Baker McKenzie’s Johannesburg Managing Partner wins Law Professional of the Year

15th March 2019

Baker McKenzie’s Johannesburg Managing Partner wins Law Professional of the Year

Baker McKenzie’s Johannesburg Managing Partner, Morne van der Merwe, won the South African Professional Services Association (SAPSA) Law Professional of the Year award at an event held in Johannesburg last night.
 
The South African Professional Services Awards recognises individuals and organisations who have excelled within the South African Professional Services Industry. After a nomination process, finalists were decided by a panel of judges as well as from information compiled on nominees that included media reports, awards and recognition received, client surveys and information from interviews conducted by SAprofessionals.com.
 
The judges said that Morne van der Merwe, “….is undoubtedly a great contributor to both the company he leads and the profession to which he belongs. He has an impressive profile having played a key role in the merger of the Werksmans Johannesburg office with a firm in Cape Town. As Managing Partner, he can be credited with leading the growth story that has seen the regional firm contribute to the record revenues the global entity reported recently. 30% year on year growth of the Johannesburg firm are the kind of numbers any professional services firm would be lucky to report. Comments from fellow professionals in the legal fraternity familiar with his work and leadership were all positive….”
 
Van der Merwe noted, “Baker McKenzie was the first truly international firm, and as such the original disruptors. We have positioned ourselves as the new lawyers, with greater focus and emphasis on modernising the manner in which we practice and deliver on the demands of our clients, having regard to enablers such as innovation, integration and alternative service delivery, and pricing/billing models. Winning this award is proof that our strategy is working and it feels good to be recognised in this way.”
 
Van der Merwe is consistently ranked in Chambers and Partners for Energy and Natural Resources, Mining and Corporate/M&A; as well as in Legal 500 for Corporate/M&A and Mining. He is recognised as a leading lawyer in IFLR1000 for  M&A and Energy & Infrastructure and was listed in Acritas Stars Report 2018.

Issued by Baker McKenzie