Banking & Finance
Global Guide 2024 : South Africa
Band 3
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+27 11 535 8000About
Provided by Werksmans Attorneys
Werksmans banking & finance lawyers have led the market with complex transaction types and financial instruments that are now being used across South Africa. The team advises all the major financial institutions and banks in South Africa, including their investment banking divisions. They also advise international banks and law firms relating to offshore finance transactions.
Our lawyers have extensive experience in syndicated and bilateral finance, project and limited recourse finance, leveraged and acquisition finance, structured finance, commodity and trade finance, debt capital markets transactions and securitisations. In the leveraged and acquisition finance field, our experienced transactional lawyers have advised on a vast number of private equity transactions and other public-to-private transactions in South Africa, including in the consumer products, retail and financial services sectors.
In the project finance, infrastructure and public-private-partnership fields, the team has represented lenders and borrowers in some of the largest transactions of this type in Southern Africa. The industry sectors involved include mining & exploration, roads, prisons, hospitals, water, accommodation and renewable energy.
In syndicated and bilateral financing, our banking & finance lawyers have advised lenders and borrowers across various industry sectors with a special focus on medium to large local and international transactions.
Chambers Review
Werksmans Attorneys is a longstanding law firm in the banking and finance market, assisting lenders and sponsors as well as corporate and fund borrowers across a range of matters, including debt refinancing and restructuring, acquisition finance and preference share funding. It maintains client relationships with a number of the country's largest investment banks and funds.
Work Highlights
- Werksmans advised MetroFibre on a ZAR5 billion debt finance package from Standard Bank for the purpose of expanding fibre connectivity into homes and businesses in underserviced communities across South Africa.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Werksmans offer very good turnaround times, works very well within the quote provided, and are always on top of the latest commercial issues."
"Werksmans offer very good turnaround times, works very well within the quote provided, and are always on top of the latest commercial issues."
Notable Practitioners
Johannesburg-based Danny Andropoulos is a seasoned practitioner regularly instructed to provide counsel on debt financing and restructuring, post-commencement finance and preference share transactions.
"Danny is brilliant on either the borrower or the lender side in restructuring matters. He is very calm and pragmatic and is able to lever relationships to achieve great outcomes."
Jenni Darling has rapidly established her name in the banking and finance market via her counsel to both lenders and borrowers. She assists her clients with acquisition and investment financing, as well as preference share and debt refinancing. She left Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr and joined Werksmans Attorneys in March 2023.
"Jenni Darling is a very good negotiator on commercial engagements and expert at drafting up the resultant documentation."
"Jenni is a truly amazing lawyer: young, energetic, extremely knowledgeable and focused on client service and practical solutions to complex problems - I would be lost without her!"
Ranked Lawyers at
Werksmans Attorneys
South Africa
Members
Provided by Werksmans Attorneys
Aarthi Ramdhin
Astrid Berman
Deon Griessel
Dylan Cunard
Elliott Wood
Head of Department
Harold Jacobs
Lureshan Naidoo
Lynsey Watson
Natalie Scott
Nozipho Bhengu
Paul Tindle
Robert Driman
Shayne Krige
Tracey-Lee Jansen van Rensburg