John Gillmer

Joint Sector Head, Fund Formation and Structuring, Director

John Gillmer is a Director in our Corporate and Commercial practice based in Cape Town and Joint Sector Head for the firm's Private Equity sector. He is recognised as a leading investment funds lawyer in South Africa.

John specialises in the formation of investment funds and structuring of financial products. John is a private equity specialist and has advised and acted for local and international financial institutions, including banks, private equity and hedge fund managers, long term insurers and institutional investors seeking to invest directly in portfolio assets across Africa or in investment fund vehicles. His expertise in investment funds includes advising on all elements of fund and product structuring and related regulatory aspects.

John also is an experienced corporate lawyer, having worked earlier in his career at Slaughter and May (London) and Minter Ellison (Brisbane) and has advised clients on acquisitions and disposals (private and public), legal due diligences and equity capital raisings in Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom.

John Gillmer

About John

About John

John began his career as an attorney at Deneys Reitz in Durban. He moved to London in 2001 and joined Slaughter & May (where he worked as a foreign lawyer in the corporate department). In 2003 John returned to Deneys Reitz in their Cape Town office as a senior associate and was appointed a director in 2006.  He moved to Australia and worked at Minter Ellison in their corporate department in Brisbane as a senior foreign lawyer in 2009.  John re-joined Deneys Reitz (now Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa) in 2010 as a Director. He was appointed as a Director at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc in 2016.

Credentials

Credentials

Education

  • B Com (Economics), University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • LLB (summa cum laude), University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Year of admission as an attorney: 2000
  • Enrolled with the Legal Practice Council

Memberships

  • Member of the Legal and Risk Committee of the South African Venture Capital Association (SAVCA).

Languages

Languages

  • English

About John

John began his career as an attorney at Deneys Reitz in Durban. He moved to London in 2001 and joined Slaughter & May (where he worked as a foreign lawyer in the corporate department). In 2003 John returned to Deneys Reitz in their Cape Town office as a senior associate and was appointed a director in 2006.  He moved to Australia and worked at Minter Ellison in their corporate department in Brisbane as a senior foreign lawyer in 2009.  John re-joined Deneys Reitz (now Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa) in 2010 as a Director. He was appointed as a Director at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc in 2016.

Credentials

Education

  • B Com (Economics), University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • LLB (summa cum laude), University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Year of admission as an attorney: 2000
  • Enrolled with the Legal Practice Council

Memberships

  • Member of the Legal and Risk Committee of the South African Venture Capital Association (SAVCA).

Languages

  • English

News

Market recognition

  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2016, 2019 - 2024 he was recommended in Investment Funds.
  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2018 recommended him in Commercial, Corporate/M&A. 

Market recognition

  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2016, 2019 - 2024 he was recommended in Investment Funds.
  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2018 recommended him in Commercial, Corporate/M&A.