African law firm Bowmans is in the awards spotlight once again after senior partners in Kenya and in South Africa took home top honours at the 2026 African Legal Awards ceremony held in Johannesburg on 4 September.

Chairman and senior partner, Ezra Davids, was named Partner of the Year – Southern Africa, and senior partner in Kenya, Richard Harney SC, was named Partner of the Year – East Africa.

Both embody the rare combination of attributes that the Partner of the Year Award seeks to honour – leadership and initiative, legal and client relationship skills, and contribution to the wider community.

Davids not only steers the strategic direction and operations of Bowmans but is regularly the lead partner on some of the largest and most significant M&A transactions in Africa. At the same time, he plays a key role in influencing Bowmans’ approach to community involvement and pro bono work, and also serves on the boards of several industry, social justice and education bodies.

Davids says: ‘I’m honoured by this recognition. The most rewarding aspect of this work is leading teams of outstanding lawyers, collaborating closely with other advisors, learning about various countries’ way of doing business, partnering with clients to navigate complexity and successfully closing transactions that stand the test of time. Thank you to them and to the organisers of the African Legal Awards.’

‘I would also like to congratulate my partner, Richard Harney SC, for his well-deserved award of Partner of the Year – East Africa. Richard is not only an excellent corporate lawyer, he is also the quintessential gentleman who has played a major role in helping us create the pre-eminent pan-African law firm.’

Harney has extensive experience advising on M&A, capital markets, finance, restructuring and corporate law in Kenya and across the wider East African region. Since 2008, when he co-founded Bowmans’ Kenyan Practice, it has grown from a two-partner team into, arguably, the leading corporate and commercial firm in the country.

Harney says, ‘I’m grateful for this award and I’m also grateful to all those who have supported me in my career – my partners, my team members, my family and our great clients – it’s been a privilege to be able to make a contribution to the growth of Kenya’s economy and that of the broader East African region.’

The firm also won the award for Transportation and Infrastructure Team of the Year for its pivotal role in the Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 Project. This transaction has brought about a critical shift in South Africa’s port operations in that, for the first time in the country’s port sector, operational control of part of a major commercial port has been placed in private hands – International Container Terminal Services Inc., which is headquartered and listed in the Philippines.  

The latest accolades follow Bowmans’ strong showing in other major awards this year. In March, the firm won the 2026 IFLR African Firm of the Year Award and was named IFLR South African Law Firm of the Year.

Davids concludes, ‘Bowmans had an exceptional 2025/26, having advised major multinational and local companies on some of the most significant African transactions and matters,’ and pointing to the USD 69-billion merger of equals between Teck Resources and Anglo American, the strategic exit of the United Kingdom’s Diageo plc from East Africa Breweries plc, and the first public-private partnership of its kind in South Africa’s port sector as examples.