SA law firm Glyn Marais, with offices in Sandton and Cape Town, recently announced its association with international law firm Denton Wilde Sapte. The firm, which is headquartered in London, has an office in Cairo and an extensive network of associate law firms across Africa - in Algeria, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia and close relationships with two leading firms in Nigeria.
Glyn Marais senior partner Francois Marais says the association has been coming for a while. "Its formalisation was a natural consequence of the strong relationship the two firms have had for some time. For the past five years, and particularly the past two, we have been working on several major projects together and the formalisation of our association was the logical next step."
"We have two reputable names coming together in a synergistic relationship" - FRANCOIS MARAIS
Denton Wilde Sapte CEO Howard Morris says the choice of Glyn Marais as the firm's SA associate was obvious. "We chose each other for the same reasons - quality of service, impeccable integrity and top-class skills. We believe we have a lot to learn from the staff of Glyn Marais as they have participated in the incredible economic growth seen in SA over the past 10 years, driven by the strong entrepreneurial spirit that is found in SA."
Denton Wilde Sapte has a focus on four client sectors: energy, transport and infrastructure; financial services; retail and real estate; and technology, media and telecoms. Morris says these sectors are particularly relevant in emerging markets at present and many of the firm's clients - from Europe, the Middle East and the CIS (the former Russian republics) - are looking at opportunities in various developing regions. "We therefore need a strong anchor in the markets where these deals are struck and Glyn Marais is perfectly positioned to assist our clients' move into Africa. Denton Wilde Sapte takes Africa and SA very seriously," says Morris.
Marais attributes the association to two main drivers. "The first is to enhance the service we offer to our major clients, who have international operations and interests. With London being the centre of much of their international work and many cross-border contracts governed by English law, we required an association that would enable us to offer them the best legal practice in foreign jurisdictions. As our clients expand into the UK and Europe, the need for top-quality English law input has grown significantly."
The second driver of the association is the expansion of Glyn Marais clients into Africa and other emerging markets. Marais says that as SA clients move into these jurisdictions, particularly in the financial services and insurance sectors, which are highly regulated, the need for assistance in the law of other African jurisdictions has become heightened. "Once again Denton Wilde Sapte is able to provide this support. It has an extensive network throughout Africa with specialists in both the Anglophone and Francophone countries.
"Many SA clients of the firm are expanding into Africa - looking to see what it offers, discovering it for the first time, or moving into new countries after the successes of their original expansion. This trend is particularly prevalent in financial services, mining and telecoms. SA companies know how to operate successfully in emerging markets. The experience of SA companies in developed markets has been mixed, and for those who are focusing on Africa and similar developing regions, the Denton Wilde Sapte association will certainly benefit them."
Glyn Marais is described as a specialist niche firm. "The perception sometimes was that we were not large enough to participate in the big deals and international transactions notwithstanding we proved over and over again that the perception is not the reality," says Marais. "With the complementary expertise from Denton Wilde Sapte - particularly in the energy sector where they are strong leaders in the field - we are closing a large strategic gap which will change this perception."
Yet another benefit from the association is that Glyn Marais staff will be able to gain invaluable experience from working with Denton Wilde Sapte and its network of offices across the world. "Interaction with top lawyers and secondments to the UK firm and its network of offices should give our own staff a different perspective and they will bring this back to their careers and clients in SA."
Morris says despite the global economic crisis, Africa's economies continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace. "We continue to work on many projects which are important to Africa today and which will pave the way for the future development of economies within Africa, feeding through to a better standard of living for their populations. The telecoms sector continues to attract attention and there are clearly significant opportunities in infrastructure, power and oil as well as gas. There have been some pullbacks in certain sectors, for example mining, and there is less corporate mergers and acquisitions activity, as there is across the globe."
WHAT IT MEANS
 Quality of service, impeccable integrity and top-class skills drew them together
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Both Glyn Marais and Denton Sapte Wilde are doing well independently, and the global economic downturn has provided opportunities for both firms in restructuring and insolvency work, with the UK in particular seeing some distressed real estate transactions. This association offers them and their clients the best of both worlds. "It is not about building one global brand. We have two reputable names coming together in a synergistic relationship," says Marais, "and our clients fully understand and appreciate the importance of these associations."
Morris says the association is not just one of paying lip service to an international connection. "We meet regularly and have established joint steering, strategy and marketing committees."
He says both firms share the common vision that all clients will be even better served through this association. "Denton Wilde Sapte has an unparalleled network across Africa which took a long time to build up. It is not just a database of separate firms to use as the need arises.
"These links and relationships are continuously worked at to make them even stronger and deeper. The network belongs to all associated firms and every member is of top-quality and committed to serving the collective interest."
