DLA Piper’s Africa group last month announced it had expanded in north, southern and eastern Africa with the addition of three new member firms.
Algerian firm B L & Associés, Rubeya & Co Advocates of Burundi and Namibian firm Ellis Shilengudwa joined the 4,200-lawyer firm’s Africa group as of 1 October 2013. The firm now has members in 14 countries in Africa and is located in 30 countries around the world.
B L & Associés is run by Algerian-based partner Fatima Zohar Bouchemla and Paris-based partner Mohamed Lanouar. The firm also comprises eight associates, all of whom are admitted to practise in either Algeria or France.
The team handles advisory matters including investment law, commercial contracts, M&A, capital markets, tax and customs law, insurance, construction and real estate, as well as criminal, civil and commercial litigation matters.
Established in 2000, Rubeya & Co Advocates is run by commercial lawyer Willy Rubeya. The firm has an eight-strong team of lawyers with particular experience in intellectual property and competition law.
Namibian corporate and commercial law firm Ellis Shilengudwa was founded in 1997 and currently comprises four directors and seven associates.
Federico Sutti, managing director of Europe and Africa at DLA Piper, said: ‘We are very pleased to have expanded our network into the key developing markets of Algeria, Namibia and Burundi. The new member firms are highly regarded for providing exceptional standards of work for clients locally and internationally. As we continue to build our capabilities and presence across Africa, we will maintain our commitment to carefully selecting strategic partners that will be beneficial for our group members and will add value for our clients.’
The DLA Piper Africa group is operational in Algeria, Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Its lawyers have experience of African transactions across banking and finance, elecommunications, hospitality and leisure, mining, oil and gas, energy, and projects and infrastructure.
This comes shortly after Hogan Lovells announced in November last year that it was the latest to enter the South African market as it tied up with former Eversheds ally Routledge Modise after ten months of talks.
The 40-partner South African firm now operates under the Hogan Lovells banner, but will not share the same profit pool, as local regulations prohibit it.
Eversheds, meanwhile, which split with Routledge in October 2012, confirmed in the same month that it would be significantly expanding its Africa offering and is currently in discussions to establish offices in the key markets of Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya over the coming months.
Clifford Chance launches ‘first-of-its-kind’ Saudi partnership
In January Clifford Chance (CC) formally announced the launch of its joint Saudi and foreign-owned law firm in Riyadh, boasting an institutionalised career path for Saudi lawyers as it becomes the first international firm to establish an integrated partnership in the Kingdom.
The transactional lawyers of Al-Jadaan & Partners, Khalid Al-Abdulkareem and Abdulaziz Al-Abduljabbar, join CC to create a five-partner team alongside English lawyers Omar Rashid, Paul Latto and office head Tim Plews.
CC has been in partnership with Al-Jadaan since 1998 and will maintain its co-operation with the firm, with managing partner Mohammed Al-Jadaan continuing as a special adviser to the Magic Circle firm.