Michael Katz is the Chairman of ENS Africa and is still significantly involved in practicing law and other activities. The firm is managed by Mzi Mgudlwa, the CEO, and general managers, all of whom are full-time involved in the management of the firm. We have more than 1300 people, approximately half of whom are professionals. Of these more than half are females, and more than a third are Black practitioners.
The firm has 32 departments and offers the same wide range of services that the large New York law firms and the Magic Circle law firms in London offer. ENS has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Stellenbosch, three in Namibia, Mauritius, Ruanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Ghana. In addition, there are two pro-bono offices in Alexandra Township and Mitchells Plain, two areas inhabited by very poor residents. These residents receive free legal advice from us. It is mandatory for all professionals in our firm to render a certain prescribed amount of time to our pro-bono offices. These pro-bono offices are a significant part of the firm's Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, which, however, does extend beyond these pro-bono activities.
Other work highlights:
- Often present papers on legal and fiscal topics, most recently presented a paper at 50th Anniversary of Commonwealth Lawyers in London on “Directors Duties, Shareholder Remedies and Auditor Duties.”
- Mentioned in Legal Periodicals as the leading South African Lawyer and highly recommended South Africa Lawyer in Tax, Mergers and Acquisitions and Competition Law, including –
- Chambers and Partners Global Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers 2010 – Corporate Commercial/M&A and Tax (South Africa);
- Chambers and Partners 2009 - Corporate/M&A, Tax (South Africa);
- Best Lawyers South Africa 2009 – Tax, Banking;
- Best Lawyers South Africa 2010 – Tax;
- IFLR 1000 2009 - Corporate Commercial;
- IFLR 1000 2010 - M&A;
- PLC Which Lawyer? Cross border Mergers and Acquisitions Handbook 2009/10;
- PLC Which Lawyer? 2009 – Corporate/M&A, Tax, Banking and Finance, Competition/Antitrust, Private Equity/Venture Capital and Corporate Governance;
- PLC Which Lawyer? 2010 – Corporate / M&A, Competition, Finance and Securitisation, Tax, Corporate Governance and Banking and Finance;
- Legal 500 2010 – Corporate Commercial, Tax (South Africa);
- Acquisition Finance (ACQ) Global Awards 2010 – Most Respected Lawyer, Dealmaker of the year and Strategic Advisor of the year (Africa);
- Legal Experts Europe, Middle East & Africa 2010 – Corporate / M&A and Tax;
- The International Who’s Who of Corporate Tax Lawyers 2010 – Tax (South Africa);
- The International Who’s Who of Corporate Governance Lawyers 2010 – Corporate Governance (South Africa);
- The International Who’s Who of Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyers 2010 – M&A (South Africa);
- The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers – Corporate Governance and M&A (South Africa);
- The International Who’s Who of Corporate Tax Lawyers 2009;
- The Guide to the World’s Leading Tax Advisors 2009