CMS announces that RM Partners and Daly & Inamdar Advocates, based in South Africa and Kenya respectively, have today joined the leading global law firm. Going forward, they will be known as CMS RM Partners and CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates.
The addition of these firms considerably strengthens CMS’s presence in Africa, already encompassing Angola, Algeria and Morocco. For over 50 years, CMS has developed a track record of significant deals in Africa, showcasing its deep knowledge of the legal systems across the continent. CMS now has 75 offices in 43 countries and more than 4,800 lawyers worldwide.
Duncan Weston, Executive Partner, CMS said, “Our clients see Africa as a major growth opportunity, and many are looking to expand into key markets on the continent. South Africa and Kenya are both sizable economies, but they’re also gateways into other sub-Saharan markets. RM Partners and Daly & Inamdar Advocates have outstanding reputations thanks to their local market knowledge and the overall quality of service they provide to clients.”
With this expansion, CMS is unveiling a dedicated organisation that brings together our African firms and experts in a unique model and aligned practices to provide our clients with the best support in Africa. CMS Africa has a presence in the most dynamic regional hubs – Casablanca, Johannesburg and Nairobi – providing us with a strong footprint, sustained by offices in Algiers, Luanda and Mombasa. CMS Africa offers the ideal alternative for tax and legal services in Africa, a position that is being reinforced through the addition of the new firms.
CMS RM Partners
CMS RM Partners specialises in providing practical and innovative legal, tax and transaction advisory services. It is committed to developing young African talent and is accredited as a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Level 1 law firm. Founded by senior lawyers with exceptional track records from top international and local firms, the firm is based in Johannesburg and comprises more than 20 lawyers. Its clients include local private and public institutions, listed companies and numerous global enterprises.
Riza Moosa, Founder and Director at CMS RM Partners, said, “We are on a journey to transform and modernise the South African legal market, but we also recognise the importance of an African and international footprint. Joining CMS is the right step for our firm because they recognise the importance of growing an African business from Africa, and have a clear, regionally-focused growth plan for Africa which aligns with our own strategies.”
CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates
CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates is one of the top-ranking law firms in Kenya. It was formed via the merger of two of Kenya’s oldest law firms and comprises more than 35 lawyers working out of offices in Nairobi and Mombasa. The firm’s partners have handled numerous ground-breaking commercial transactions and contentious civil disputes.
Hamish Keith, Senior and Managing Partner at CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates, said, “Kenya is East and Central Africa’s epicentre of tech innovation and its economic expansion has been supported by a government that is committed to implementing business reforms. Our decision to join CMS follows a period of close collaboration on client work and a shared commitment to service. This will only deepen as Kenya becomes increasingly attractive as a destination for foreign investment.”
Pierre-Sébastien Thill, Chairman, CMS, said, “This is an exciting time in the development of CMS. Our clients have a global mindset, and when they come to CMS, they need to know that they can access quality advice and service delivery in every major jurisdiction. One of our primary objectives for the next four years is to further grow our geographical reach. This is a significant expansion in our journey to becoming a genuinely global law firm.”
Notes to editors:
South Africa
South Africa is one of Africa’s largest economies with a first-class infrastructure, constitutional democracy, financial services centre and independent judiciary. In addition, the country is a gateway to high growth economies to the north, with the financial and professional expertise to help guide international investors seeking to access these markets for the first time.
This gateway to growth is broadened for businesses that embrace the imperatives of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). BEE is the South African government’s legislated programme to correct the apartheid legacy and to encourage participation and development of black people in the economy, a trend which is growing across the continent. Companies that embrace BEE and implement the requirement polities of government are well-placed to benefit from the country’s anticipated economic growth. So far, law firms in South Africa have been slow to adapt to this change.
Following an analysis of the South African and sub-Saharan Africa legal market, the founders of RM Partners identified an opportunity to establish a new kind of legal business that capitalises on structural pressures on more established law firms, as well as opportunities arising from affirmative procurement based on the principle of BEE and its related concept of transformation.
Kenya
Kenya is a hub for technology on the African continent. It was the first country to roll out the highly successful mobile money transfer system named ‘MPesa’ and benefits from the most advanced internet connectivity in the region which has supported a wave of technology start-ups.
Kenya also serves as an entry point for importers of goods destined for consumer markets of nearly 400 million people across Africa. The economic expansion has been boosted by a stable macroeconomic environment, favourable oil prices, rebound in tourism, strong remittance inflows and a government led infrastructure development initiative. Kenya also benefits from a well-educated and young labour force, abundant wildlife, miles of attractive coastline and new discoveries of natural resources.
Despite recent political volatility, Kenya has a pro-private sector government that is committed to implementing business reforms. The Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has set out the government’s “Big Four” agenda which will create further opportunities for foreign investment.
The Big Four areas are manufacturing, affordable housing, healthcare and food security.
7 October 2019
CMS announces that RM Partners and Daly & Inamdar Advocates, based in South Africa and Kenya respectively, have today joined the leading global law firm. Going forward, they will be known as CMS RM Partners and CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates.
The addition of these firms considerably strengthens CMS’s presence in Africa, already encompassing Angola, Algeria and Morocco. For over 50 years, CMS has developed a track record of significant deals in Africa, showcasing its deep knowledge of the legal systems across the continent. CMS now has 75 offices in 43 countries and more than 4,800 lawyers worldwide.
Duncan Weston, Executive Partner, CMS said, “Our clients see Africa as a major growth opportunity, and many are looking to expand into key markets on the continent. South Africa and Kenya are both sizable economies, but they’re also gateways into other sub-Saharan markets. RM Partners and Daly & Inamdar Advocates have outstanding reputations thanks to their local market knowledge and the overall quality of service they provide to clients.”
With this expansion, CMS is unveiling a dedicated organisation that brings together our African firms and experts in a unique model and aligned practices to provide our clients with the best support in Africa. CMS Africa has a presence in the most dynamic regional hubs – Casablanca, Johannesburg and Nairobi – providing us with a strong footprint, sustained by offices in Algiers, Luanda and Mombasa. CMS Africa offers the ideal alternative for tax and legal services in Africa, a position that is being reinforced through the addition of the new firms.
CMS RM Partners
CMS RM Partners specialises in providing practical and innovative legal, tax and transaction advisory services. It is committed to developing young African talent and is accredited as a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Level 1 law firm. Founded by senior lawyers with exceptional track records from top international and local firms, the firm is based in Johannesburg and comprises more than 20 lawyers. Its clients include local private and public institutions, listed companies and numerous global enterprises.
Riza Moosa, Founder and Director at CMS RM Partners, said, “We are on a journey to transform and modernise the South African legal market, but we also recognise the importance of an African and international footprint. Joining CMS is the right step for our firm because they recognise the importance of growing an African business from Africa, and have a clear, regionally-focused growth plan for Africa which aligns with our own strategies.”
CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates
CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates is one of the top-ranking law firms in Kenya. It was formed via the merger of two of Kenya’s oldest law firms and comprises more than 35 lawyers working out of offices in Nairobi and Mombasa. The firm’s partners have handled numerous ground-breaking commercial transactions and contentious civil disputes.
Hamish Keith, Senior and Managing Partner at CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates, said, “Kenya is East and Central Africa’s epicentre of tech innovation and its economic expansion has been supported by a government that is committed to implementing business reforms. Our decision to join CMS follows a period of close collaboration on client work and a shared commitment to service. This will only deepen as Kenya becomes increasingly attractive as a destination for foreign investment.”
Pierre-Sébastien Thill, Chairman, CMS, said, “This is an exciting time in the development of CMS. Our clients have a global mindset, and when they come to CMS, they need to know that they can access quality advice and service delivery in every major jurisdiction. One of our primary objectives for the next four years is to further grow our geographical reach. This is a significant expansion in our journey to becoming a genuinely global law firm.”
Notes to editors:
South Africa
South Africa is one of Africa’s largest economies with a first-class infrastructure, constitutional democracy, financial services centre and independent judiciary. In addition, the country is a gateway to high growth economies to the north, with the financial and professional expertise to help guide international investors seeking to access these markets for the first time.
This gateway to growth is broadened for businesses that embrace the imperatives of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). BEE is the South African government’s legislated programme to correct the apartheid legacy and to encourage participation and development of black people in the economy, a trend which is growing across the continent. Companies that embrace BEE and implement the requirement polities of government are well-placed to benefit from the country’s anticipated economic growth. So far, law firms in South Africa have been slow to adapt to this change.
Following an analysis of the South African and sub-Saharan Africa legal market, the founders of RM Partners identified an opportunity to establish a new kind of legal business that capitalises on structural pressures on more established law firms, as well as opportunities arising from affirmative procurement based on the principle of BEE and its related concept of transformation.
Kenya
Kenya is a hub for technology on the African continent. It was the first country to roll out the highly successful mobile money transfer system named ‘MPesa’ and benefits from the most advanced internet connectivity in the region which has supported a wave of technology start-ups.
Kenya also serves as an entry point for importers of goods destined for consumer markets of nearly 400 million people across Africa. The economic expansion has been boosted by a stable macroeconomic environment, favourable oil prices, rebound in tourism, strong remittance inflows and a government led infrastructure development initiative. Kenya also benefits from a well-educated and young labour force, abundant wildlife, miles of attractive coastline and new discoveries of natural resources.
Despite recent political volatility, Kenya has a pro-private sector government that is committed to implementing business reforms. The Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has set out the government’s “Big Four” agenda which will create further opportunities for foreign investment.
The Big Four areas are manufacturing, affordable housing, healthcare and food security.