The team at Bowman Gilfillan is an effective unit with wide ranging experience in the competition law field, and is able to assist clients in all aspects of competition law. Areas of practice include

• merger control
• prohibited practices
• abuse of dominance cases
• complaint proceedings
• interim relief proceedings
• appeals
• exemptions and
• consent orders

We also advise on the implications of commercial agreements, business activities and on compliance programs. The team comprises local and foreign trained attorneys, lawyers formerly employed by the regulator in South Africa and lawyers with practical experience in European competition law. Bowman Gilfillan is one of only two South African law firms rated in the Global Competition Review Top 100 competition law firms.

The firm has recently appointed Keith Hendry as a consultant to the firm to extend and enhance the trade practice. Keith is a former partner of Clifford Chance, and was based at its EC Regulation Unit in Brussels. Keith has extensive experience in a number of areas of public or state regulation, including competition law. Keith's appointment is in line with the strategic objective of Bowman Gilfillan to establish trade as a specialist practice area servicing the firm's clients who have needs in this area. The general aim of the trade practice is to provide comprehensive trade assistance and representation to local industries and enterprises, industry associations and governmental bodies and institutions, as well as exporters to and importers into South Africa. The practice area is focused on South African trade law as regulated by South Africa's international obligations such as in terms of the WTO and recent national developments (including the International Trade Administration Act and the new SACU Agreement). Representation in anti-dumping, anti-subsidy investigations and safeguard measures are core areas of specialisation within the unit.

The Bowman Gilfillan trade team also advises on the key trade issues of rules of origin, customs classification and valuation of goods. Since South Africa's bilateral and multilateral trade relations are numerous and complex, advice will also extend to all preferential trade arrangements such as the SADC, SACU and the EU / SA trade agreements, as well as autonomous arrangements (such as the Generalised System of Preferences and AGOA) and agreements (such as the Lome Convention). A specialised litigation group will provide representation on all litigious matters involving international trade and customs issues.