Werksmans announces the appointment of 11 new directors
Werksmans Attorneys has announced the appointment of 11 new directors with effect from 1 March.
The firm’s chairman, Des Williams, says, “Werksmans is first and foremost a meritocracy, which underlines the achievements of each of our newly-appointed directors. It’s encouraging to see this level of talent coming through the ranks.”
A case in point is Leon Rood, who specialises in tax law and has been made a director in the firm’s Johannesburg office after having been with Werksmans for less than a year. As Werksmans is recognised as one of South Africa’s foremost corporate and commercial law firms, this is no mean achievement.
The same can be said of Shirley Fodor, who joined Werksmans’ Mining, Energy and Natural Resources Practice last year. Both she and Stephan Lochner were promoted within this Johannesburg-based practice which sits within the firm’s Commercial Department. This points not only to the fact that this is a growing area within the firm, but also to the depth of expertise available within the team.
Williams says that Werksmans’ director appointments include a good balance between lawyers who have been with the firm since the beginning of their legal careers and those who have been recruited in the marketplace. He explains, “We always like to see young lawyers developing through the ranks and have a number of new directors who have ‘grown up’ with Werksmans”.
He highlights Candice Pillay and Tebogo Mthiyanaas good examples. Both have developed their careers within niche areas within the firm: Candice practices in the Life Sciences Practice Area, specialising in environmental and administrative law; and Tebogo within the firm’s Media and Communications Practice Area - this team is widely regarded as one of the best sources of media and communications legal advice in the country.
William’s says, “It’s also gratifying to be able to attract outstanding talent in the marketplace. Take our two new director appointments in Cape Town for instance: Shayne Krigespecialises in international transactions and joins us from Maitland in France, while Tammy Balkin (Bortz) who re-joins Werksmans, has extensive experience in technology law”.
Another example of the high level of talent in Werksmans’ Cape Town office is Irma-DaleneGouws who has developed into a well-respected commercial lawyer with a particular focus on competition law during her tenure with the firm. Having started with the firm as a candidate attorney, she now spearheads Werksman’s competition competency in the region.
Williams says that there is room for corporate and commercial lawyers at Werksmans to develop within specialised fields. He points to Jennifer Smit, who has lobbied for change in sales in execution regulations, as someone who has found her niche and excelled within the Werksmans environment. She has been promoted to director within the firm’s Business Recovery, Insolvency & Restructuring Practice Area in Johannesburg.
“We believe that diversity in expertise is good for our firm and ultimately for our clients,” says Williams. “An example is NoziphoBhengu, who has been promoted to director within our Corporate/M&A Practice Area. She has had extensive experience on the client side – as an in-house legal counsel, and that experience and perspective adds to her value as a member of the team".
Another fine example of a lawyer who brings diversity of experience to the team, is Shaun Browne who re-joined the firm on his return from Australia where he worked for Blake Dawson and was admitted to the bar in Victoria. William’s says, “Shaun’s expertise has been recognised within our Banking & Finance Practice Area, which is no small achievement as we have achieved a number of firsts in this highly specialised field”.
In conclusion, Williams notes that that this year’s promotions and appointments take the number of Werksmans’ directors to over 100, “which is evidence of solid growth, particularly in the current economic environment”.