Leading South African law firm Webber Wentzel has appointed Mark Phillips as a partner in its Corporate Practice.

Phillips specialises in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, BEE transactions, cross-border transactions, corporate restructuring and corporate finance. His expertise extends to commercial negotiations, agreements and providing regulatory advice.

Webber Wentzel senior partner elect, Christo Els, says, "We are very pleased that a lawyer of Mark's stature has decided to join our team, particularly in the current environment where the demand for talent is increasing.

He explains, "While Webber Wentzel has always been among the local leaders in the field of corporate law, the strategic acquisition of talent will assist us to achieve our ambitious growth objectives. It's therefore good to have someone of Mark's calibre join us. It also makes sense because he brings a very good set of complementary skills and clients."

Phillips joins Webber Wentzel from Read Hope Phillips, a boutique corporate and commercial law firm, where he was one of the founding directors.

He has BA and LLB degrees from the University of Witwatersrand and a BA Honours degree from the University of Cape Town.