Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Kieti Advocates LLP forge a new legal service offering in East Africa
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) has established a partnership with Nairobi-based boutique corporate law firm, Kieti Advocates LLP. The new firm will officially be known as Kieti Law LLP with effect from 1 April 2021.
Through this partnership, and under the CDH banner, both firms will not only expand their service offerings in the region but also benefit from the alchemy of Kieti’s embedded regional expertise and knowledge with CDH’s range of services and resource capability.
Chief Executive Officer at CDH, Brent Williams said this partnership was forged so that both firms could be more responsive to their clients’ requirements for wider geographic support, East Africa being a defined strategic area for growth. “This coming together will allow us both to offer our clients a seamless, efficient and quality service of the kind they have come to know us for in East Africa. And Kieti Law LLP wishes to do the same for its most important clients in Southern Africa.”
Sammy Ndolo, Managing Partner from Kieti Law LLP said the opportunities that this partnership represents will strengthen the capabilities of both firms to practically and affordably service the market both within Africa and abroad. “Although there have been a few South African law firms expanding into other African jurisdictions over the years, this partnership represents a significant step for our firm to utilise CDH’s renowned capabilities in both M&A and Fintech law,” said Ndolo. 
Ndolo and Williams both agree that both firms are a great cultural fit, as they share a tenacity and a passion for being client-centric, as well as being known for providing pragmatic legal solutions that are responsive to clients’ business needs and strategies. “Both our firms are particularly excited about the value that the combination of Southern African and Eastern African, commercial legal nous can bring to our respective clients and this step will enhance our ability to provide a holistic offering,” said Ndolo.
“This firm will remain Kenyan at heart and quintessentially African in practice and culture. We are excited to take full advantage of our South African expertise and close to 170 years of legal precedent and pair it with East African legal culture to the benefit of both businesses, said Williams. He is of the view that this merger will also benefit the new firm with an influx of top legal talent from both regions and abroad.
Williams concludes that this marks a momentous occasion in the history of both firms. “We are embarking on a great adventure and look forward to seeing what lies beyond the horizon in this shared future. We’re changing the African legal landscape for Africans, by Africans, bringing it to the world in the form of Kieti Law LLP.
