Competition Law

The Law Firm of Webber Wentzel has a long history that spans more than a century, and as South African attorneys they have been part of the many changes in South Africa and they have always been able to weather the storms, whether economic, political or social storms. Webber Wentzel has a number of legal practice areas; however, they are one of the leading firms when it comes to competition law and as the laws in South Africa change, there was a demand for legal professionals who were able to provide guidance to several top South African companies. Today, Webber Wentzel has more competition law specialists then any other legal firm in the country and due to this fact, we have aided many well known clients, such as Absa, AECI, Heineken, JTI and Mac steel. Our years of experience, together with our profound knowledge of competition law, have allowed us to become a trusted name and a Law Firm that is continually tasked with the overseeing of contracts. The objective of competition law in South Africa is to promote economic efficiency, adaptability and development and the role of the competition law is to make certain that small businesses are able to enjoy equal opportunities which are awarded to large businesses in terms of participation in the economy. When the competition act of 1998 was changed, it reformed South Africa's competition law and as such, it strengthened the power of the competition authorities, which allowed the competition law to be similar to that of the EU, the US and Canadian competition law.

The Competition Commission is tasked with the responsibility of enforcing and investigating transgressions of the competition law, and the commission is also tasked with investigating and weighing up the benefits of mergers and practices. The Competition Tribunal and Competition Commission are separate from SA Government but the Minster of Trade is responsible for the appointment of the commissioner and president of both groups. For a business owner who does not have a clear understanding of the competition law, the role of Webber Wentzel will be to explore the options which are provided by the competition law and encourage the business owner to enjoy participation in foreign markets as well as enjoy the same advantages which are offered to larger sized corporations in South Africa.

At present the Webber Wentzel firm specializes in many legal practices areas, including competition law, BEE or Black Economic Empowerment, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mining, Energy and Natural Resources, and in Insurance and Legal liabilities as well as Employment and Employee benefits. In order to view the other practice areas of Webber Wentzel, take a moment to go through the website and discover how the legal expertise and experience of our firm has provided us with the chance to represent many well known South African businesses. The Webber Wentzel website, www.webberwentzel.com, shows an interesting timeline that details how the many changes in the country had a direct impact on the law firm.