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South Africa

South Africa is one of Africa’s largest economies with a first-class infrastructure, constitutional democracy, strong financial services centre and independent judiciary. In addition, the country is a gateway to high growth economies to the north, with the financial and professional expertise to help guide international investors seeking to access these markets for the first time. CMS is based in South Africa with over 20 lawyers located in Johannesburg.

CMS South Africa is on a journey to modernize and transform the South African legal market anticipating on BEE, the South African government’s legislated programme to correct the apartheid legacy and to encourage participation and development of black people in the economy, a trend which is growing across the continent. We are a commercial law firm specialising in providing practical and innovative full spectrum legal, tax and transaction advisory services. We are committed to developing young African talent and are accredited as a BEE Level 1 law firm.

Following an analysis of the South African and sub-Saharan Africa legal market, we identified an opportunity to establish a new kind of legal business that capitalises on structural pressures on more established law firms, as well as opportunities arising from affirmative procurement based on the principle of BEE and its related concept of transformation.

Clients have said:

‘very responsive and proactive’
The team is experienced, efficient, well priced and professional.
‘extremely efficient, commercial, pragmatic and easy to work with’

The firm has been ranked in The Best Lawyers, our partners are recognized by The Legal 500, Who's Who Legal, Chambers, IFLR1000 and The Best Lawyers.

Our Expertise

We offer a unique combination of expertise including Banking & Finance, Commercial & Corporate/M&A, Consumer Products, Corporate Governance and Compliance, Corporate Investigations & Forensics, Dispute Resolution, Energy, Financial Restructuring & Insolvency, Real Estate & Conveyancing, Funds, Hotels & Leisure, Infrastructure & Projects, Insurance, Mining, Private Equity, Public Procurement, Tax and Technology, Media & Communications.

Our international practice focuses on advising national and multinational private and public companies and listed entities in complex financing operations, international companies in specific regulatory matters in various industry sectors in Africa and in merger & acquisition related transactions, as well as advising national and international companies in large-scale expansions.

We help our clients implement, improve and achieve their business strategies in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Contact us, if you would like to find out more.

20/06/2023
Africa Energy Forum 2023
Meet CMS Energy & Climate Change experts
24/10/2023
CMS Expert Guide to gambling laws in Africa
African opportunity continues to excite. As a general observation, there is and will continue to be a strong economic interest in African eco­nom­ics.  One area that is attracting the most interest is the gambling industry. The African gambling markets
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Belt and Road: the view from Africa
The new CMS report in our series focused on BRI, Belt and Road: the view...

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24/04/2024
CMS Expert Guide to Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws
We are delighted to present the 7th edition of the CMS Guide to Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws. Guide is now available in both offline PDF format and online on our website. The purpose of the Guide...
23/04/2024
On the Pulse webinar series 2024
Welcome to the 2024 On the Pulse webinar series.  This webinar series brings you updates on the latest legal and commercial developments in the life sciences & healthcare sector from around the world. Over the coming period, we will be hosting two webinars on:Unified Patent Court (UPC) - 23 AprilEU Pharma Package - 18 JuneEach webinar will be one hour in length with a 15-minute Q&A session.
18/04/2024
CMS Expert Guide to renewable energy
The Renewables Sector is now many decades old and considered a mature investment sector by many. Yet the issues it faces continue to evolve and grow at pace with the evolution and growth of the sector...
11/04/2024
What businesses want: Improved regulation that spurs investment
The successful growth and development of business relies heavily on policymakers making decisions that result in a fair and open economic environment, and encourages more foreign direct investment. These...
09/04/2024
CMS Expert Guide to plastics and packaging laws
Plastics and packaging have attracted  consumer, media and legislative interest over recent years with an array of laws being proposed to incentivise behavioural and design change. Significant reforms...
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28/03/2024
Warning to all landlords: Perfect or suffer the consequences
Does a landlord have an automatic right of retention/ lien over the movables of the lessee that can be exercised to off-set arrear rental? The Supreme Court of Appeal in the recent case of Ergomode (Pty)...
27/03/2024
As we navigate the era of artificial intelligence, South Africa must choose...
As South Africa steps into the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there's a concerted effort by our government and several bodies within the Information and Communications Technology sector, to strike...
27/03/2024
CMS Expert Guide to cannabis law and legislation
Why this guide? In recent years cannabis trade and related activity has developed into a growth business area. In the life sciences and healthcare fields, there have been increases in the numbers of patients...
25/03/2024
The growing importance of risk management and where ESG fits into the picture
For almost as long as businesses have existed, so has some level of risk management. Risk management encompasses identifying, assessing and controlling financial, legal, strategic and security risks within...
21/03/2024
CMS European M&A Study 2024
The CMS Corporate/M&A Group is pleased to launch the 16th edition of the European M&A Study
20/03/2024
The precarious position of the voting rights of post commencement creditors
The rescue of a company in business rescue ultimately depends on the implementation of a viable business rescue plan which has received the support of 75% of the creditors of the company. A recent business...
11/03/2024
How viable is hydrogen?
How viable is hydrogen as an energy source? Does it really have the potential to alleviate SA’s energy woes?South Africa’s energy crisis has created opportunities for innovation, especially given...