Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie has won Capital Markets Team of the Year and TMT Team of the Year, and Kamal Nasrollah was named Partner of the Year (North Africa) at Law.com's 2024 African Legal Awards, which were held in Johannesburg on Friday 6 September. These awards are a testament to Baker McKenzie's on-the-ground expertise, seamless global teamwork and solutions-driven approach to advising both multinational corporations and African clients. 

Capital Markets Team of the Year

The Capital Markets practice won Team of the Year for their work advising African Export-Import Bank on loans to both Egypt's state-owned Banque Misr and the Government of Rwanda. The cross-border team, which worked seamlessly between London and Egypt, was led by London Capital Markets Partner Sarah Porter, along with Senior Associate James Tanner and further included Victoria Long (Banking & Finance, Of Counsel, Cairo) and Mostafa Lotayef (Banking & Projects, Counsel, Cairo).

This deal is significant not just for the issuer but also for the jurisdictions and sectors in which it operates. These transactions can be used as benchmarks to help other issuers from the same countries and/or same industries raise funds through the capital markets, and in particular may encourage other development finance institutions to increase the amount of lending provided to sovereigns/quasi-sovereigns in Africa due to their ability to off-load risk via the structured finance markets.

Partner of the Year – North Africa 

Kamal Nasrollah was named Partner of the Year (North Africa). Kamal heads the Firm's Casablanca office and is considered the go-to lawyer for M&A and corporate matters in Morocco, working with major companies to identify investment opportunities in Morocco and North and West Africa. Kamal has a deep understanding of the Gulf business landscape that makes him indispensable for companies looking to expand or consolidate their presence in this region. This recognition adds to several that Kamal has received in 2024 such asThe Legal 500's "Lawyer of the Year" award, inclusion in The Legal 500's "Hall of Fame (Commercial, Corporate and M&A)" as well as "The M&A Powerlist Series (Africa)". Kamal has also previously been recognised among the top five most influential lawyers in Africa by the Jeune Afrique 100 Legal Powerlist. 

TMT Team of the Year 

The Firm was also awarded TMT Team of the Year in recognition of its work advising Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH) on its acquisition of Telkom’s masts and towers business, Swiftnet SOC Limited. With the acquisition valued at ZAR 6.75-billion, this is one of the largest tower transactions in the country to date by deal value and will guarantee access and ensure seamless continuity for Telkom and other mobile operators that rely on tower infrastructure.

The team was led by Lydia Shadrach-Razzino, partner and head of Corporate M&A and supported by senior associate Kaylea Sher-Fisher and associate Basanda Maluleka. Janet MacKenzie led the regulatory workstream. Together they provided strategic and legal support to RBH on all matters related to the transaction and were involved in negotiating the transaction documents on behalf of RBH.  

Speaking after the awards ceremony, Michael Foundethakis, Chair of the Firm's Africa Strategy Steering Committee, said: "I am very proud of all the individuals and teams who have been honoured with these awards. It is extremely gratifying to see our people recognised in the market for their hard work and expertise."