Mergers and acquisitions
“Clients recommend this group for its ‘innovative, responsive and pragmatic’ advice.” Chambers Global 2009
Major financial institutions, mining houses, industrial groups, multinational companies, medium-sized organisations, individual business people and entrepreneurs all turn to our team for expert advice on transaction structuring and other related corporate activities.
We advise clients both locally and internationally on transactions that include corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and the disposal of specific assets and businesses.
In the African context, we act for both listed and unlisted companies in a variety of transactions including sales of shares, the sale of businesses, joint ventures, schemes of arrangement, BEE transactions and the regulatory aspects of transactions, including Exchange Control, the Securities Regulation Code, the listings requirements of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the Financial Services Board.
Clients
We count South Africa’s largest corporates amongst our clients, regularly advising major South African financial institutions and mining houses. We recently acted for Rio Tinto Plc in the restructuring and empowerment transaction relating to Richards Bay Minerals, and assisted Anglo Platinum Limited with its record-breaking ZAR12 billion rights offer.
Internationally, we act as South African advisers on behalf of multi-national corporations that are either restructuring their affairs worldwide or wish to re-structure of their business affairs within South Africa. An example of such a transaction is the US$660 billion merger of the banking and non-banking interests of J P Morgan and Chase Manhattan.
We also acted for Barclays in its acquisition of a majority interest in Absa Group Limited, a major South African banking group which was the largest inward investment into South Africa at the time, valued at some ZAR60 billion.
Expertise
We have particular expertise in the conducting of due diligence exercises for both local and international clients. We have successfully put together teams on short notice to conduct high profile due diligence exercises with the aim of providing clients with the knowledge and information on which to base their decisions regarding transactions.
The Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions team is ably assisted by the outstanding tax, banking and finance, competition, intellectual property, insurance, employment and property law divisions of our firm, seamlessly integrating advice on all aspects of a transaction.
Services
Our team has extensive and varied experience and expertise in mergers and acquisitions, including:
- Share sales
- Sales of businesses and asset sales
- Joint ventures
- Takeover offers
- Schemes of arrangement
- BEE transactions
- Advising on appropriate corporate structures
- Assessing and advising on tax implications
- Advising on appropriate structures of transactions and their implementation
- Advising on regulatory aspects of transactions, including Exchange Control, Competition Commission filings, the Securities Regulation Code, the listings requirements of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the Financial Services Board
- Advising in respect of appropriate empowerment structures and transactions
- Due diligence investigations and reports
- Advising in respect of employment law issues arising out of transactions
- Environmental aspects
- Structuring Private Equity transactions
- Drafting all necessary documents
We offer
- Particular expertise in the conducting of due diligence exercises for local and international clients and clients across Africa
- A world-class team of law professionals, headed by an internationally lauded lawyer, Kevin Cron