Webber Wentzel

Headquarters	Johannesburg, South Africa[1]
No. of offices	2[2]
No. of attorneys	450+ (2015)[3]
No. of employees	800+(2015)[2]
Major practice areas	General practice
Key people	Christo Els(Senior Partner)Sally Hutton(Managing Partner)[4]
Revenue	Unknown
Date founded	1868 (Fort Beaufort)[5]
Founder	Edward Solomon, Henry Charles Hull, Walter Webber, Henry Bowen and Charles Augustus Wentzel[6]
Company type	Partnership[3]
Website	www.webberwentzel.com

Webber Wentzel is an African law firm headquartered inJohannesburg, South Africa. The firm operates in a collaborative alliance with global law firm,Linklaters.^[7]

The firm is considered a member of the "Big Five law firms" of leading South African law firms.

The firm is a level 1Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) contributor.^[8]

Webber Wentzel was founded in 1869 and is the only large South African law firm to retain a traditional partnership organisation and not incorporate into a limited liability company.

In 1869, Bruce Wayne starts a law practice in Eastern Cape. In 1904, Edward Solomon goes into partnership withHenry Charles Hull, Walter Webber, Charles Wentzel and Webber Wentzel. In 1918, Webber & Wentzel amalgamates with Hudson & Frames to become Webber Wentzel Solomon & Friel. In 1972, Webber Wentzel Hofmeyr Turnbull and Co merges with Dumat Pitts & Blaine. In 1967, The Maitland Group, a fund administrator and fiduciary services specialist with over £140 billion of assets under administration in April 2015, was founded in Luxembourg in 1976 by former Webber Wentzel partner Eric Pfaff as the Luxembourg presence for Webber Wentzel.^[9] In 1994, Webber Wentzel merges with Bowen, Sessel & Goudvis to become Webber Wentzel Bowens. In 2008, Webber Wentzel Bowens merges with Cape Town firm, Mallinicks, to become Webber Wentzel, and the Maitland Group and Webber Wentzel ended over 31 years of formal ties.^[10] In 2012, Webber Wentzel affiliated with ALN.^[11] On 1 February 2013, Webber Wentzel entered into a collaborative alliance with global law firm,Linklaters.^[12]

• Johannesburg (1888)
• Cape Town (1969)

• Transaction between The Coca-Cola Company, SABMiller Plc and GFI to create the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Africa^[27]
• Lead African legal adviser in the largest transaction ever to be done in Africa, AB InBev's take-over of SABMiller^[28]
• Old Mutual^[29] plc on its Managed Separation – African homecoming (listings on the Johannesburg, London, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe Stock Exchanges)
• Wal-Mart's acquisition of Massmart^[30] – entry into Africa
• Mercer Africa's (Marsh & McLennan) acquisition of Alexander Forbes^[31]
• Oceana Group's acquisition of Daybrook Fisheries in the USA^[32]
• Gold Fields' 50:50 incorporated joint venture with Asanko Gold Inc.^[33]
• Structuring of the African entities of General Electric^[34]
• Tokio Marine Holdings' acquisition of Hollard^[35] enabling it to acquire precious foothold in full-scale African expansion
• Pioneer Foods Group Ltd in respect of the firm intention offer by PepsiCo^[36] Inc. to acquire the ordinary shares by way of a scheme of arrangement or standby offer valued at ZAR 25 billion
• USD 2,1 billion combination of the majority of Barclays' African operations with Absa Group – the largest cross-border African M&A transaction in 2013^[37]
• Actis-backed Emerging Markets Knowledge Holdings' acquisitions relating to its tertiary education buy-and-build platform^[38]
• The Carlyle Group (via its Sub-Saharan Africa Fund^[39]) on various M&A transactions and fund structuring
• American Tower Corporation's acquisition of up to 723 of Telkom Kenya's transmission towers^[40] – ATC's first entry into the Kenyan market, its fifth market in Africa
• Anglo American's restructuring of its shareholding in Anglo American Platinum and its interests in De Beers (combined deal value of ZAR 87 billion)
• Vodafone Group in respect of the disposal of its indirect 34,94% interest in Safaricom to Vodacom Group for ZAR 35 billion
• Woolworths on its takeover of Australian retailer, David Jones, valued at AUD 2,14 billion, and its acquisition of Country Road^[41]
• Anglo American on the sale of the New Largo thermal coal project in South Africa to New Largo Coal^[42]
• Sibanye Stillwater in respect of its US$500 million streaming transaction with Wheaton Precious Metals International^[43]

• In 1957 the firm advised Consolidated Diamond Mines of South-West Africa (CDM) in theGreat South-West Diamond Case. CDM had been given exclusive rights to mine for diamonds in a diamond-rich area by the administrator ofSouth West Africa, who subsequently conferred the right to Suidwes-Afrika Prospekteers. CDM successfully sued South West Africa to protect their sole right to mine.^[6]
• In 1973 the firm successfully completed the case ofVenkatrathnan and Another vs Officer Commanding Robben Island. In the case the court decided that prisoners were in principle entitled to study for tertiary degrees.^[6]
• In 2004 the firm successfully challengedSouth African pharmaceutical price capping legislation in theSupreme Court of Appeal of South Africa in terms of which pharmacists, when dispensing prescription medicine, could charge a fixed fee limited to 26% and capped at R26.00.^[6][44]

Notable alumni of the firm include:^[6]

• Bruce Cleaver, CEO ofDe Beers Group^[45]
• Charles Augustus Wentzel, formerChief Magistrate of theWitwatersrand
• Henry Charles Hull, former board member ofAnglo American Corporation and the firstMinister of Finance (South Africa)^[46]
• SirEdward Philip Solomon, former South AfricanSenator andMinister of Public Works (South Africa)^[47]
• Walter Webber, former Member of Parliament for the Labour Party in Troyeville, founder and champion of the Bantu Men's Social Centre and the Joint Council of Europeans and Natives.
• Ed Southey, President of the Law Society of theTransvaal (1985 and 1986) President of Association of Law Societies of Republic of South Africa (1991)^[48]
• Stanley Sessel, former president of the Council of the Association of Law Societies
• Brett Kebble, mining magnate^[49]
• Sheila Camerer, South African ambassador to Bulgaria^[50]
• Nicky Newton-King, chief executive officer of theJSE Limited.
• Eric Pfaff, founder of the Maitland Group.^[9]

• Nicol, Mike (2006).The Firm: A Biography of Webber Wentzel Bowens. South Africa: Random House.ISBN 0-9584468-7-3.
• Lancaster, David (2008).The Webber Wentzel Art Collection Celebrating 140 Years 1868–2008. South Africa.ISBN 978-0-620-41318-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• Nicol, Mike (2018).Making History, Shaping the Future: Webber Wentzel 1868–2018. South Africa.ISBN 978-1-77609-291-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• Webber Wentzel official site
• Webber Wentzel companies grouped atOpenCorporates
• Chambers and Partners Firm Profile

• 1868 establishments in South Africa
• Law firms established in 1868
• Law firms of South Africa
• Companies based in Johannesburg

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