South Africa's leading law firms are being protected from some of the worst effects of the global credit crunch, with the country's power crisis and consolidation in the mining sector translating into a stream of long-running mandates for those with energy and utilities experience.

State-owned electricity firm Eskom ran out of power in 2006. The country's power shortage peaked early this year.

With power shortages leading to forced blackouts affecting multinational giants such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, Eskom has committed some R300bn (£20.6bn) to building new power plants across the country, a project expected to last 20 years, to deal with the problem.

Bell Dewar & Hall's energy practice is working on some Eskom contracts and is also acting for independent equipment suppliers and bankers.

Meanwhile, local leaders such as Webber Wentzel Bowens (WWB) have already won roles as Westinghouse prepares to build the country's first nuclear power plant for
20 years.

Law firms are also landing a stream of construction instructions in prepareation for the 2010 World Cup including new stadium projects and other infrastructure improvements.

Michael Hart, chairman of local firm Deneys Reitz, said: "There is a programme of infrastructure spending that will provide a lot of commercial and legal work over quite an extended period of time. It forms a very solid base on which things can develop."