Baker McKenzie South Africa

The Santa Shoebox Project is a charity initiative centered around gifting "shoeboxes" of essential items to underprivileged children at educational and care facilities across South Africa and Namibia.   For 2024, our Associates Committee spearheaded our Johannesburg office's participation in the Project. This is the first time in our office's history that we have participated in this Project. As an office, we were able to pull together an impressive contribution of 75 Traditional Shoeboxes, 18 Virtual Shoeboxes and R5200 in Financial Donations.   We are proud of our contribution to this amazing initiative and can’t wait to continue our partnership with the Santa Shoebox Project in 2025. To this end, we also hope to increase our contribution through involving other offices within the Baker McKenzie Global Network.   You can find more information on the Santa Shoebox Project at www.santashoebox.org.za   #SantaShoeboxProject2024

As the countdown to #COP29 continues, we're proud to support global efforts towards climate action and sustainable policy development. With over 300 Environment and Climate Change lawyers worldwide and 16 consecutive years as the Band 1 Climate Change Global Market Leader, we remain at the forefront of governments and organisations on impactful climate strategies.     Read our insights and resources as we prepare #COP29: https://bit.ly/40xDh4s

On 5 November Baker McKenzie South Africa hosted for an evening of innovation and law in Johannesburg under Baker McKenzie's 'Reinvent' programme showcasing our ongoing commitment to applying pioneering solutions to meet our clients’ challenges and strategic goals for over 75 years. The evening inspired guests through improvement, exploration and engagement, including fun interactive experiences, hands-on legal tech demonstrations and more! Let us know your thoughts if you were there.

Significant amendments to South Africa's Companies Act are reshaping the balance between corporate privacy and transparency. Our latest article, authored by Ashlin Perumall, Refentse Chuene and Samantha Whitaker, looks at how these changes allow any person to access a wide range of company records without needing a reason or legal procedures, raising concerns about privacy and data security. Read the full article to understand what this means for your business and how to navigate these new challenges here:

As we step into November, we’re reflecting on an incredible October at Baker McKenzie South Africa. From celebrating our 75th Anniversary at our Annual Meeting in Chicago to making meaningful strides in social responsibility and professional development, it’s been a month of growth, collaboration, and impact.   We hosted our inaugural Children’s Rights Summit in South Africa, bringing together leaders to champion the rights of children. Our team also participated in a strategic roundtable with Sentebale, focusing on issues facing the youth in Southern Africa. Lerisha (Lee) Naidu emphasised that the youth are not just our future; they are our ‘now’.   Our lawyers engaged in insightful discussions at events like the TXF Africa 2024 Conference and our export and sovereign finance forum. On World Mental Health Day, we hosted a comprehensive wellness program dedicated to our team’s mental and physical well-being. We also proudly participated in the Johannesburg Pride Parade to honour and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.   We’re excited to carry this momentum forward and continue collaborating with our clients and our people to make a meaningful impact.

From all of us at Baker McKenzie South Africa, we extend our warmest wishes to our clients, colleagues and friends celebrating the Festival of Lights. May this Diwali bring you joy, prosperity, and the brightness of new beginnings. Happy Diwali!

This morning we hosted an interactive event where our Africa financing experts and guest speakers explored the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in export and sovereign finance. Key topics included ECA export finance trends, bridging the funding gap, sovereign access to finance, the rise of ESG considerations, and strategies for managing and financing projects in today's volatile climate. We extend our sincere thanks to our speakers— Phetole Modika, Luka Lightfoot, Kathrin Marchant , Pitso Kortjaas, koketso maake and Sabelo Xolani Goma —and to all who attended and contributed to the insightful discussions. We look forward to hosting more events that foster knowledge sharing and drive progress in the industry.

Baker McKenzie proudly congratulates our Knowledge Manager, Azhar Aziz-Ismail, on his appointment as Chairperson of the Johannesburg Attorneys’ Association (JAA) for the 2024/2025 year! This significant achievement underscores his dedication to advancing the legal profession. The JAA is one of South Africa's largest voluntary association for attorneys, representing the interests of over 2500 legal practitioners across the greater Johannesburg area. Azhar's leadership will not only benefit its members but also contribute positively to the broader legal community. As a long-standing executive member of both the Gauteng Attorneys Association (GAA) and the JAA, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership in heading the Knowledge, Legal Technology & Innovation portfolios for the GAA & JAA thus far. We are excited to support him in this important role and look forward to the positive impact he will make.

Celebrating 75 years of global connection and collaboration! Read our Country Managing Partner, Lerisha (Lee) Naidu's reflections on the magic that makes Baker McKenzie unique.

Baker McKenzie is proud to sponsor TXF Africa 2024 Agency, Energy & Infrastructure Finance Conference, where Partner Luka Lightfoot will moderate the keynote leaders panel with esteemed panelists: Malick Ba, MBA (Ministère de l'Économie, Sénégal), Kome Ajegbo (Africa Finance Corporation), Wole Lawuyi (African Development Bank) and Jim Hodges (European Investment Bank). They will explore exciting project opportunities in Africa, initiatives supporting social sustainability and development, and how DFI/MDB offerings complement private-sector finance. Director Designate Sabelo Xolani Goma and Partner Kathrin Marchant will also be in attendance. We are committed to this crucial conversation on sustainable development in Africa. #Africa2024 #SustainableDevelopment #BakerMcKenzie