Richard James Bryce is a senior associate in our Johannesburg office’s Corporate Department and a member of the Competition practice. He has worked in both our Kenya and Tanzania offices; and has also worked in the London office of an international American law firm as a visiting lawyer.

Richard specialises in various aspects of competition law including merger and behavioural matters and has experience across a number of industries, including – the chemicals, transportation, tobacco, food and beverage, advertising, IT services, mining and agriculture industries.  

He has experience in assisting clients with hostile mergers and cross-border mergers. He has appeared on behalf of clients before the Competition Commission and Competition Tribunal of South Africa, the Competition Authority of Kenya and the Tanzanian Fair Competition Commission. 

Richard is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, a Bachelor of Laws degree, and a Master of Laws degree – all from the University of Cape Town. 

He is a Mandela Rhodes scholar (UCT & SA, 2016) and an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation fellow.  

Relevant Experience

• Advised ZF Friedrichshafen AG, from a South African competition law perspective, in its acquisition of WABCO Holdings Inc.
• Advised Platform Specialty Products Corporation in the disposal of Arysta LifeScience Inc. to UPL Corp. Limited. Assistance was provided in relation to merger notifications to the competition regulators of CEMAC, COMESA, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania. 
• Advised Mercuria Energy Group Limited, from a South African competition law perspective, in its acquisition of Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc.
• Advised BSA International S.A. in its acquisition of the Infant Nutrition Business of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited. Assistance was provided in relation to merger notifications to the competition regulators of COMESA, Kenya, Namibia and South Africa.
• Assisted Melrose Industries plc, from a South African competition law perspective, in its acquisition of GKN plc, a transaction notified as a hostile merger.
• Assisted Blackstone Management Partners LLC, from a South African competition law perspective, in its acquisition of the Financial and Risk Division of Thomson Reuters Corporation.
• Various representations on behalf of clients before the competition authorities in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania in relation to restricted trade practice and consumer protection investigations.

Awards

‘Richard Bryce was outstanding. His understanding of the legal issues, management of complex situations and judgement are impressive, but it is his energy, dedication and client care which really set him apart.’ – Legal 500, 2021

• Africa: The status of merger control
• Tanzania: Fair Competition Commission pursues parties for non-notification of a merger
• South Africa: Draft Block Exemption Regulations for Small, Micro and Medium Sized Businesses published for public comment
• South Africa: Businesses can expect a wave of new competition regulations in the coming months
• A new chapter for merger control in Kenya
• COVID-19: Merger notification processes and competition enforcement activity in Africa
• COVID-19: More ‘failing firm’ mergers expected
• COVID-19: Merger notification processes and competition enforcement activity in Africa
• COVID-19: South African merger control – employment-related conditions to approval of mergers
• COVID-19: Merger notification processes and competition enforcement activity in Africa
• Merger notifications in Africa in light of COVID-19
• Kenya’s Competition Tribunal’s Debut Review Application