Adams & Adams scoops four trophies as Eldib & Co, ENSafrica, and Dentons Kenya also shine bright for Africa at a glittering Managing IP EMEA Awards

Scooping back-to-back honours as Africa Firm of the Year is a powerful validation of the Adams & Adams team’s technical expertise in trade marks and patents, consistently delivering at the highest level, says Jac Marais, Chairperson of Adams & Adams, after the Pretoria-based specialist IP firm won four awards at the Managing IP EMEA Awards 2026 in London. “We are proud of our achievements at this year’s event, which reflect our investment in our people and capabilities as we continue to be a trusted partner to clients navigating an increasingly complex IP environment.” 

More than 700 guests from across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa gathered at the InterContinental London – The 02 on Friday for a glittering evening to celebrate the biggest achievements in the intellectual property sector over the past year. 

The annual Managing IP EMEA Awards recognise the achievements of law firms and practitioners across more than 60 jurisdictions. Co-hosted by British comedian and actor Zoe Lyons and Managing IP’s editor Max Walters, the ceremony covered jurisdictional awards, impact cases, in-house teams of the year, and special awards for categories including rising stars and a lifetime achievement recognition.

While the majority of awards were for European jurisdictions and law firms, several African law firms and individual lawyers were also honoured on Friday night. 

For the continent, Adams & Adams led the way this year, not only retaining African Firm of the Year, but winning three further awards for South African Trademark Firm of the Year, South African Impact Case of the Year for Yossi Barel v Popular Trading CC - an acknowledgement of the matter’s legal significance in the market, and decisive outcome - and being named in the Europe Cross-Border Patent Litigation Team of the Year prize, for the Astellas (Xtandi) proceedings against generics.

Al Tamimi & Company, which has more than 350 lawyers in 17 offices across ten countries, including Egypt and Morocco, won Firm of the Year for the Middle East and North Africa. There were also Firm of the Year prizes awarded for 31 individual jurisdictions (some with multiple categories), including four African nations. 

Eldib & Co was named Egyptian Firm of the Year, Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Matthews scooped Kenyan Firm of the Year, Jackson Etti & Edu won Nigerian Firm of the Year, and Cape Town firm Von Seidels won South African Firm of the Year (Patents), while ENSafrica won South African Firm of the Year (Copyright and Design). 

“These awards are a testament to the strength of our team, the trust of our clients, and our ongoing commitment to excellence in intellectual property,” shared Eldib & Co, a Cairo-based firm originally established in 1875, which also saw Dina Eldib, the Head of its IP Department, named the first-ever Egyptian Practitioner of the Year.

Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Matthews and ENSafrica also received multiple Managing IP EMEA awards on Friday evening, with Daniel Wanjau Muriu and Rowan Forster being named Practitioner of the Year for Kenya and South Africa respectively. 

Forster, a director in the Durban office of ENSafrica, shared that he was delighted that the firm’s IP team had received recognition of the hard work put in to protect clients rights, while also underlining the team effort behind his individual accolade. 

Olaniwun Ajayi LP partner Toyosi Alabi, who has over 20 years’ experience in trademarks and IP litigation and specialises in IP protection, enforcement and regulatory support as well as entertainment and media law advisory, was named Nigerian Practitioner of the Year, while Egyptian lawyer Menna Elsherif, head of Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy’s IP Department, was named a Rising Star. 

Toyosi’s “prestigious recognition” was a testament, says Olaniwun Ajayi, to her “outstanding expertise, dedication, and impact in the field of intellectual property”. 

The Managing IP awards programme began in 2006, with a global ceremony. Two decades on, the awards are split into three separate ceremonies covering EMEA, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Reflecting on Friday night's ceremony, Chris Adams, research lead at Managing IP, said: “This is one of the most successful award programmes we’ve held in Managing IP’s history, so we are thrilled to see growing interest in the event and to have the opportunity to recognise firms for their great work in the industry. It’s been an exciting year in terms of IP subject matter, so many of the winners didn’t just boast run-of-the-mill client victories, but more importantly moved the needle with respect to industry and legal trends.”