Brent Williams

Summary Profile

Brent Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr and a director of our Corporate and Commercial practice. He advises on all aspects of South African corporate and commercial law including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and broad-based black economic empowerment transactions and related regulatory advice. Brent was a lecturer for the Professional Legal Training programme of the Law Society of South Africa until 2004.

Career

Brent began his career in 1989 as a candidate attorney at Y Ebrahim & Co. Once being admitted to the bar in 1992, Brent remained at Y Ebrahim & Co as an associate, becoming a director in 1995 where he conducted a generalist commercial practice. In 2003 Y Ebrahim & Co was absorbed into the practice of Cliffe Dekker (now Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr) where Brent remained a director. Brent was elected Chief Executive Officer of Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr in 2011.

Education

• BA, University of Cape Town
• BProc, University of the Western Cape
• LLM, Harvard University Law School
• Year of admission as an attorney: 1992

Memberships

Law Society of the Northern Provinces

Experience

• Advisor on mergers and acquisitions for medium-sized and large private companies, public companies and JSE listed public companies with transactional experience in the following sectors - IT, property loan stock, liquid fuels, asset management, mining, beverage and gaming, including:
• Lead partner who advised the Public Investment Commission in its acquisition together with Growthpoint Properties of the entity operating the V & A Waterfront to the value of R9,7 billion.
• Lead partner who advised Lonmin plc in its transaction with Shanduka Resources in the acquisition by Shanduka Resources of an 18% stake in Lonplats and related vendor financing to the value of R2,317 billion.
• Lead partner who advised Sephaku Holdings and Sephaku Cement regarding the acquisition by Dangote Industries of shares in Sephaku Cement to the value of R800 million.
• Lead partner advising Pearson plc regarding its recent BEE transaction in South Africa.
• Lead partner advising Lonmin plc in respect of the South African law aspects of 2009 rights issue on the JSE and LSE.
• Advisor to Lonmin plc relating to the review of the corporate finance arrangements with their BEE partners and various corporate action matters pertaining to their secondary listing on the JSE.
• Lead advisor to Acucap Properties (M&A and Corporate Finance) in respect of their BEE transaction.
• Lead advisor to Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (M&A and Corporate Finance) in respect of their BEE transaction.
• Advisor to Paramount Property Fund (M&A and Corporate Finance) in respect of proposed BEE transaction.
• Advisor to Coca Cola SA regarding specific JV arrangements with the major bottlers in SA.
• Advisor to various asset managers in a range of M&A, BEE and private equity transactions including Acsis, Fairheads Asset Management, TriLinear Asset Managers, and Blue Bay Fund Managers.
• Advisor to Neotel, the second fixed line network operator in South Africa, in respect of all the transaction agreements pertaining to roll out of national dark fibre infrastructure backbone in collaboration with MTN and Vodacom.
• Advisor to Cell C in respect of commercial arrangements.
• Advisor to Eskom, the national energy provider, in relation to some of its long term coal supply agreements with various coal mining houses.
• Advised on BEE regulation and has provided transactional/structuring advice for BEE driven mergers and acquisitions, including general advisory assistance to the DTI as part of a team of advisors regarding the erstwhile draft BEE Codes of Good Practice, since promulgated under the Broad based Black Economic Empowerment Act, 2003.

Market Recognition

• Best Lawyers International South Africa
  • 2010 lists Brent in Corporate and M&A.
  • 2011 lists Brent in Mergers & Acquisitions
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2011 recommends Brent within Corporate and M&A for his "attention to detail" and "depth of knowledge."