Reece May

Reece began his legal career as a candidate attorney with Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr in 2017 where he became an associate in 2019. After studying a LLM in Amsterdam, Reece rejoined as an Associate in 2021 and was appointed Senior Associate in 2022.

Reece was appointed as a Director in April 2025.

• Drafting various South African large and intermediate merger notifications in the security, investment / finance, freight forwarding, banking, fast food, engineering, agriculture, renewable energy, real estate, aviation, packaging, recycling, pharmaceuticals, insurance, battery, fishing, automotive, medical, telecommunications, medical, insurance, fashion and grocery sectors. Engaging on and negotiating conditions to address various competition and public interest issues including employment and HDP ownership. Drafting variation applications.

• Drafting pleadings and defending a South African bank in cartel proceedings for an alleged international foreign exchange cartel in the Constitutional Court; and representing an equipment rental firm to oppose price fixing allegations in a case involving the publication of a rates guide by an industry association.

• Representing a petrochemicals company in an abuse of dominance interim relief application brought against it by a plastics manufacturer.

• Representing packaging firms in opposed consideration application regarding a prohibited vertical integration merger; Representing medical aid schemes in contested merger proceedings before the Competition Tribunal raising competition and public interest concerns; and drafting merger filings and representing firms in listed merger transactions raising competition and public interest complexities in the fishing, insurance and apparel sectors.

• Drafting merger notifications and conditions compliance reports in COMESA, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, eSwatini, Nigeria, ECOWAS, Tanzania and Mozambique in the private equity, motor vehicle, retail, fashion, security, engineering, logistics and real estate sectors.

• Representing client in South Africa's first tying Abuse of Dominance case.

• Representing fire protection company and attending hearing before the Competition Appeal Court to oppose bid-rigging cartel prosecution.

• Drafting merger notification and representing a firm in a merger before the Competition Tribunal setting precedent on the approach to consider public interest factors under the amended Competition Act.

• Representing an internet search firm in the Commission's Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry.

• Drafting South African and African merger filings in respect of multi-jurisdictional merger filings in the pharmaceuticals, fashion, security, mining, real estate, logistics and freight forwarding sectors.

• Representing a bank in cartel investigations into alleged fixing of mortgage and prime rates as well as alleged price fixing of the trading of commodity futures.

• Advising bank on the competition risks associated with vehicle financing alliance agreements with OEMs and vehicle dealerships; Advising parastatal infrastructure provider on the competition risks of a multi-year tender award in the transport sector; Advising multi-national pharmaceutical company on pricing strategy, bid rigging and abuse of dominance risks; and Advising multi-national platform on strategic competition law risks associated with partnership with various local associations.

• Drafting opinions and providing consumer protection law advice to clients regarding online gambling activities, cloning of pharmaceutical products, automative regulatory compliance, franchise agreements and promotional competitions.

• Drafting abuse of dominance complaints in the securities depository, aviation and leisure weapons sectors; and representing grocery retailer and petrochemicals companies in complaint investigations.

• Drafting competition / dawn raid policies and providing training on dawn raids, abuse of dominance, mergers and cartels

• Conducting regulatory due diligence in the automotive, paint, telecommunications, retail apparel, and gifting sectors.

• The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 recommended Reece for competition.