Pan-African law firm Bowmans has won the Law Firm of the Year and the M&A Team of the Year awards at the 2nd Annual Law Digest Africa Awards held in Lagos Nigeria on 4 November 2016. In addition, the firm's managing partner, Alan Keep, has won the Law Professional of the Year at the South African Professional Services Awards, held in Johannesburg on 3 November.

The Law Digest Africa Awards recognise and honour excellence in the African legal services market. The awards are based on the opinions of peers and on in-depth research conducted by the Law Digest. The awards concentrate on growth, innovation, capacity building, community engagement and customer care.  The combination of the award criteria, particularly the significance placed on client feedback, ensures that both large and small firms have equal opportunity to win.

The South African Professional Services Awards conduct a rigorous process of determining the winners through strict criteria. According to KC Rottok, founder and project manager of the Awards, the recipients are judged based on a host of attributes including the demonstration of leadership skills, changing of paradigms and innovation within the bounds of available resources.

Says Bowmans Chairman Rob Legh, "To receive three awards within the space of two days, recognising our firm's innovation, community engagement, customer care, and specialist skills in M&A in Africa is quite something. In addition, the acknowledgment of Alan Keep’s leadership skills, while unsurprising for those of us who work with him, is a great honour.”

“We will never grow tired of being recognised for delivering an excellent service to our clients in Africa. These awards serve as proof that our strategy to be the leading pan-African law firm in Africa, is not only working, it is also being endorsed by our clients."