Finalists
Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr
ENSafrica
Hogan Lovells
Webber Wentzel
Werksmans Attorneys

Winner: ENSafrica

ENSafrica secured this award off the back of its work advising on the restructuring of Ellerine Furnishers, a pan-African retail company operating a range of well-known African brands with 1,200 stores and a 7,000-strong workforce.

This is the largest business rescue that has taken place in South Africa, ultimately leading to the winding down of Ellerine's South Africa business and the phased sale of its operations in Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.

ENSafrica fielded a five-strong employment team on the process, led by head of employment Brian Patterson (pictured), working closely with the insolvency, competition, tax, and corporate commercial departments.

The key challenge for the team was ensuring that South Africa's employment laws were adhered to during a process that involved large-scale redundancies. It was the first time in a case of such magnitude that employment law had to be interpreted in tandem with the relevant company and insolvency law.

The judges praised ENSafrica's employment team for negotiating "a complex balancing act between the client's commercial needs and its compliance with the Labour Relations Act."

Pictured from left to right: Brian Patterson, head of employment, ENSafrica, and awards judge Leonie Ellis, Leonie Ellis Placements