Finalists: Allen & Overy; Anjarwalla & Khanna; Bowmans; ENSafrica (highly commended); Hamilton Harrison & Mathews; MMC Africa Law; White & Case.

Webber Wentzel accepted the Banking, Finance and Restructuring Team of the Year award for its role in Africa's largest-ever infrastructure-related project finance deal in sub-Saharan Africa.

The firm teamed up with Linklaters on the multibillion-dollar financing of a railway and port project, which spans two jurisdictions and two distinct legal systems (Portuguese and English), and which is made all the more unique because it involves lending to four separate companies under a single financing deal. Webber Wentzel advised local commercial lenders on the project, with Linklaters providing advice to a number of international development banks, which meant Webber's Johannesburg-based team had to liaise with lawyers across multiple jurisdictions and timezones (namely London, Lisbon, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Dubai), and with local firms in the countries where the project is being constructed.

The deal not only provides logistics solutions to the companies involved in the venture, but it will also likely create further development opportunities in previously landlocked parts of southern Africa, opening up its agricultural and industrial potential.

"This project represents a groundbreaking structure across a multitude of diverse jurisdictions, making it an extremely complicated transaction and a benchmark in the project finance market," praised a judge.

To return to the full list of winners, click here.