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Find Us
Rosebank Link
173 Oxford Road, 7th Floor
Johannesburg, 2196
+27 11 944 6900
Covington’s Johannesburg office provides clients in Africa and foreign companies commercially practical advice of the highest quality. Team members in our office include English, U.S., and South African qualified lawyers who work closely with Covington’s Africa initiative, led by Witney Schneidman, a former senior U.S. State Department official with more than 30 years of experience in Africa.
Covington’s experience in Africa includes advising clients on project development and finance, market entry strategies, investments, arbitrations, investigations, and trade controls compliance, among other areas. Our clients include companies in a range of sectors, including in the oil and gas, mining, energy, agriculture, software, telecommunications, aviation and financial institutions industries, as well as sovereign states.
November 11, 2020
How will the election of Joe Biden as the next U.S. President affect policy towards Africa? On November 11, 2020, our panel of experts discussed whether the change in administration will result in fundamental and substantive changes in U.S. foreign policy towards Africa. The panelists tackled a broad range of issues ranging from the presidential election, public ...
Advice on International Compliance With US Laws
October 27, 2020, Fraud Today
Ben Haley spoke with Information Security Media Group about international compliance with US compliance laws. In the interview, Ben discusses implementing compliance programs, the impacts of DOJ guidance, and how the guidance might impact compliance practitioners.
Navigating Cross-Border ABC Landmines: Subsidiary, Board and Employee Misconduct
September 9, 2020
Covington partner and chair of the Africa Anti-Corruption Practice, Ben Haley participated in an interactive webinar on “Navigating Cross-Border ABC Landmines: Subsidiary, Board and Employee Misconduct” hosted by the Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie firm's Investigations, Compliance and Ethics (ICE) team. To access the recording, please click here.
September 2, 2020, Anti-Corruption Report
Ben Haley is quoted in the Anti-Corruption Report regarding the increased wave of whistleblower complaints during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Haley says, “A company that operates in the U.S., Europe, Africa and Asia could be subject to potentially 30 or 40 different regimes. Just because a company must provide feedback in one country does not mean that companies ...
September 2, 2020
BRUSSELS–Covington has named Dan Cooper to lead its European data protection practice as co-chair of the firm’s global Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice, and he has relocated to Brussels to be closer to the institutions and courts that govern the European data privacy landscape. The firm has more than 100 lawyers focused on data privacy and cybersecurity ...
August 6, 2020, Global Investigations Review
Benjamin Haley and Ahmed Mokdad are quoted in Global Investigations Review regarding a change to South Africa’s evidence-sharing rule to aid corruption investigations. Mr. Haley says a defendant in a criminal case could potentially raise due process concerns about how the commission had obtained its evidence. Mr. Mokdad adds that a rule change also allows ...
June 27, 2020
WASHINGTON—Covington represented Piramal Enterprises Limited (PEL) in the sale of a 20% stake in Piramal Pharma Limited (Piramal Pharma), a wholly owned subsidiary of PEL that will contain its pharmaceutical businesses, to CA Clover Intermediate II Investments, an affiliated entity of CAP V Mauritius Limited, an investment fund managed and advised by affiliated ...
June 2020, Global Investigations Review
June 17, 2020, Covington Alert
In a landmark decision handed down by Madlanga J of the Constitutional Court (“CC”) in New Nation Movement NPC & Others v. President of Republic of South Africa & Others on June 11, 2020, the CC declared the Electoral Act, 1998 (Act No. 73 of 1998 (the “Act”), unconstitutional to the extent that it requires adult South African citizens to be elected to the ...
Africa's Lack of Data Protection and Cybercrime Laws Has Created Deep Vulnerabilities. But Is Change On The Way?
May 27, 2020, The American Lawyer
Robert Kayihura is quoted in The American Lawyer regarding COVID-19's impact on the urgent need for African cyber laws. Mr. Kayihura says, “Only nine African countries have data protection legislation and another 22 have draft regulations pending.” He adds that the impetus for change appears to be increasing, not least by way of an ambitious plan to create a ...
April 21, 2020, SA Financial Markets Journal
November 25, 2019, The Africa Report
September 24, 2019, The Africa Report
July 4, 2019, The Africa Report
June 2019, GIR Insight - Europe, The Middle East and Africa Investigations Review 2019
Accreditation: An extract from the 2019 edition of Europe, The Middle East and Africa Investigations Review. The whole publication is available at https://globalinvestigationsreview.com/edition/1001341/europe-the-middle-east-and-africa-investigations-review-2019.
Covington Recognized with IJGlobal 2018 Awards
April 5, 2019
LONDON—Two Covington transactions were recognized with the IJGlobal 2018 Awards for African Refinancing Deal of the Year and for Middle East & North Africa Power Deal of the Year. The IJGlobal Awards celebrate the top transactions that closed over the past calendar year across the international infrastructure and energy sectors, while recognizing the ...
Companies face conflicting expectations when investigating conduct under Israeli jurisdiction
March 26, 2019, Global Investigations Review
February 2019, Financier Worldwide
Benjamin Haley served as a panelist in a discussion on tackling fraud and corruption in Africa.
Ireland joins Covington's Africa practice
January 31, 2019, African Law & Business
Witney Schneidman is quoted in African Law & Business regarding the arrival of Jay Ireland to the firm. Mr. Schneidman says, “For the last eight years Jay has been one of the top business leaders on the continent. He has a keen understanding of how business and policy intersect and how business can positively affect the development priorities of African nations.”
October 26, 2018, African Law & Business
Benjamin Haley's relocation from Washington to Johannesburg is featured in African Law & Business. Mr. Haley specializes in compliance and enforcement matters, and his work spans the African continent, representing clients in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. The article also mentions the recent addition of Robert Kayihura, who joined the ...
September 19, 2018
JOHANNESBURG — Robert Kayihura has joined Covington as a senior advisor in Johannesburg. Mr. Kayihura has nearly two decades of experience advising clients across the African continent. Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur and advisor to large, global corporations including Microsoft and Uber, he works closely with corporate decision-makers, federal ...
June 20, 2018
SILICON VALLEY—Covington was ranked sixth among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys” and ranked seventh among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Partners” by Law360 for firms with more than 600 lawyers. "While there is much progress still to be made, these results are a reflection of Covington's sustained efforts to recruit, mentor, develop, promote, and ...
Covington Hosts Project Finance Master Class in Nairobi
June 4, 2018
JOHANNESBURG—Covington has partnered with Power Africa, Kaplan & Stratton, and Fieldstone Africa, with support from the African Legal Support Facility of the African Development Bank, to launch the inaugural Project Finance Master Class that will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from June 4 - 6, 2018. The Master Class is designed to strengthen the environment for ...
Benjamin Haley Promoted to Partner
May 2, 2018
JOHANNESBURG AND WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted Benjamin Haley to its partnership. Mr. Haley, who has deep experience conducting investigations and compliance projects on the ground in Africa, will be relocating from Washington to the firm’s Johannesburg office this summer, where he will lead the firm’s Africa Investigations and Compliance practice. Mr. Haley ...
March 15, 2018
LONDON—Robin Mizrahi has joined Covington as a partner and Laure Berthelot as special counsel in the firm’s Project Development and Finance practice. Based in London, Mr. Mizrahi and Ms. Berthelot will work closely with the firm’s project finance lawyers in Dubai, Johannesburg, London, New York, Seoul, and Washington. Their arrival follows the firm’s opening in ...
Covington Earns Five “Practice Group of the Year” Awards
February 6, 2018
WASHINGTON—Law360 has named five Covington practice groups among its “2017 Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts International Trade Product Liability Sports White Collar
November 24, 2017, BBC
Timothy Hester appeared on BBC's "Africa Business Report" to discuss the firm's increased focus on Africa with the opening of its Johannesburg office. "We've been focused on Africa for a number of years, and we've been helping clients navigate complex problems in Africa," says Hester. "More recently we had a tremendous opportunity to build a project finance and ...
November 16, 2017
WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the tenth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 609 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect ...
Covington to Open South Africa Office
May 7, 2017, Africa Capital Digest
Graham Vinter is quoted in an Africa Capital Digest article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Johannesburg and Dubai. “The team’s reputation in project finance is absolutely first class, and we are delighted with their decision to join the firm,” says Vintner. “Not ...
May 4, 2017, African Law & Business
Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted in an African Law & Business article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Johannesburg and Dubai. According to Hester, the additions are “a natural progression of our strategy to build a leading projects practice.” He adds ...
Covington Expands Project Finance Team
April 27, 2017
LONDON—Covington significantly expanded its Project Development and Finance practice with the addition of Ben Donovan, Agnieszka Klich, Richard Keenan, and David Miles, and the firm’s Middle East regional capabilities in corporate and dispute resolution matters with the addition of Jack Greenwald. With these additions, the firm also opened offices in Dubai and ...
Team of Chadbourne partners opt against Norton Rose merger to launch two offices for Covington
April 27, 2017, Legal Week
Timothy Hester is quoted in a Legal Week article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Dubai and Johannesburg. According to Hester, “We have been focused on building our project finance capabilities for many years, and these opportunities fit very well with that ...
April 27, 2017, The Lawyer
Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted by The Lawyer in an article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Dubai and Johannesburg. According to Hester, “We have been looking to build our project finance team for a long time." He adds, "This group became available to ...
Covington Expands into Dubai and Jo'burg
April 27, 2017, IJ Global
Graham Vinter is quoted in an IJ Global article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Dubai and Johannesburg. According to Vinter, “We already have strong ties in the Middle East and North Africa region and want to be at the table when countries in that region launch ...
April 27, 2017, The American Lawyer
Timothy Hester is quoted in an American Lawyer article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Dubai and Johannesburg. According to Hester, the firm’s Chadbourne recruits in Dubai and Johannesburg will create a bridge between Covington’s outposts in Africa, Asia, Europe ...