BOWMANS IS ‘SIMPLY FIRST CLASS’

Bowmans’ leadership in East and South Africa was recognised in The Legal 500’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Report for 2020, which was released yesterday (15 April 2020), with one client being quoted as saying that the firm is ‘simply first class’.

Chairman and senior partner, Robert Legh, says: ‘We are very proud of this achievement, which provides clear affirmation that our ‘one firm’ approach is gaining traction within the market’.

The firm achieved the highest number of individual practice rankings when compared with local competitors in Africa, being recognised in 20 practice areas, 11 of which were in the top tier.

Further, 73 of its lawyers were recommended within the commentary, while 23 were named in the elite list of ‘leading individuals’; six were recognised as ‘next generation partners’ and three were included in the ‘rising stars’ category. Notably, three of its lawyers were included in the prestigious Hall of Fame: Ezra Davids and Richard Harney for Commercial, corporate and M&A in South Africa and Kenya respectively,  and Tim Gordon-Grant for Dispute Resolution in South Africa.

The rankings are determined by extensive research into the capabilities of law firms in over 150 jurisdictions. According to the publication, the Legal 500 highlights the teams that are providing the ‘most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel’.

Its research is ‘based on feedback from 300 000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers, and a team of researchers who have unrivalled experience in the legal market’.

According to the report, Bowmans has ‘demonstrated a continued commitment to Tanzania and the wider East Africa region’; its ‘Dar es Salaam office frequently works alongside colleagues in Nairobi and Uganda to advise on East Africa transactions and other engagements’; and its Uganda office, ‘fields a sizeable team of experienced partners and associates and forms part of the firm's broad network of offices across the continent’.

Legh continues, ‘It is no small achievement that this respected and independent global research organisation continues to recognise our leading position in Africa. More importantly, the positive feedback from our clients as quoted in the report, underscores the value that we are delivering to them.’

Some highlights include:

• ‘Bowmans is simply first class. Their legal knowledge is superb and I was extremely pleased with the legal services they provided.’ (Real estate and construction, Kenya)
• ‘The high quality team is proactive and engaged.’ (M&A, South Africa)
• ‘They are able to go further than what is usually required, by vesting themselves in the resolution of a matter.’ (Competition, South Africa)
• ‘Their network of firms across Africa allows them to be competitive not only in the delivery of excellent quality legal product but also in pricing.’ (Banking, finance and capital markets, Kenya)
• ‘Sharp analysis, expert industry knowledge, very responsive to requests, and considerate of project resource constraints.’ (Projects and infrastructure, South Africa)
• ‘The team dedicates itself and resources to ensure that they deliver.’ (Dispute resolution, Kenya)