Bowman Gilfillan’s success at this year’s African Legal Awards, announced in Johannesburg on Friday, 31 October 2014, is a clear sign that local knowledge is fundamentally important for law firms seeking to be at the forefront of helping African and international clients leverage the huge opportunities on the continent right now, says Jonathan Lang, Head of Africa at Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group.

BGAG performed particularly well at this year’s awards, having won in the following categories:

• CSR Award;
• M&A Team of the Year;  and
• Competition and Regulatory Team of the Year.

“The competitive landscape for law firms in Africa is changing rapidly,” says Lang, “with numerous international firms seeking to enter the market and compete for ever increasing work.  The legal sector is maturing quickly as investors look to capitalise on the continent’s huge growth potential.

“Notwithstanding that, local knowledge has always been – and always will be – of paramount importance.  Bowman Gilfillan’s ability to combine world class legal advice complemented by local knowledge and insights continues to serve us and our clients particularly well.”

He added: “Effectively negotiating legal frameworks in Africa requires the capability to undertake complex cross-border transactions, as well as legal counsel with a local presence and knowledge that enable navigating the complexities of a particular jurisdiction.”

In implementing its vision to be acknowledged as the pre-eminent law firm in Africa for corporate, institutional and public sector clients’ most important and complex matters, and therefore be the first choice for clients and potential employees, Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group has taken a unique approach by being the only South African firm with fully integrated offices elsewhere on the continent.

Bowman Gilfillan is one of South Africa’s top full service corporate law firms and lead member of Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group (BGAG).

BGAG is a pan-African legal services practice with some 450 lawyers operating from offices in Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, and an associate firm in Nigeria.

Hosted by Legal Week (organisers of The British Legal Awards) and the Corporate Lawyers Association of South Africa (CLASA), the African Legal Awards recognise exceptional achievement in Africa's legal sector.