Dentons has announced today (9 April), that it has tied up with local associate firm KapdiTwala to launch an office in Cape Town.
The Global 100 firm has further plans to open in Johannesburg later this year and will also open an additional office in Francophone Africa in 2014, in a bid to strengthen its market position on the continent.
Oil and gas specialist KapdiTwala has been associated with Dentons since 2012 and will now operate as Dentons in South Africa.
In a statement, the firm said it is well positioned to maximise the opportunities offered by South Africa’s fast-developing energy sector. The combination is the first international union with a Level 1 Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) law firm. KapdiTwala will continue to be a Level 1 status firm, which is 100% owned by local partners and continue to be led by current managing partner Noor Kapdi.
Dentons’ global CEO, Elliott Portnoy, said: ‘With some of the most dynamic economies in the world today, Africa is a priority region for Dentons. Formalising what has been a very successful association with KapdiTwala under the Dentons name and opening additional Dentons offices in Johannesburg and Francophone Africa later this year is yet another way we can serve clients in a seamless fashion across all of our regions.’
KapdiTwala managing partner of Noor Kapdi, added: ‘We have quickly built a strong relationship with Dentons since we formed our association in 2012. Today’s announcement is a significant development in our close collaboration and we are pleased that our clients will now benefit from our fully integrated offering of global reach combined with local expertise. We look forward to further developing our practice in both Cape Town and, in time, Johannesburg.’
Dentons is one of several international firms to announce an expanded capability on the African continent in recent months. In November, Hogan Lovells confirmed it was combining with former Eversheds ally Routledge Modise, while Eversheds made good on its African expansion strategy by signing a partnership agreement with existing relationship firm CWA Morocco in late March, establishing new offices in Casablanca and Tangier.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
