimension.

For more information, please contact Karushka Naicker, Business Development Manager, via [email protected]