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Increased opportunity drives expansion
WMN Attorneys, a boutique commercial law firm, recently opened an office in Durban, South Africa, where their newly appointed Dispute Resolution and Employment law team will be primarily based.
This expansion marks an exciting milestone for WMN Attorneys, founded by Durban-born, award-winning construction lawyer and managing partner, Zama Ngcobo.
"We are excited about the expansion of our operations to Durban. This strategic move aligns with our objective of broadening our reach and continues our commitment to providing exceptional, specialist legal services. The construction team has already advised on various commercial property developments in Durban, and the dispute resolution and employment law team has managed multiple employment litigation matters involving mass dismissals of employees,” Ngcobo shared.
“We are also aware of opportunities in northern KwaZulu-Natal for mining expansion, amongst others. With this realisation, we established a presence in KwaZulu-Natal’s commercial hub, Durban. A third of the members of the firm are from Durban, so it also felt like the best city to initiate our expansion plans, from a work/home-life balance perspective. We feel that attempting to strike a balance is essential in a female-led law firm," she said.
Over the past two years, WMN Attorneys has carved out a reputation for strategic advice in the delivery of complex mining, energy, infrastructure, and oil & gas projects. With the construction team’s ten year track record of managing cross-border transactions involving over 30 jurisdictions, the firm’s fast growth is testament to their international reach and expertise.
Some notable projects in their portfolio include advising Anglo American on phase two of its Mortimer Smelter SO2 Abatement Project, as well as African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) on the Merensky Concentrator Plant Project. The WMN team’s expertise was instrumental in drafting and negotiating various agreements for the projects. The team's success in delivering robust contractual agreements and their vetting of potential suppliers have played a key role in maintaining the Merensky project’s timeline, with no contractual claims submitted to date.
Ngcobo is proud that the firm has recently promoted three of its employees and has garnered a number of awards at the African Legal Awards and WOZA Africa Women in Law Awards. She was also featured in the Mining Elites in Africa 2023 yearbook for her team’s work on the Merensky Project.
As an acknowledgement of her significant contribution in the area of construction, in 2022 Ngcobo was appointed to the board of the International Building Quality Centre (IBQC) and is currently lecturing a short course in construction law at one of Africa’s leading universities. She is also among the women nominated for a game changers, pioneers, young achievers Justitia Award. The Justitia Awards are presented by the Women in Law Initiative and seek to connect and honour outstanding women in law across the globe.
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