competition law (anti-trust), international trade and lobbying

Bowman Gilfillan is unique in South Africa in that it has the largest number of leading and internationally recognized competition lawyers in its practice. The practice group includes lawyers formerly employed by the regulator in South Africa and lawyers with practical experience in European competition law. As one of a handful of firms in South Africa that has a practice area dedicated to competition law, the team has unparalleled depth of experience and knowledge of most sectors of the South African economy.

Bowman Gilfillan is well known as a strategically perceptive and solutions orientated practice that offers clients quality, efficient, hands-on advice.

what the team does

Areas of practice include:

• appeals;
• consent orders;
• exemptions;
• interim relief proceedings;
• leniency applications;
• merger control; and
• prohibited practices.

The team also advises on the implications of commercial agreements, joint ventures and strategic alliances and on compliance programmes.

Lawyers from Bowman Gilfillan have been involved in many high-profile merger and behavioural competition cases before the competition authorities in South Africa. The members of the competition practice regularly contribute to publications and write articles on developing law (such as the Competition Law Sibergramme, the Handbook of Competition Enforcement Agencies, Cartel Regulation and Merger Control). Members of the practice group participate in the special committees on Competition Law of the Law Societies of the Cape and Northern Provinces.

international trade and lobbying

In the trade law area, the practice group provides comprehensive trade assistance and representation to local industries and enterprises, industry associations and governmental bodies, as well as to exporters from and importers into South Africa. The practice area is focused on South African trade law as regulated by South Africa’s international obligations, including those emanating from the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Trade Administration Act and the SACU Agreement.

Representation in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy (countervailing) investigations and safeguard measures are core areas of specialisation within the group. The trade group also advises on key trade issues of rules of origin, customs, classification and valuation of goods. Since South Africa’s bilateral and multilateral trade relations are numerous and complex, advice also extends to all preferential trade arrangements such as the SADC, SACU and the EU/SA trade agreements, as well as autonomous arrangements such as the Generalised System of Preferences, AGOA and the Cotonou Agreement.