International legal juggernaut Dentons said Thursday it has plans to combine with Zimbabwe law firm MawereSibanda, a 21-lawyer boutique, a month after boasting that the firm has already grown to 10,000 lawyers around the world.

Dentons billed the move as part of its growing presence on the African continent, following previous inroads into Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa.

“In a country scarred by the legacy of colonial domination and in a market where the operations of every leading law firm are hierarchical, Dentons' unique polycentric and anti-colonial approach has been a stark differentiator, disrupting the traditional model for providing legal services in Africa,” the firm said in a statement announcing the move. “Dentons is the first global firm in which its African operations are 100% owned by local partners from the black indigenous community.”