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ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs)
No. of offices15 (including two pro bono offices)[1]
No. of attorneysover 600 (2016)[2]
No. of employees1020+ (2014)[3]
Major practice areasLaw, Tax, Forensics and IP
Key peopleMichael Katz (Chairman), Mzi Mgudlwa (Chief executive)
Date founded1905
Company typeLegal
Websitewww.ensafrica.com

ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs) is Africa's largest law firm.[4] ENS currently has over 620 practitioners and was established over 100 years ago. The firm specialises in all commercial areas of Law, Tax, Forensics and IP. The firm is a Level 2 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) contributor.[5] ENS is one of the traditional "Big Five" law firms in South Africa.

History

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Edward Nathan & Friedland

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Edward Nathan & Friedland was formed in 1905. In 1999, Edward Nathan & Friedland was bought by Nedbank for R40 million. After an exodus of clients and lawyers, as well as deeming the investment non-core, in 2004, Nedbank sold Edward Nathan & Friedland back to 47 directors for R50 million.[6] In addition to the purchase price, R33 million in available cash in Edward Nathan & Friedland was transferred to Nedbank. In total, Nedbank suffered a loss of R20 million on the sale.[7]

Sonnenberg Hoffmann & Galombik

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Sonnenberg Hoffmann & Galombik was formed in 1936.

Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs

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The firm was formed after a 2006 merger between Cape Town-based law firm Sonnenberg Hoffmann Galombik (SHG) and the Johannesburg-based law firm Edward Nathan & Friedland.

Divisions

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Its specialist divisions include Africa regulatory and business intelligence, Asia-Africa trade (including China, India, and Japan), and structuring of investments through Mauritius.

Offices

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In August 2012, ENS became the first African headquartered law firm with integrated offices across different African jurisdictions, with the opening of offices in Rwanda and Burundi, which office was closed in 2015.[8]

This was shortly followed by another office opening in the Ugandan capital of Kampala in December 2012.[9] In December 2013, ENS announced a merger with Mauritius' largest and oldest firm, De Comarmond & Koenig.[10]

On 1 November 2014, the firm announced the opening of two offices in the Namibian capital Windhoek and Swakopmund respectively, with a third Namibian office, in Walvis Bay, opening soon thereafter. This was done through a merger with local Namibian law firm Lorentz Angula.[11]

Former CEO, Piet Faber, is quoted (31 March 2014) as saying that ENS will open offices in at least six other African jurisdictions over the next two years.[12]

On 1 May 2015, the firm announced the opening of its 13th office on the African continent, following a merger with local Tanzanian law firm, Rex Attorneys.[13]

In 2015, ENS closed its Burundi office.[14]

The most recent office to be opened was formed through a merger with local Ghanaian firm Oxford & Beaumont Solicitors, and formally opened as ENS Ghana on 1 December 2015. Oxford & Beaumont Solicitors was the first Ghanaian firm to open representative offices in London.[15]

The company has offices in several countries and cities:[1]

Controversies

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Julius Malema

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In 2010 and 2011, ENS acted for Julius Malema in a court case brought against him by Afriforum in relation to his singing of the song "shoot the boer" (shoot the farmer / white person). The firm subsequently withdrew from the case, resulting in Malema accusing the firm of racism.[16][17][18] Ultimately, on 12 September 2011, Malema was convicted of hate speech.[19]

Tax Evasion

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In a court action brought in the Western Cape High Court in 2018, the South African Revenue Service claimed that ENS created a R3.5 billion tax evasion scheme involving Christo Wiese and Tullow Oil. In addition to pursuing Christo Wiese and Tullow Oil, the South African Revenue Service is also pursuing a former ENS executive.[20][21][22]

References

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  1. ^ a b locations
  2. ^ Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs. "ENSafrica – about us". ENSafrica. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Certified Top Employers 2014". Top Employers Institute. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014.
  4. ^ http://www.bdlive.co.za/companies/2012/11/26/sas-biggest-law-firm-expands-footprint-in-africa Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Retrieved on 19 February 2013
  5. ^ "ENSafrica.com South Africa page". 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Nedcor pays for ENF mistake". Fin24. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  7. ^ "PressReader – Business Day: 2013-10-29 – Nedbank's record shows not all bankers are nerdy". Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  8. ^ "ENS eyes pan-African domination with launches in Rwanda and Burundi". TheLawyer.com. 8 August 2012. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  9. ^ "ENS expands its footprints into Africa". property24.com. 27 December 2012. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  10. ^ "ENSafrica opens doors in Mauritius". Polity.org.za. 3 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. ^ "ENSafrica expands into Namibia with 11-partner merger". TheLawyer.com. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  12. ^ "South Africa: Down and clout". TheLawyer.com. 31 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  13. ^ "ENSafrica grows into Tanzania". iflr1000.com. 5 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  14. ^ https://www.ensafrica.com/contact Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine ENSafrica: locations
  15. ^ "ENSafrica merges with Oxford & Beaumont to enter Ghana market". Legal Week. 1 December 2015. Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  16. ^ "The "struggle song" saga continues – News – Archival Platform". Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Law firm director says Malema case has nothing to do with his departure". 14 February 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Dumping Malema splits law firm". 11 February 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  19. ^ Laing, Aislinn (12 September 2011). "Julius Malema found guilty of hate speech for singing 'Shoot the Boer'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  20. ^ "AmaBhungane – Christo Wiese, Tullow Oil and ENS's tax dodging services". Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  21. ^ "SA's top law firm reportedly sold Christo Wiese an alleged dubious deal – and Sars now wants millions back". Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  22. ^ "Christo Wiese implicated in tax avoidance scheme, amaBhungane reports". 19 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
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