Our Services
Litigation
Operating a business often comes with challenges. Disputes may not be inevitable no matter how reasonable you act in your dealings in the business world.
Civil litigation requires a nimble, multi-layered approach. At certain points, that may mean an aggressive “no holds barred” tactic of bringing the matter to trial as quickly as possible, while at others, the clients may be better served by a more conciliatory approach towards settlement.
Indeed, sometimes the most appropriate approach is to adopt a combination of the two, such as alternative dispute resolution as a precursor to a possible trial. The key is to tailor the approach in accord with each client’s preferences and needs.
Insurance Law
Through subrogation, various insurers have displayed their confidence in the firm for representation in litigated and arbitrated disputes with a specific aim at defending insured entities and individuals in a wide variety of matters, including credit insurance, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, and work site accidents and exposures.
The firm has acted for a myriad of national and multinational companies across several industries providing sound advice in relation to a range of complex commercial insurance matters. Our firm provides a complete solution across all commercial, regulatory and dispute resolution matters relating to insurance law.
Contract Law
Contract formations may be very tricky, and if a contract is not properly written, the results for potential liability can be tremendous. Everyday individuals and businesses enter into various types of contracts, and usually contracts are not being properly documented in writing and people unreasonably rely on a handshake or oral agreement that provides very little to no protection most of the time.
Solid contracts are the foundation of any business transaction. Artfully drafted, the right contract will serve to solidify your position and protect your interests. You can rest assured that every angle has been contemplated and provided for. The Firm’s aim is not just to advise its clients respecting the legal aspects of structuring and documenting the transaction, but also how that will impact the underlying business deal points.
Insolvency Law
Insolvency law in South Africa refers to a status of diminished capacity imposed by the courts on persons and entities who are unable to pay their debts, or whose liabilities exceed their assets.
Our insolvency team primarily focusses on personal and corporation liquidations, sequestrations, compositions, offers of compromise, business rescue and the implications of insolvency for industrial and commercial transactions.
Business rescue, alongside liquidations, have far reaching effects on various entities which includes creditors, money lending institutions and shareholders, and our team is able to provide their expertise to all interested and affected parties on strategic decisions pertaining thereto.
Company Law
Our corporate and commercial work is at the heart of our practice. The firm services a broad range of international and local clients in a variety of industry sectors.
The depth of our expertise enables us to advise on complex commercial transactions and negotiations.
Our firm works closely with clients and companies from a diverse range of industries, advising corporate clients, company board members, officers and directors, and investors on best practices and corporate governance.
As government regulatory initiatives continue to emerge with greater complexity and enforcement measures expand, our team provides clients with expertise for compliance in relation thereto.
Mergers and Acquisitions
The firm has the size and expertise to staff a team of experienced, thorough and aggressive lawyers to handle acquisitions, sales or mergers of privately held or publicly traded businesses.
The firm is experienced in all aspects of buying and selling businesses, strategic planning, evaluating and screening prospects, and negotiating, structuring, financing and closing a transaction. We adopt a “win-win” philosophy in commercial transactions.
Our goal is to drive the process to a successful conclusion in as short a period of time as possible.
Personal Injury Claims
We are experts in matters concerning PRASA & RAF (Road accident fund).
Who can claim from the Road Accident Fund:
Anyone seriously injured in an accident on South Africa’s roads – including drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians – can claim compensation from the Road Accident Fund.
Labour Law
We have extensive experience in representing both employers and employees in Labour law cases. The Labour law environment is involved with disputes between employers and employees.
Governance, Risk and Compliance Services
Our governance, risk and compliance (GRC) services help clients tackle the broad issues of corporate governance, enterprise risk management, and effective corporate compliance, while offering specialized assistance in key areas such as financial reporting, tax, information technology, human capital, anti-fraud and dispute consulting, and financial advisory services. We can help organizations identify, remediate, monitor, exploit and manage enterprise risks in addition to coordinating the utilization of people, process and technology to improve GRC effectiveness and help manage costs.
Leaders should consider embedding a thoughtful awareness of risk and compliance into the very fabric of the organization. People, processes and technology should all work together to help the enterprise stay in control of the risks it chooses to take.
Whether you need help and guidance at the board, C-level, or enterprise risk and compliance level, our professionals have deep experience in every major industry, so we can provide guidance and insight that makes sense for your unique business. Our services encompass:
Governance and oversight (at the board level):
- Improve board effectiveness
- Set the right tone and make effective decisions
- Assess and implement ethics programs, training, change management, anti-fraud programs and monitoring/reporting
- Enterprise Risk Management
Strategic risk management:
- Strategic risk management: creating and protecting value from strategic risks
- Design, implement and maintain a common risk infrastructure by leveraging people, process and technology transformation opportunities
- Establish organization-wide consistency while simultaneously addressing different and unique functional needs
- Identify, measure, manage, monitor, review and report on risks
- Integrate activities to effectively manage risk and compliance-related activities.
- Corporate Compliance & Regulatory:
- Compliance program design and control testing
- Compliance monitoring, assessment, and effectiveness
- Regulatory consulting
- Specialized compliance services: FCPA, Anti-Money Laundering, Food and Product Safety, FDA Compliance, Direct and Indirect Tax Compliance, etc.
Estates & Trusts
- Drafting wills and trusts;
- Administration;
Debt Recovery
The firm practices in the areas of commercial debt collection and the enforcement of creditors’ rights. Our debt collection clients include insurance companies, large and small corporations, banks and other lenders, accountants, consultants and other professionals.
We strive to make it a practice of assimilating the facts of a case, client’s goals, and the status of the law, to develop a plan of action that is aggressive, realistic and cost-effective. This in turn translates into great results for our clients.
Government Housing Subsidy Applications (FLISP)
HOW FLISP WORKS:
- FLISP was developed to enable first time home-ownership to households in the ‘affordable or gap’ market, that is, people earning between R3 501 and R22 000 per month. Individuals in these salary bands generally find it hard to qualify for housing finance; their income is regarded as low for home loan (mortgage or pension/provident backed loan), but too high to qualify for the government ‘free-house’ subsidy scheme.
- Depending on the applicant’s gross monthly income, their once-off FLISP subsidy qualifying amount may vary between R27 960 and R121 626, as defined in the FLISP Subsidy Quantum.
- FLISP REDUCES the home loan (mortgage or pension/provident backed loan) amount to render the monthly loan repayment instalments affordable; (payment made to home loan account)
- FLISP AUGMENTS shortfall between the qualifying loan amount and the total product price; (payment made to transfer attorneys)
- FLISP subsidy is for residential properties in formal towns, where transfer of ownership and registration of mortgage bond is recordable in the Deeds Office.
Please contact us for costs regarding our FLISP application services and we can see how we can assist you.
Immigration Services
- Advising on all aspects of South Africa’s Immigration Act of 2002, the Refugees Act of 1998, repealed immigration legislation, regulations, policies and case law.
- Assisting on the formulation of immigration strategies for individuals and corporations.
- Advising on, preparing and filing of all types of visa applications.
- Immigration attorney expert advice and guidance
- Administrative review and appeal applications at both Director General and Ministerial levels
- Ministerial regulatory waiver and exemption applications
- Proof of permanent residence applications
- Advising on and representation, and litigation, in cases of deportation,inspectorate investigations and arrests