Big legal firms challenge B-BBEE

TRANSFORMATION: BOWMANS, WEBBER WENTZEL, WERKSMANS CALL FOR TIMELINES REVISION

- Liesl Peyper

Three of South Africa's major legal firms announced this week their intervention in the legal proceedings initiated by Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) to challenge the government's legal sector B-BBEE code.

In a joint statement issued by Bowmans, Webber Wentzel, and Werksmans, the firms note their decision to intervene is aimed at ensuring that any legal sector code is "evidence-based, practical, tailored to the unique nature of the legal profession and that it does not discard the well-established principles of the generic codes that benefit black lawyers as well as other black persons more generally".

The firms expressed particular concern that the legal sector code overlooks the fact that large corporate law firms operate as complex commercial businesses within a regulated profession.

"It also fails to recognise the vital role these firms play in training black legal professionals who go on to become judges, senior counsel and corporate legal leaders," the trio said in the statement.