Bowmans is absorbing the entirety of A&O Shearman’s South Africa legal team in Johannesburg, as the latter prepares to close its office in the city as part of post-merger cuts. 

The team includes eight partners, among them A&O Shearman’s South Africa managing partner, Gerhard Rudolph. 

They, four A&O Shearman counsel and two directors will join Bowmans as partners in early January 2025. 

Bowmans’ chairman and senior partner, Ezra Davids, said the team’s hire aligned with the firm’s aim to be the ‘go to’ African law firm in advising clients on their most complex legal challenges and opportunities across the continent. 

“The team’s strengths in the banking, energy, mining and infrastructure sectors together with their expertise in transactional and disputes work across Africa will bolster our offering in these areas,” he added. 

Alongside Rudolph, the A&O Shearman partners moving over include Alessandra Pardini, Alexandra Clüver, Brian Price, Callum O’Connor, Deborah Carmichael, Ryan Nelson and Ze’ev Blieden. 

Most are relatively recent recruits from South African firms Webber Wentzel, Werksmens Attorneys and ENSafrica, though Rudolph and O’Connor joined the office in 2017 from Baker McKenzie. 

Legacy Allen & Overy, which merged with New York firm Shearman & Sterling at the start of May to form A&O Shearman, opened the Johannesburg office in 2014 after a raid on Bowmans for a seven-lawyer banking and finance team led by partner Lionel Shawe. Shawe joined White & Case in 2021. 

A&O Shearman announced earlier this month that it would shutter the office, which had grown to a team of 32 lawyers, by the end of the calendar year as part of post-merger cuts that will also see it axe 10% of its 800-strong global partnership and close its consulting arm. 

News of the Johannesburg closure came despite Rudolph telling Law.com in May that there had been support for a continued presence in the region. 

A&O Shearman said at the time that it remained dedicated to supporting clients in Africa and would service Africa-related work through locations including London, Paris and the Middle East as well as Casablanca. It also said it would look for new opportunities to collaborate with the South Africa-based lawyers.

Bowmans is the third largest law firm in Africa by head count after ENS and DLA Piper Africa, with around 420 lawyers. The firm also bolstered its M&A bench in Johannesburg earlier this year with the hire of a four-lawyer group from Baker McKenzie led by veteran partner Angela Simpson, who had co-headed Bakers’ South Africa M&A team.