client-focused legal expertise

Based in South Africa and being one of the oldest and largest law firms in Africa, Bowman Gilfillan draws from a wide base of skills and expertise at all levels of experience and seniority to merge technically correct legal advice with sound business sense.

This commitment to strategically sound advice requires Bowman Gilfillan to understand both the broader issues at stake and to have a thorough understanding of our clients’ needs. Through balancing these two factors with legal expertise, we provide effective, appropriate and efficient advice to solve the challenges our clients face.

breadth and depth of expertise

Bowman Gilfillan is a premier corporate law firm which has been providing legal services for more than 100 years.

Our network of expertise extends much further than our country’s borders. Bowman Gilfillan has an extensive international client base – including many of the largest multinational corporations and international finance houses. Also, as a member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms, Bowman Gilfillan is closely associated with more than 160 international member firms and 12 500 attorneys around the world.

This combination of global reach and local expertise has enabled the firm to attract a large, high-profile local and international client base. A wide range of local and international clients, including investment banks, industrial conglomerates, financial institutions, governments and state authorities, rely on Bowman Gilfillan for insight and advice.

committed professionals

Bowman Gilfillan’s firm grasp of the local business environment and in-depth understanding of South Africa’s intricate socio-political environment is significantly aided by the diverse skills, interests and backgrounds of our team. The extensive experience of senior professionals combined with a large number of younger lawyers results in a skilled, enthusiastic and innovative team, which sets Bowman Gilfillan apart from its competitors. Our legal skills and commitment to integrity, excellence and hard work combined with our dedication to servicing the needs of our clients, enables Bowman Gilfillan to fulfil and frequently to exceed our clients’ expectations.

a global network

Some of our partners are members of the International Bar Association.

We are also represented in important 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). Our directors also regularly attend the meetings of the International Trade Mark Association, Marqes, Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and the Asian Patent Attorneys Association, to name but a few.

employment equity and diversity

Bowman Gilfillan has a long history in its attempts, through its employment practices, to redress the inequities which arose during the apartheid era. This has assumed an even greater priority. At least 50% of Bowman Gilfillan’s intake of candidate attorneys for 2010 will be from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. Bowman Gilfillan is also the only major South African law firm which has appointed three black partners to its corporate department who have risen through its ranks after training as candidate attorneys with Bowman Gilfillan. In addition, several prominent jurists from previously disadvantaged backgrounds were trained at Bowman Gilfillan including Dunstan Mlambo (Judge President of the Labour and Labour Appeal Courts), and Sisi Khampepe (a Constitutional Court judge). Other luminaries from our firm include Anton Steenkamp (a Labour Court judge), Kate O’Regan (a former Constitutional Court judge), Victor Ntlhoro, the first black conveyancer in South Africa, Advocate Kgomotso Moroka, a member of the Judicial Services Commission and Patrice Motsepe (a former partner of this firm), the executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals Gold Limited, the chairman of ARM Platinum (Proprietary) Limited and the chairman of ARM Consortium Limited.

Bowman Gilfillan has recently become increasingly involved in twinning arrangements with firms from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. Examples which come to mind are Bowman Gilfillan’s twinning arrangements with Maluleke, Msimang & Associates in the corporatisation of the Horse Racing Industry; Mike Langa & Associates in the listing of Molope Group on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa; a joint bid with Chuene Kwinana Motsatse on behalf of one of the world’s leading airports companies for the privatisation of the Airports Company of South Africa, and the proposed restructuring of Spoornet (the rail division of Transnet) and advising an international consortium of nuclear energy companies (including Eskom) on the pebble bed nuclear power station project with the same firm.

We are also long-standing participants in the Integrated Bar Project in terms of which students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds are placed with certain leading firms to expose them to the practice of corporate law. Independent of this we have also implemented a vacation student programme where, twice a year, we select students from, inter alia, previously disadvantaged and historically black universities to participate in the programme.

creating the bowman gilfillan transformation charter

Bowman Gilfillan recognises that more needs to be done to ensure it complies with the moral and legislative imperatives it is under to transform. With this is mind, the Bowman Gilfillan Transformation Charter was adopted at a meeting of the partners on 27 February 2004.

The Transformation Charter was formulated in a consultative and participative manner. A 44 member elected focus group which represented all races, genders, levels and regions of the firm was convened. It participated in a month-long, detailed environmental scan during which the group was exposed to detailed readings on transformation and to 24 presentations by experts, clients and alumni. The firm also commissioned detailed cultural, client and employee transformation surveys.

The focus group then went away together for six days when, with the help of three expert facilitators it explored why there was a need to transform while critically examining the firm in the changing South African environment. Transformation goals and objectives were explored and action plans and a process for monitoring transformation were recommended. The group’s ideas were captured in the “Indaba Minute” and were presented to the directors of the firm over two days. The Transformation Charter was then adopted by the directors.

pro bono programme

In June 2003, Bowman Gilfillan formally established its Pro Bono programme, and by the end of the financial year on 28 February 2011, our practitioners have contributed approximately 60 000 hours of their time to pro bono-matters, at an average contribution of approximately 31 hours per practitioner per year. The value of that time at billable rates is approximately R55 million.

lex mundi

Bowman Gilfillan is the exclusive member firm for South Africa of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms.  Comprised of more than 160 member firms, Lex Mundi is the Mark of Excellence for legal services globally. Corporations worldwide, their owners and their advisors turn to Lex Mundi member firms to provide outstanding legal expertise and exceptional legal services.

With more than 21 000 lawyers in 560 offices and more than 100 countries, Lex Mundi member firms provide legal representation and local market knowledge just about anywhere needs may arise. Our firm’s membership in Lex Mundi provides us with global reach and access to legal resources that enhance our ability to serve our clients’ needs around the world.

The key to Lex Mundi is the quality of the individual member firms. Member selection criteria are very stringent, and members are among the leading law firms in their jurisdictions. While remaining independent, each member firm is committed to uniform service standards that provide clients with consistency and confidence, and each shares a remarkable dedication to client service.

Clients of Lex Mundi member firms are the ultimate beneficiaries of the worldwide reach and access to exceptional global legal expertise that membership in Lex Mundi provides. Working together, Lex Mundi member firms are able to provide cost-effective solutions for clients around the world.

For more information about Lex Mundi, please visit www.lexmundi.com

employment law alliance

Bowman Gilfillan is the exclusive South African representative of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA), the world’s largest network of labour and employment lawyers.  Through the ELA, our firm has the ability to service our clients’ needs throughout South Africa, Africa and around the world. 

ELA is an alliance of  3 000 of the finest employment and labour lawyers from more than 75 nations dedicated to assisting employers. With a presence in more than 300 cities around the world, all 50 US states and the District of Columbia, ELA is an alliance of creative and innovative lawyers, backed by the strength and resources of some of the world’s finest and most established law firms. Linked together to provide a quick response to clients’ needs and innovative solutions to employment and labour law issues, the Employment Law Alliance is the most comprehensive network of employment and labour law attorneys in the world.

Only pre-eminent employment and labour law practitioners from the most highly respected firms are invited to be members of the alliance. Employment and labour law is complex. It differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The issues that demand attention range from the everyday to the extraordinary. Every employer should have a dependable place to turn to for legal help. Whether the need is for advice and counsel, training and education, or for representation in the courtroom or meeting room, employers deserve exceptional legal advice which can be found in the Employment Law Alliance.

For more information about the ELA, please visit www.employmentalliance.com

united nations global compact

Bowman Gilfillan is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact.  The UN Global Compact is the first truly global corporate citizenship initiative that brings business together with UN agencies, civil society and labour in support of its ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour relations, environmental protection and anti-corruption.  To date, nearly 4 000 companies and organisations participate in over 100 countries around the world.

For more information about the United National Global Compact, please visit www.unglobalcompact.org

bowman gilfillan going green

Take the leap. Go green!

The Red-eyed tree frog is extremely sensitive to environmental change. Indeed, scientists often use it as a barometer of an ecosystem's health. For this reason, we decided to use it as the mascot for our green project.

By making some small and simple changes to our lifestyles, we can make a big difference to our impact on the environment.

Many people aren’t aware of how to make a difference, so we’ve added some green tips from Gorf, our trademark frog who can assist you with “going green”