BA (Hons) Law, Kent
Solicitor England, Wales and Hong Kong

Jonathan Lang is a member of Bowman Gilfillan’s Corporate Department and head of the firm’s Africa Group. He is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales and Hong Kong. He specialises in corporate finance, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, privatisations and equity and equity-linked capital markets. He is based in Bowman Gilfillan’s Cape Town office.

The Africa Group provides legal services to corporates, financial institutions and governments throughout Africa. Working in co-operation with leading firms in the continent, the Africa Group adds value to cross border corporate, commercial and finance transactions by providing legal project management, negotiating, structuring and drafting skills to its clients. It also provides pan-African advisory services in matters such as stock exchange regulation and privatisation of state owned assets. Notable examples include the privatisation of Lesotho Bank, advising Botswana Telecom in preparation for its privatisation and advising Copperbelt Energy Corporation on the second cross-border electricity interconnector between DRC and Zambia.

Jonathan practised at leading UK law firm Allen & Overy for 20 years, of which 9 were as a partner. During that time he gained extensive experience of cross-border corporate and capital markets transactions at Allen & Overy’s London, Paris and Hong Kong offices. His experience includes advising Dutch telecommunications company KPN on the acquisition of German mobile network E-Plus, VSNL (the Indian long distance telecommunications company) on its privatisation and Merrill Lynch on the issue of convertible bonds by The Bank of East Asia.

+27 21 480 7930
j.lang@cpt.bowman.co.za

BA LLB (UCT)
H Dip Tax (Wits)

Ezra Davids is the newly appointed head of our firm’s Corporate, Commercial and Financial Services department. As a Partner in the department and in addition to his management responsibilities, Ezra specialises in Merger and Acquisition transactions (listed and unlisted), debt and equity capital markets, (IPOs, primary and secondary offerings) transaction and special advisory work. Further, Ezra has particular expertise in corporatisation and privatisation of state owned enterprises (SOEs) and Black Economic Empowerment (“BEE”) transactions and mining and resources related transactions.

Some of the transactions in which Ezra has acted as lead Partner for our firm includes the SA Chrome/Xstrata merger of assets (approximately R8.2 billion), SHV’s secondary offering of its 30% shareholding in Massmart through a book building exercise (approximately R1.6 billion), Transnet’s proposed restructuring of Spoornet (its rail division and to date the largest exercise of this nature), MCI (then WorldCom) acquisition of UUNETSA from Datatec (approximately R 2 billion).

Ezra is the firm’s relationship partner for some for the firm’s major clients like Goldman Sachs, UBS, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Barrick Gold Corporation, MCI, United Parcel Services, Eskom, Transnet and the Industrial Developement Corporation. He is also a Trustee of the MTN Staff Share Incentive Scheme and a member of the Faculty Advisory Board of the University of Cape Town Law School. He also spent some time at our London Office and at a London magic circle firm. Ezra is also the South African contributor to the 2004 edition of Global Competition Review's Securities Finance publication.

Practice Focus
• Mergers & Aquisitions
• Capital Markets (Dept & Equity)
• Restructuring of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs)

+27 11 669-9320
e.davids@bowman.co.za