Big Five law firms (South Africa)
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South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to refer to those law firms which, collectively, are perceived to be the largest firms based in South Africa.
The following firms are usually seen as comprising the "Big Five" (listed alphabetically):
| Name | Founded | No. of offices | No. of attorneys | No. of employees | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowman Gilfillan Bowman Gilfillan Bowman Gilfillan Inc is a law firm based in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, with offices in Cape Town and through its association with Coulson Harney, in Nairobi, Kenya... |
1885 | 4 | 300+ (2011) | 600+ (2011) | |
| Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc is one of the largest law firms in South Africa, with more than 130 partners and 270 attorneys. The firm has a significant national footprint with offices in Sandton, Johannesburg and Cape Town; it is also affiliated with DLA Piper.... , allied with DLA Piper DLA Piper DLA Piper is a global law firm with 76 offices across 30 countries and more than 4,200 lawyers. As of May 2011, it was the largest law firm in the world by number of attorneys. The firm's global revenues were $1.92 billion in 2009-2010. The firm is composed of two partnerships, DLA Piper... |
1853 | 3 | 250+ (2011) | 600+ (2011) | |
| Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs ENS is Africa's largest law firm, with over 400 legal, forensic, tax and IP practitioners. The firm was established more than 100 years ago and operates out of its Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Stellenbosch offices in South Africa making it one of the oldest and most experienced full... |
1905 | 4 | 400+ (2011) | 730+ (2010) | R600+ million (2010) |
| Norton Rose South Africa Norton Rose Norton Rose is an international legal practice offering a business law service from 39 offices across Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada, Africa and the Middle East... 1 |
1922 | 3 | 200+ (2011) | 500+ (2011) | |
| Webber Wentzel Webber Wentzel Webber Wentzel is a "Big Five" law firm principally based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with offices in Cape Town and London.Webber Wentzel was founded in 1868 and is the only one of the large law firms to retain a traditional partnership organization and not incorporate... |
1868 | 4 | 360+ (2011) | 700+ (2011) |
Note1: On 1 June 2011 Deneys Reitz Inc
Deneys Reitz Inc
Deneys Reitz was a large South African law firm based in Sandton, Johannesburg with offices in Cape Town and Durban. It was one of the "Big Five" law firms in South Africa....
joined UK based firm Norton Rose.
Other major law firms
Firms with more than 50 attorneys are generally viewed as midsize law firms.| Name | Founded | No. of offices | No. of attorneys | No. of employees | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams & Adams | 1908 | 7 | 98+ (2011) | ||
| Bell Dewar | 1901 | 1 | 65+ (2011) | ||
| Eversheds Eversheds Eversheds LLP is an international law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the 50 largest law firms in the world measured by revenues. In 2009/10 it achieved total revenues of £355.2 million, making it the ninth-largest UK-based law firm by this measurement, and profits per... 1 |
1892 | 1 | 140+ (2011) | 300+ (2011) | |
| Shepstone & Wylie | 1872 | 5 | 65+ (2011) | ||
| Spoor & Fisher | 1920 | 4 | 55+ (2011) | 310+ (2011) | |
| Werksmans Werksmans Werksmans Attorneys is a large law firm based in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, with offices in Cape Town, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Tyger Valley. It was established in the early 1900s.-History:Werksmans and Jan S. de Villiers merged in 2009... |
1917 | 5 | 166+ (2011) | 400+ (2011) |
Note1: In April 2008 Routledge Modise joined UK based firm Eversheds.
Related phrases
- Magic Circle (law)Magic Circle (law)The "Magic Circle" is an informal term used to collectively describe what are generally regarded to be the five leading UK-headquartered law firms and the four or five leading London-based commercial barristers' chambers.-Law firms:...
- five firms with headquarters in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
regarded as the leading firms in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - Global Quartet or Big Four, referring to members of the Magic Circle other than Slaughter and MaySlaughter and MaySlaughter and May is an international law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom and a member of the 'Magic Circle' of leading UK law firms. It also has offices in Beijing, Brussels and Hong Kong....
as it has, in general, not pursued a policy of expansion - Golden Circle, a term used for example, by The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, or Silver CircleSilver Circle (law)The Silver Circle is a term coined by The Lawyer magazine in 2005 to refer to a group of corporate law firms headquartered in London, United Kingdom which all fall outside of the Magic Circle and have a substantially lower turnover than the members of that group but have an average profit per...
coined by The LawyerThe LawyerThe Lawyer is a weekly British magazine for commercial lawyers and corporate directors, first published in 1981. It is owned by Centaur Media plc....
magazine in 2005 to describe mid-market or boutique law firms in the UK with profits per partner levels similar to those of the Magic Circle but being much smaller in terms of overall turnoverRevenueIn business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
and numbers of lawyers - White shoe firmWhite shoe firmWhite shoe firm is a phrase used to describe the leading professional services firms in the United States, particularly firms that have been in existence for more than a century and represent Fortune 500 companies...
s or Charmed Circle, referring to law firms perceived to be the leading New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
law firms - Seven SistersSeven Sisters (law firms)The Seven Sisters refers to a collection of seven leading Canadian law firms with offices in Toronto. The term can be traced back to at least 2001, when it may have been coined by Sandra Rubin to describe the top seven Canadian law firms by mergers and acquisitions deal volume...
, referring to the seven Canadian law firms considered to be the top tier - Big Six law firms the six leading law firms in Australia.