With a reputation for "getting the deal done", our Corporate/ Mergers & Acquisitions team has been the driving force behind the firm's impressive credential as the leading legal powerhouse in South African mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
The firm has, for a number of years, headed the league tables and been recognised as the most active South African law firm in M&A transactions by a number of credible local and international ranking organisations, including DealMakers and Ernst & Young.
Our M&A expertise has been honed over decades of experience in corporate and commercial work. The team's knowledge base evolves continually in step with changing economic and industry cycles, as well as legislative developments in fields such as taxation, competition law, environmental compliance and black economic empowerment. Changes in the legal and regulatory framework have added significantly to the legal complexities of M&A, and the team is adept at assisting clients in navigating these changes effectively.
Acting for clients in a variety of sectors - including mining, retail, telecommunications, banking and insurance - the team has in-depth experience in both public and private M&A work, as well as in private equity and international/ cross-border transactions.
We have represented numerous South African and international clients engaged in takeovers, reverse takeovers, mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, hostile bids, privatisations and empowerment transactions. Since corporate finance and securities laws feature prominently in many corporate transactions, our team also advises on new listings/flotations, de-listings and issues of shares.
The Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions team also deals with regulatory matters concerning the JSE Securities Exchange, the Securities Regulation Panel and the South African Reserve Bank.
All related areas of law, such as banking and finance, competition law merger-control, employment, exchange control and tax, are handled in conjunction with our specialists in those areas.
- DealMakers - Werksmans was recognised as the leading corporate law firm in mergers and acquisitions by deal flow 2006, 2007 and 2008, and by deal value in 2008. Read more... [See table]
- Ernst & Young - Werksmans was recognised as the leading law firm in South African mergers and acquisitions (ranked by number of transactions) in 2006 and 2007. We were responsible for 82 deals in 2007 (double that of the firm who was ranked second in this category.) Read more... [See table]
- Bloombergs M & A League Tables -In the Bloomberg legal advisory rankings for M&As, Werksmans was also placed first in the Mid-Market Middle East and Africa M&A category for deals up to $500 million, $250 million and $50 million. The firm was ranked ahead of leading international law firms such as Allen & Overy, Baker & McKenzie, White & Case and Clifford Chance.
- Werksmans is listed as a recommended firm by
IFLR1000 (2009).
- Mergermarket's South Africa M&A Round-up 2009 - For the second year running, Werksmans has been recognised as South Africa's most active law firm. This year the company was involved in 22 deals, compared to the 20 recorded by the firm ranked second in this category. Mergermarket is a division of the Financial Times Group. Read more...
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Top Corporate/Merger and Acquisition Transactions
| Description of transaction and our role |
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Approximate value |
| Advised Xstrata on its offer to purchase Lonmin plc's entire issued share capital |
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£5 billion |
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Advised Telkom SA Limited on its unbundling of 35% of Vodacom Group (Proprietary) Limited |
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R35 billion |
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Advised Edgars Consolidated Stores Limited on its acquisition by Bain Capital |
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R25,5 billion |
| Advised Telkom SA Limited on its disposal of 15% of Vodacom Group (Proprietary) Limited to Vodafone Holdings (SA) (Proprietary) Limited |
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R22,5 billion |
| Advised MTN Group Limited's independent directors on the acquisition of the entire issued ordinary share capital of Newshelf 664 (Proprietary) Limited |
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R21,8 billion |
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Download all our recent corporate/mergers and acquisitions related transactions
The long-awaited new Companies Act No 71 of 2008 was promulgated in April 2009 and is expected to become effective around July 2010. For further information on its key implications, please click here.
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Services include dealing with:
- Takeovers, mergers and acquisitions in both private and public markets
- Black economic empowerment transactions
- Due diligence investigations
- Management/leveraged buyouts
- Private equity
- Privatisations
- Group restructuring and reorganisation
- Listings/flotations (primary, secondary and inward)
- Stock exchange compliance and offers to the public
- Exchange control
- Corporate finance and structuring
Commercial Contacts
Litigation Contacts
Related Services
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