Pan-African corporate law firm Bowman Gilfillan fared well at The African Legal Awards 2013, winning the awards for Banking, Finance & Restructuring Team of the Year as well as the Property & Construction Team of the Year. Willie du Plessis of Eskom won the General Counsel of the Year award sponsored by Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group.

The African Legal Awards 2013, hosted by UK-based Legal Week, were presented in Johannesburg last night.

Bowman Gilfillan is a leading South African full service law firm and the lead member of Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group, a pan-African legal services practice with more than 400 lawyers operating from offices in Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and an associate firm in Nigeria.

Shortlisted in, amongst other categories, African Law Firm of the Year, Bowman Gilfillan’s award for Banking, Finance & Restructuring Team of the Year was in respect of the AfriSam group corporate and debt restructuring and refinancing.

The firm provided legal services to the AfriSam Group in connection with a corporate and debt restructuring and the refinancing of the group’s debt. AfriSam, South Africa’s second largest cement producer selected Bowman Gilfillan from a number of top law firms to be its lead counsel for the transaction. 

In the category Property & Construction Team of the Year, Bowman Gilfillan was recognised for its representation of Eskom in connection with the procurement and execution stages of the new 4800MW coal fired Medupi Power Station, and the new 4800MW coal fired Kusile Power Station.

These two mega projects are being constructed under multiple works contracts and are the largest coal fired dry-cooled power stations under construction worldwide. The capital budget for each project exceeds R100 billion.

The award for General Counsel of the Year went to Bowman Gilfillan’s client, Willie Du Plessis, who is the General Manager: Legal Specialist, at Eskom.

Commenting on the awards, Bowman Gilfillan Chief Executive Officer, Leon Kruger said the group had been successful in executing its strategy to be a leading pan-African legal practice. “With fully integrated offices in the rest of Africa, we’ve been able to deliver a multi-jurisdictional service offering.

“These awards are testimony to the quality of legal expertise, levels of innovation and efficiency our lawyers deliver to clients.”