One of the globe's oldest and most respected peer review lawyer awards service in the world, Best Lawyers recently announced the release of the 14th edition of The Best Lawyers in South Africa" which acknowledges the professional excellence of the top 888 legal professionals across the country.
For the first time, Trusts and Estates expert, Ariza Vermeulen earned recognition in her field of expertise – one of only 10 such attorneys recognised in South Africa. Meanwhile, Barnard Directors Douw Breed and Koos Benadie were once again acknowledged for their exceptional work in Competition Law and M&A Law respectively.
"Through Best Lawyers' unique and comprehensive awards methodology, lawyers are able to call attention to the talents of their top legal peers," said Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. "It is our pleasure to amplify and acknowledge the work of these individuals with our awards and recognitions."
Earlier this year, Barnard was announced by Law.com's Africa Legal Awards as the Most Innovative Firm on the continent and included in Africa Legal's prestigious Top 50 in Africa list by virtue of the firm's phenomenal growth over the last few years. "This has been a big year for Barnard," added Managing Director, Douw Breed. "In positioning ourselves as a leading and innovative global commercial law firm, we proudly introduced our Barnard brand refresh and opened our new head office in the 'legal district' of Brooklyn, Pretoria. The Best Lawyers accolade is an endorsement of our work and progress in the market."
In October, Barnard took over the presidency of the International Commercial Law Alliance (ICLA) following the successful hosting of the alliance's annual conference in Cape Town.