Bell Dewar merges with Canadian-based Fasken Martineau
Fasken Martineau, a leading international business law and litigation firm, announced today that it is merging with Johannesburg-based law firm Bell Dewar. The merger will create one of the largest law firms operating in Africa, giving Fasken Martineau the largest international footprint of any Canadian-based law firm.
"Our firm has long been known for our unique understanding of the African marketplace. This merger speaks both to the power of our brand and to the expanded capabilities and services we now offer to our global clients," said David Corbett, managing partner of Fasken Martineau. "The addition of the Bell Dewar team of lawyers along with our existing teams in Johannesburg, London, Paris and Canada provides us with an unrivalled base of talent and experience to bring to the African and world markets," added Corbett.
An obvious choice
"As we looked to expand our base and grow our Africa business, we considered a number of potential partners. Fasken Martineau was the obvious choice given the firm's reach, expertise and global capabilities," said Blaize Vance, managing partner of Bell Dewar.
"Over the coming months we will fully integrate the two firms. This will be completed by 1 February 2013. Upon completion of the merger, Vance will become the regional managing partner for Africa, based at our newly consolidated offices in Johannesburg," said Corbett.
Currently Bell Dewar has 76 lawyers on staff. The new Johannesburg team will add to the firm's existing capabilities, especially in the areas of mining, infrastructure, energy, project finance, capital markets and mergers and acquisitions throughout Africa. The merged firm will provide a full offering of legal services to clients worldwide.
