who are we

Bowman Gilfillan is widely regarded as one of the premier corporate law firms in Africa with offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and London. The firm has an association with Coulson Harney in Nairobi. Employing more than 280 specialised lawyers (including over 115 partners), with a total staff of over 600, the firm is recognised for its professionalism and superior legal services. 

As one of South Africa’s biggest and oldest commercial law firms, Bowman Gilfillan draws from a solid knowledge of the local business environment and an in-depth understanding of the country’s complex socio-political climate. Essentially, this enables us to offer technical legal services of the highest calibre in the context of sound, practical business advice.

Bowman Gilfillan’s committed and diverse team of corporate attorneys, years of experience in the industry and supreme legal expertise comprise a winning formula that has earned us a series of accolades, including South African Law Firm of the Year at the PLC Which lawyer? Law Firm Awards 2010 and South African Law Firm of the Year at the Who’s Who Law Firm Awards 2010.

our legal services

The firm’s dynamic combination of local expertise and international presence has attracted high-profile clients both in South Africa and around the world. Investment banks, industrial conglomerates, financial institutions, governments and state authorities are just some examples of clients who depend on Bowman Gilfillan to handle their corporate legal affairs.

Bowman Gilfillan’s extensive list of specialist legal services includes:

• Banking and Finance
• Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Restructuring
• Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Restructuring Dispute Resolution
• Benefits (pensions, medical and incentive schemes)
• Broadcasting and Electronic Communications
• Capital Markets and Securities
• Commercial Property
• Competition and Trade
• Construction and Engineering
• Corporate and Commercial law
• Dispute Resolution
• Employment
• Energy
• Environmental, Natural Resources and Climate Change
• Forensics and White Collar Crime
• Intellectual Property
• Investment Management
• Litigation
• Maritime and Transport
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Mining
• Oil and Gas
• Pharmaceutical and Healthcare
• Private Equity law
• Project Finance and Infrastructure Development and Public Private Partnerships law
• Public and Regulatory
• Real Estate and Conveyancing
• Tax

In June 2003, Bowman Gilfillan formally established its Pro Bono programme, and by the end of the financial year on 28 February 2010, our practitioners have contributed approximately 51 000 hours of their time to pro bono-matters, at an average contribution of approximately 30 hours per practitioner per year. The value of that time at billable rates is approximately R43 million.

a global network of commercial and corporate law attorneys

Bowman Gilfillan has the unique advantage of operating as part of a global network of commercial and corporate law attorneys. Our London office, which was established 10 years ago, serves the legal requirements of both South African and international corporations with regard to cross-border transactions.

Many of our partners belong to the International Bar Association, and we are members of influential international intellectual property law organisations such as AIPPI (International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property), the Licensing Executives Society, and FICPI (International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys). The firm’s directors also attend International Trade Mark Association, Marqes, Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and the Asian Patent Attorneys Association meetings on a regular basis.

As a member of Lex Mundi, the leading association of independent law firms in the world, Bowman Gilfillan works in close association with more than 160 international member firms and 21 000 lawyers all over the world.

Bowman Gilfillan is the exclusive South African representative of the Employment Law Alliance, the world’s largest and most important network of labour and employment lawyers.

the africa group

Bowman Gilfillan established the Africa Group to unite lawyers across the firm in providing integrated legal services to our clients throughout Africa. Focusing primarily on corporate law, commercial law and financial law, the Africa Group facilitates cross-border legal services of the highest global standards in Africa.

The Group serves corporations, financial institutions, parastatals and governments by offering the expert and timely legal advice they need in order to achieve their commercial objectives on the continent. The Africa Group’s dynamic relationships with prestigious commercial law firms across the continent, afford our clients excellent and dependable legal advice, irrespective of where they are based in Africa.

contact us for your legal requirements

Whether you need a corporate law attorney, dispute resolution lawyer, employment law attorney, or almost any other specialist business lawyer, Bowman Gilfillan is guaranteed to exceed your legal expectations.

Contact us today for more information about the legal services you require and to find out how we can be of service.