A Commercial & Corporate Law Firm in Africa

Deneys Reitz Inc is a leading South African law firm, providing specialist services in the full spectrum of legal disciplines. Established in the early 1920s, the company is one of the largest independent commercial law firms in the country, employing over 450 people at its offices in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

A truly national organisation, the company also has global reach through its established working relationships with major law firms in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and the Far East.

Its clients include major industrial and commercial corporations, mining houses, parastatals, government departments and financial institutions.

Deneys Reitz has an Africa-specialised division, Africa Legal, which provides an international pan-African legal service. Named the African Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Global Awards held in London in November 2006 (and re-nominated for this award in November 2007), the accolade further reinforces the firm’s commitment to providing Africa with quality legal services.

In addition, the firm has a dedicated tax division, Deneys Reitz Tax Services, which provides expert services on all commercial tax aspects.

Deneys Reitz is classified as a Black-influenced company with 12 black directors, representing about 13 percent black-ownership. The firm is also well ahead of its employment equity goals with 42.47 percent of its professional staff and 57.52 percent of its non-professional staff coming from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

In addition, Deneys Reitz provides training and work opportunities for a continuous stream of law graduates from previously disadvantaged communities.

Skills development is paramount at Deneys Reitz and the firm provides a comprehensive training programme for all its young lawyers. This includes weekly lectures and training sessions by internal and external lecturers.

As a concerned corporate citizen, Deneys Reitz spends about one percent of post-tax operating profit on a broad spectrum of social upliftment projects and programmes.

Deneys Reitz has long recognised the need for social intervention by professionals to provide legal and other assistance to those without access to legal representation and in 2007 it set up a formal Public Interest Law Department for this purpose.