International law firm Baker McKenzie and South Africa-based Bowmans were among the big winners at the African Legal Awards 2018, which took place at The Wanderers Club, Johannesburg, South Africa on Friday 7 September.
Representatives of Baker McKenzie, which was named International Law Firm of the Year.
Baker McKenzie was named International Law Firm of the Year for the second year in a row, earning its third win in four years. Bowmans secured African Law Firm of the Year - Large Practice, one of four awards it received on the night which also included Property and Construction Team of the Year, and Energy and Natural Resources Team of the Year.
It was also a good night for Bowmans’ South African rivals ENSAfrica and Webber Wentzel, which each secured three awards.
Flagship awards for in-house lawyers and legal teams went to Tinuade Awe of The Nigerian Stock Exchange, who was named General Counsel of the Year, while Legal Department of the Year - Large Team went to the African Legal Support Facility, which is affiliated with the African Development Bank and helps African governments negotiate commercial transactions.
Full list of winners
| Category | Winners |
| International Law Firm of the Year | Baker McKenzie |
| African Law Firm of the Year - Small Practice | Manokore Attorneys |
| African Law Firm of the Year - Large Practice | Bowmans |
| African Network/Alliance of the Year | ALN (Africa Legal Network) |
| Specialist Law Firm of the Year | Harris Hadar Inc |
| Attorney of the Year (partner) | Moray Hathorn - Webber Wentzel |
| Attorney of the Year (associate/assistant solicitor) | Darryl Jago - Hogan Lovells (South Africa) |
| Junior Corporate Counsel of the Year | Naomi Kasi Mue - Adrian Group Ltd (Kenya) |
| Senior Corporate Counsel of the Year | Faith Damilola Adesua - Guinness Nigeria Plc |
| General Counsel of the Year | Tinuade Awe - The Nigerian Stock Exchange |
| CCASA Achiever Award | Justice Edwin Cameron |
| CCASA Achievement Award | Stellenbosch University Law Clinic |
| Legal Department of the Year - Large Team | Africa Legal Support Facility |
| Legal Department of the Year - Small Team | Life Healthcare |
| Banking, Finance and Restructuring Team of the Year | Webber Wentzel & Linklaters |
| Employment Law Team of the Year | ENSafrica |
| Energy & Natural Resources Team of the Year | Bowmans |
| Environmental & Renewables Team of the Year | Aluko & Oyebode |
| IP Team of the Year | ENSafrica |
| Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team of the Year | LNP Attorneys Inc |
| M&A Team of the Year | Anjarwalla & Khanna |
| Property and Construction Team of the Year | Bowmans |
| Transportation and Infrastructure Team of the Year | White & Case LLP |
| Competition and Regulatory Team of the Year | ENSafrica |
| TMT Team of the Year | Bowmans |
| Best Use of Technology | Law For All |
| CSR, Diversity, Transformation and Economic Empowerment Award | Webber Wentzel |
| Innovation Award | Exigent Limited |
The ceremony, which was attended by nearly 300 lawyers from in-house legal departments and law firms, was jointly hosted by CCASA (the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa) and Legal Week (organisers of The British Legal Awards). Emcee for the night was night was leading South African journalist, radio host and television presenter, Jeremy Maggs.
The team at Bowmans winning the award for African Law Firm of the Year - Large Practice
The evening culminated with the CCASA Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Justice Edwin Cameron, who sits on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and is renowned for his pioneering work campaigning for gay rights.
Presenting the award, CCASA president Howard Snoyman, head of legal and regulatory affairs at Discovery Health Medical Scheme, said: “Judge Cameron, with his combination of exceptional legal learning skills, proven commitment to a democratic South Africa in its transformation and his personal courage, must be acknowledged as, in the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘one of South Africa’s heroes’.”
The awards were judged by an independent panel comprised of senior in-house lawyers and general counsel from an array of leading companies including Nokia, Standard Bank, Absa Capital and Sasol.
For more information, visit: www.africanlegalawards.com
