Terry Winstanley

Summary Profile

Terry Winstanley is a director and National Head of our Environmental Law practice. Terry is one of the leading environmental lawyers in South Africa. She has wide experience in environmental law and policy in Southern Africa in a field in which she has worked exclusively for the last 17 years. Her commercial clients are drawn from the energy, petro-chemicals, forestry, pulp and paper, mining and manufacturing sectors. Her government clients include national, provincial and local governments including those of Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Terry is the immediate past president of the Environmental Law Association of South Africa and the Chairperson of the Associated Law Societies of South Africa's Committee on Environmental law.

Career

Terry completed her articles in Durban in 1991. She worked in a large corporate law firm in Durban where she co-founded the first dedicated environmental and planning law department in South Africa before establishing a boutique environmental law firm based in Cape Town, through which entity she practiced for 11 years. She joined Cliffe Dekker (now Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr) as a director in 2008.

Education

• BA honours MA LLB LLM, University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Registered for PhD in Environmental Law, University of Cape Town
• Year of admission as an attorney: 1992

Memberships

• Cape Law Society

Experience

• General advice on the regulatory and compliance aspects of environmental, occupational, health and safety law.
• Clients include the Airport Company of South Africa, BHP Billiton subsidiaries, EnviroServ, Holcim, Sappi and Sasol.
• Advising on potential environmental, health and safety liability in pre-acquisition due diligence exercises.
• Providing legal input into the implementation of ISO 14001 accredited environmental management systems.
• Assisting various clients in legal compliance following emergency pollution incidents.
• Advising regional, national, provincial and local governments on the development of environmental law and policy and drafting those policies.

Market Recognition

• Top Women in Business and Government Awards 2010 nominated as a finalist for the Top Woman Executive.
• Expert Guides - Guide to the World's Leading Environmental Lawyers 2010: Terry is nominated by in-house counsel and peers as one of the pre-eminent practitioners in the world.
• Best Lawyers International 2010-2011 South Africa lists Terry as 'best lawyer' in Environmental Law.
• Practical Law Company (PLC) Which Lawyer? 2004 - 2011 ranked Terry as the leading Environmental lawyer describing her as the "doyenne of environmental law in South Africa".
• The Legal 500 Europe, Africa, Middle East series 2009 and 2010 has named Terry as "one of South Africa's foremost environmental disputes specialists".
• Global Directory of Who's Who 2009/2010 edition has recognised Terry for outstanding business and professional achievements.