The African Legal Awards is a tightly contested event, with firms vying for wins in various categories as a way to catapult them further into the limelight and prove their credentials. This is especially true of younger firms looking to make their mark on the industry. Lopes Attorneys Inc. has made a big splash by walking away with the prize for Specialist Law Firm of the Year. They were also finalists in this category in 2021.

Lopes Attorneys Inc. is a boutique law firm specialising in a variety of niche areas, including environmental law, civil litigation, regulatory, and compliance and corporate/commercial law. They have now become one of the leading firms dealing with animal welfare, an area very few firms have experience in.  

Managing Director Rui Lopes noted that this award is attributable to the novel and leading litigation currently being undertaken in relation to the trophy hunting of threatened and protected species within South Africa. In this case the firm managed to successfully interdict the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment from implementing the 2022 quota for the hunting and export of trophies from leopard, elephant and black rhino from South Africa. The firm was acting on behalf of the Humane Society International – Africa.

“For a new entrant into the legal market, both locally and internationally, what we have managed to accomplish in this very short time is a phenomenal achievement, for which we are extremely proud,” Lopes commented. “Incrementally we have sought to firmly secure our position within the legal market as one of the go-to firms, having onboarded a brilliant array of clients, both domestic and international. This has created even further momentum for us to gradually secure our presence within the sector. The remainder of this year and next will be extremely exciting for us as a firm. I would like to thank the entire team at Lopes Attorneys Inc. for their tireless efforts in getting us here.”

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