MINING

BA LLB (UCT)
H Dip Tax (Wits)

Ezra Davids is a partner in and the Head of our Corporate Department. He specialises in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Capital Markets and Securities Law. Ezra has led the Bowman Gilfillan team in some of the largest M&A deals in the past year, including the disposal by Barrick Gold Corporation of Barrick Gold South Africa to Gold Fields Limited (US$1.55 billion), the acquisition by MTN Group of Investcom (US$5 billion) and the disposal by Polyus of its entire shareholding in Gold Fields Limited (US$2.02 billion). In Capital Markets he headed our teams in advising Goldman Sachs and UBS as joint global co-ordinators in the combined offering by Anglo American plc and Anglogold Ashanti of Anglogold Ashanti shares (US$1.69 billion) and Witsgold on its IPO on the JSE Limited.

Ezra is also the relationship partner for some of the firm’s clients like Goldman Sachs, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Eskom, Transnet, Barrick Gold Corporation, Public Investment Corporation, UPS and Merafe Resources.

Who’s Who Legal (2007) has named Ezra as one of the leading M&A lawyers in South Africa. He is currently the chairman of the Recent Developments in M&A of the International Bar Association and is a contributor to a number of international publications. Ezra is also a member of the Faculty Advisory Board of the Law Faculty of the University of Cape Town.

+27 11 669-9320
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BA (University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg)
LLB (UCT)
LLM (Wits)

Charles Douglas is a partner in Bowman Gilfillan’s Corporate Department and is a member of the firm’s Competition and Trade Law practice area. He specialises in mergers and acquisitions and regulatory advice.

Charles did his training at Bowman Gilfillan and was with the firm for 5½ years before undertaking an 18 month secondment to the Sydney office of Allens Arthur Robinson during 2005 and 2006. Charles is also admitted as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Recent M&A transactions that Charles advised on include the acquisition of shares in CRC, an AIM listed company with mining interests in the DRC, the unbundling of PPC from the Barloworld group, the sale of Independent Liquor, a New Zealand company (where he acted for a bidder) and the sale of P&O’s global cold logistics business to Versacold, a Canadian company. Charles also has experience with various empowerment transactions, including those undertaken by Afripack (a PPC subsidiary) and ABB.

In the regulatory area, Charles has been involved in advising the liquor industry in relation to new national and provincial liquor legislation and various multinational and local pharmaceutical companies, in relation to corporate, M&A and regulatory matters.

On the capital markets front, Charles has advised Metorex in respect of its capital raising exercise for that company’s Ruashi project in the DRC, as well as a share buy-back for BHP Billiton Limited. Charles also advised Metorex on the project finance related to phase II of its Ruashi project in the DRC.

+27 11 669 9426
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B Comm LLB (Wits)
Notary Public

Kim Goss is a partner in Bowman Gilfillan’s Corporate Department focussing on commercial, mergers and acquisitions and banking and financial services practice areas.

Kim has also been involved in the privatisation and restructuring of state assets, Kim was part of the firm’s due diligence team that advised on the restructuring of Spoornet. She has also been part of several teams and has coordinated due diligence investigations in preparation for local and multinational mergers and acquisitions. Kim has also completed and closed many of those transactions.

On the corporate side Kim advises and assists local and foreign listed and unlisted companies, on all corporate matters and related exchange control issues. She was involved in the corporatisation and listing of Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange.

On the financial services and banking side Kim advises local and international clients on aspects such as unit trusts and collective investment schemes and other related matters and has commented on existing and proposed legislation for the financial services industry.
Practice Focus
• Corporate
• Commercial
• Financial and Banking services
• Mergers and Acquisitions

+27 11 669-9339
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Business Science and LLB degrees (University of Cape Town

Paul is a partner in the Corporate Department and specialises in capital markets (debt and equity) and mergers and acquisitions.

Paul has advised issuers and underwriters alike in capital raising by South African issuers on securities exchanges in Africa, North America and Europe. Recent capital markets deals Paul has advised on include: advising Credit Suisse as international distribution agent for Celtel Zambia’s IPO; advising Barclays Capital and Dresdner Kleinwort as joint lead managers on the convertible bond issue by Netcare and advising Standard Bank on the establishment of its EMTN Programme, listed on the LSE.

On the M&A front, Paul has advised on public takeovers, inward investment into South Africa, joint ventures and private equity transactions. Paul recently advised Nokia Siemens Networks on its joint venture in Africa with Reunert Limited; Credit Suisse on its role in the takeover by Evraz of Highveld Steel and Vanadium from Anglo American and First Reserve Corporation/AMCI on their investment in the Pamodzi Resources Fund, the largest private equity fund in South Africa.

South African contributor to Getting the Deal Through - Securities Finance, an annual international review of securities law by leading law firms around the world, published by Law Business Research, the official research partner of the International Bar Association (Getting the deal through)

+27 11 669 9391
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BA LLB (Wits)
MSc in Law and Development (London School of Economics)
Presently completing a H Dip Company Law at Wits

Claire Tucker practices primarily in mining, regulatory and environmental law and is widely published on these matters. She has worked on a wide range of regulatory matters including drafting of laws and regulations, High Court review applications in respect of decisions on regulatory matters, the interpretation and application of statutes as well as commercial and transactional advice. She practices in and advises on all mining and environmental issues, mining title, challenges to the issue of mining licences, transfer of mining rights, environmental emissions and management in the mining context, water, land use planning and environmental impact assessments. She has a particular interest in the socio-economic aspects of the constitutional right to a clean environment.

+27 11 669-9402
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BA LLB (Stellenbosch)

David is a partner in Bowman Gilfillan’s Corporate Department. David specialises in mergers and acquisitions and general corporate and commercial law, as well as the provision of regulatory advice to clients in the pharmaceutical and liquor industries and in the field of black economic empowerment.

Recent M&A transactions that David has advised on include black economic empowerment transactions entered into by Merrill Lynch, Inc. and Cisco Systems, Inc., involving the disposal of equity stakes in the listed parent companies to South African empowerment shareholders and the disposal by Boart Longyear of its mining capital equipment business to a private equity buyer. David was also part of the team advising the Tongaat-Hulett Group in relation to a transaction involving, inter alia, the unbundling of Tongaat Hulett Group’s shareholding in Hulamin and the introduction of BEE partners into both Tongaat Hulett and Hulamin.

In the regulatory area, David has been involved in advising the liquor industry in relation to new national and provincial liquor legislation and various multinational and local pharmaceutical companies in relation to commercial and regulatory matters.

+27 11 669 9415
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B Com (Economics & Law) (Wits)
LLB (Wits)
LLM (Wits)

Anne Taylor is a senior associate in Bowman Gilfillan’s Corporate Department and is a member of the firm’s Competition and Trade Law practice area. She specialises in mergers and acquisitions and corporate and commercial advice. She joined Bowman Gilfillan in April 2007.
Anne did her training with Mervyn Taback Inc and was with the firm for 2 ½ years, where she did commercial litigation and corporate and transactional work. She was admitted as an attorney in 2005. She spent 18 months with a black economic empowerment transaction advisory agency in the role of legal advisor and head of due diligence, before joining Bowman Gilfillan.

On the M&A front, Anne recently advised Virbac S.A, a French animal health products company, on the acquisition by its local subsidiary of the assets comprising the business of a local animal health products company. She was also involved in the recent acquisition by Westinghouse Electric UK Limited of local nuclear energy business IST Nuclear (Proprietary) Limited.
On the corporate side, Anne advises and assists local and foreign listed and unlisted companies on all corporate matters. She has been part of and has coordinated due diligence investigations in preparation for local and multinational mergers and acquisitions.

+27 11 669-9469
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