Accolades

Werksmans has received a variety of local and international marketplace accolades acknowledging the firm's leadership in the field of corporate and commercial law in South Africa.

Our firm has been recognised with leading marketplace accolades by the following credible international rankings organisations:

Chambers' Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business

Our firm has been ranked across 20 areas of law and 37 of our lawyers are ranked individually as leading lawyers in their respective fields.

The firm was ranked as follows:

• Africa Wide – TMT: Band 3
• Administrative & Public Law: Band 3
• Banking & Finance: Band 3
• Capital Markets – Debt: Band 2
• Competition & Antitrust: Band 3
• Construction: Band 4
• Corporate Investigations: Band 2
• Corporate/M&A: Band 2
• Dispute Resolution: Band 1
• Employment: Band 3
• Energy & Natural Resources – Mining: Band 2
• Environment: Band 2
• Intellectual Property: Band 3
• International & Cross-Border Capabilities: Spotlight
• IT & Telecommunications: Band 2
• Media & Broadcasting: Band 2
• Projects & Energy: Band 4
• Real Estate: Band 2
• Restructuring & Insolvency: Band 1
• Tax: Band 2

The following lawyers have been individually ranked as leading lawyers in the 2025 edition:

• Administrative & Public Law
o Corlett Manaka: Band 3

• Banking & Finance
o Danny Andropoulos: Band 2
o Jenni Darling: Band 3

• Capital Markets: Debt
o Richard Roothman: Band 2
o Tracy-Lee Janse van Rensburg: Band 3

• Competition/Antitrust
o Paul Coetser: Band 3
o Ahmore Burger-Smidt: Band 4
o Paul Cleland: Band 5

• Construction
o Jennifer Smit: Band 4

• Corporate Investigations
o Bernard Hotz: Band 2
o Jeremy Gobetz: Band 2
o Mohamed Hoosen: Associates to watch

• Corporate/M&A
o Kevin Trudgeon: Band 3
o Gerhard Johannes: Band 3
o David Gewer: Band 4
o Elliott Wood: Band 5

• Dispute Resolution
o David Hertz: Eminent Practitioners
o Des Williams: Senior Statespeople
o Corlett Manaka: Band 2
o Jones Antunes: Band 4

• Employment
o Sandile July: Band 3
o Anastasia Vatalidis: Band 3
o Jacques van Wyk: Band 4

• Energy & Natural Resources: Mining
o Chris Stevens: Band 1

• Environment
o Justin Truter: Band 2

• FinTech Legal
o Preeta Bhagattjee: Band 2

• Intellectual Property
o Donvay Wegierski: Band 3
o Janine Hollesen: Band 3

• IT & Telecommunications
o Preeta Bhagattjee: Band 1

• Media & Broadcasting
o Wendy Rosenberg: Band 1
o Tebogo Sibidla: Band 3

• Private Equity
o Elliott Wood: Band 3
o Bafana Ntuli: Up and Coming

• Projects & Energy
o Chris Moraitis: Band 3

• Real Estate
o Fátima Rodrigues: Band 2

• Restructuring/Insolvency
o Eric Levenstein: Band 1

• Tax
o Michael Honiball: Band 2
o Ernest Mazansky: Band 1
o Doelie Lessing: Band 2
o Ryan Killoran: Band 3

LEX Africa is pleased, to once again be ranked as a Band 1 Leading Regional Law Firm Network – Africa Wide.

IFLR1000: Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms

In 2024, Werksmans was ranked by IFLR1000, reflecting Werksmans market standing within the financial and corporate practice areas, which covers the Sub-Saharan African legal market. A total of 21 of our lawyers were ranked as 'highly regarded' legal practitioners across 6 practice areas.

Legal 500

In 2024, Werksmans was ranked by The Legal 500, an independent directory which assesses the strengths of law firms in over 100 jurisdictions. Firms and individuals are recommended purely on merit. Werksmans was ranked across 12 practice areas, and a total of 16 of our lawyers were ranked as 'leading lawyers'.

DealMakers

  • Legal adviser to MultiChoice in the Deal of the Year: Groupe Canal+'s acquisition of MultiChoice (2024)
  • Legal adviser: M&A transactions 4th by Deal Value (2024)

Intellectual Property Stars

In 2024 Werksmans was ranked by IP Stars – the leading specialist guide for companies or individuals looking for experienced legal practitioners to deal with contentious and non-contentious intellectual property issues. Managing IP has been covering IP law and practice worldwide since 1990.

ITR World Tax

In 2024, Werksmans was ranked in both General Corporate Tax and Transactional Tax as Tier 2.