Africa specialists Poupak Bahamin and Bayo Odubeko are to join the corporate team at international legal practice Norton Rose Group as partners. Poupak joins from Canadian law firm, Heenan Blaikie LLP, where she was partner in the Montreal office and a seminal player in the International Affairs team with a focus on Africa. Bayo joins from SJ Berwin in London where he was head of the Africa Group.

Poupak regularly acts for African, Canadian and European corporates with a focus on Sub-Saharan and francophone Africa. She will focus on mining, oil and gas and environmental projects in several Francophone African countries.

Bayo has advised sub-Saharan focused private equity firms. He will focus on corporate finance work, including IPOs, private equity investment into Africa and natural resources transactions.

Tim Marsden, Group Head of Corporate, Norton Rose Group, said:

“We are world leaders in Africa and our expansion means we are in a unique position to develop Africa’s international business ties with the rest of the world, particularly in Asia Pacific; North America, Europe and the Middle East. Poupak and Bayo’s strong understanding of the African market combined with their sector expertise will help us further grow our leadership position.”

Rob Otty, Managing Director of Deneys Reitz who will join the executive committee of Norton Rose Group on 1 June 2011 said,

"The strength of both the Deneys Reitz, Africa Legal and Norton Rose brands across Africa are already pre-eminent and from 1 June Norton Rose Group will have more offices in Africa than any other international law firm. These hires will assist the expansion of our energy and commodity practice, and bring us into contact with new players across the continent".

Poupak Bahamin said:

“I'm really excited about this move. Norton Rose is a leading player in the African mining sector which is where I've successfully focussed my efforts in recent years. There is a strong synergy between my expertise and the geographic and sectoral direction of the business”.

Bayo Odubeko said:

“Norton Rose is already recognised as world class for corporate in Africa. Its international network and tie ups with Ogilvy Renault and Deneys Reitz can only lead to greater penetration into the African market. I’m looking forward to playing my part in continuing to grow that reputation.”

This follows on from the internal promotion of Arun Velusami to partner in Norton Rose Group’s recent round of 15 promotions (announced 20 April 2011). Based in London, Arun specialises in the development of energy projects in Africa. He has acted for governments, sponsors and lenders on a wide variety of innovative and challenging projects in Africa and further adds to the growing number of Africa specialist partners across Norton Rose Group.

Norton Rose Group has enjoyed ‘Tier 1’ rankings in both the Corporate & Commercial and Projects & Energy categories for Africa for 3 years, since they were created in 2009 in the Chambers Global legal directory. The practice retains a ‘Tier 1’ position in the latest edition of Chambers Global 2011, where it is recognised as:

”A leading player across several African regions. [Norton Rose] acted on numerous recent deals in Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola, as well as Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and Kenya and many other countries. The London and Paris offices are home to some highly knowledgeable lawyers in the field, and the firm's presence in China and Australia means it is well placed to advise investors from those countries on their African operations”.

[Chambers Global 2011- Corporate & Commercial category]

For further information:
Sarah Webster, senior public relations manager
+44 (0)20 7444 5942 sarah.webster@nortonrose.com
+44 (0)77 2535 0425

Notes for editors:
Norton Rose Group is a leading international legal practice. We offer a full business law service from offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
Knowing how our clients’ businesses work and understanding what drives their industries is fundamental to us. Our lawyers share industry knowledge and sector expertise across borders, enabling us to support our clients anywhere in the world. We are strong in financial institutions; energy; infrastructure and commodities; transport; and technology.

We have over 1800 lawyers operating from 30 offices in Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Athens, Bahrain, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Brussels, Canberra, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Perth, Piraeus, Prague, Rome, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Warsaw and from associate offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta.

Norton Rose Group comprises Norton Rose LLP, Norton Rose Australia and their respective affiliates.

Leading Canadian law firm Ogilvy Renault, and leading South African law firm Deneys Reitz, will join Norton Rose Group on 1 June 2011. The enlarged Group will have 2500 lawyers in 38 offices worldwide, including Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec, Calgary, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.