Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) business law firm has announced that it has changed its corporate identity to reflect strategic changes within the firm, most notably an increase in the innovation and integration of its legal services, as well as the introduction of client-tailored solutions. Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr also intends to further strengthen its already established capability in Africa, by enhancing collaboration with its partner firms on the rest of the continent and formalising the sharing of knowledge, expertise and market intelligence between them. The firm's new brand will also focus on its position as a known and trusted advisor with strong networks in Africa, offering services to clients that will reduce the risk for investors entering jurisdictions with which they are unfamiliar with on the continent.

The firm recently announced that it was ending its formal alliance with global law firm DLA Piper at the end of August, with both firms agreeing to move to a less formal relationship..

CDH CEO Brent Williams explains, “The firm’s new corporate identify reflects a more focused strategic approach within the firm, most notably  the integration of CDH's service and sectoral offerings, the addition of value-added services and strengthened service and, a focus on innovation, partner collaboration and client –tailored solutions. We see this new identity as an opportunity for renewal - a chance to drive and improve our services and the way in which they are delivered to clients and to entrench collaboration both in-house through our partner firms, and with our clients' businesses, domestically and on the rest of the continent."

The new logo will keep the firm’s corporate blue colour but will contain the firm’s acronym CDH, and reflected within the letters are designs that symbolize a network of collaboration, with a lattice of angles signifying strength, precision and a future-focused outlook.

Explaining the rationale behind the corporate identity change, Williams notes, “Like our clients, we have had to consider various aspects of our firm's business in order to ensure robust and sustainable performance, without sacrificing excellent quality of service and client care, in a tough South African business and economic environment. This new corporate identify is designed to reflect the changes we have made to ensure that we continue to make we remain competitive domestically, regionally and across the continent and to demonstrate that we have heard and have adapted to our clients’ changing business needs and are positioning ourselves to do so on a sustainable and ongoing basis,” he adds.