Our Team

Daniel Besong

  • Daniel is a corporate and commercial attorney with over 17 years’ experience in the financial services industry and commercial legal practice. He has acquired practical experience in private equity and investment banking as well as in private practice.
  • Daniel has advised extensively in the emerging markets with a focus on Africa spanning across different sectors including agri-business, oil and gas, energy, financial services, telecoms and FMCG sectors in over 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Daniel acts for listed and non-listed financial service providers such as private equity firms, asset managers and pension funds.
  • He has acted in several civil and common law jurisdictions across Africa on cross-border financial services regulation and compliance related mandates.
  • Daniel has been recognized by the African Legal Awards (2019), Chambers International (2020) and AAFN Legal (2021).
  • Daniel previously worked for VDMA Inc (Legal Practice) and MCFM (Private Equity & Investment Banking (Fund Managers).
  • He is fluent in fluent in both English and French.
Qualifications
  • LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) Potchefstroom University, South Africa
  • LL.M (Master of Laws) Potchefstroom University, South Africa
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Finance & Accounting, Wits Business School, South Africa
  • Post Graduate Certificate in International Business Transactions Law, Wits Law School, South Africa
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Competition Law, Wits Law School, South Africa
  • International Advanced Certificate in Compliance & Finance Crime, ICT, United Kingdom
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Drafting and Interpretation of Contracts, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Patrick Ache

  • Patrick is a corporate and commercial transactional business lawyer with over 16 years’ experience in the energy and natural resources, mining, banking and finance, telecommunications, and general corporate and commercial law.
  • He specialises in the energy and mining sectors in francophone Africa and East Africa generally. His experience in these areas includes general corporate work (such as drawing up Articles of Association, Memoranda of Understanding and Shareholder Agreements) to drafting energy and natural resources specific agreements (including farm-in and farm-out agreements as well as supply agreements) as well as negotiating production sharing agreements and advising clients on the laws relating to petroleum exploration and production, renewable energy and mining.
  • Patrick is a cross-qualified advocate and member of the Tanganyika Law Society and the East Africa Law Society. He also spent a term in China during which he became fluent in Mandarin. Patrick’s intercultural skills and qualifications position him well to advise international clients wishing to invest in Africa.
  • He has written numerous articles on the topic of doing business in Africa.
  • Patrick previously worked for Mkono & Co Advocates (Legal Practice) and Webber Wentzel (Legal Practice).
  • He is fluent in English, French and Mandarin.
Qualifications
  • LL.B (Honours) University of Kent, UK
  • LL.M (Master of Laws) University of Warwick, UK
  • MBA (Masters in Business Administration) Gordon Institute of Business Science South Africa
  • Chinese Language Proficiency Exam, Nanjing University, China

Samantha Phumaphi

  • Samantha’s in-depth experience in alternative dispute resolution includes being a certified commercial arbitrator, Centre of Effective Dispute Resolution “CEDR”, and Conflict Dynamics mediator. She is a registered mediator with the Civil Mediation Council in the UK, previously sat on the Board for the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) and is a member of severalpanels in South Africa and the UK.
  • Samantha regularly provides commercial mediator training where she is a lead trainer for mediators on behalf of Conflict Dynamics. This course is accredited in South Africa by the Dispute Settlement Accreditation Council and the Public Service Sector – Education & Training Authority and recognized internationally by the International Mediation Institute “IMI” and the CEDR in the UK.
  • Samantha’s experience in employment law has given her unique expertise in chairing disciplinary hearings and conducting investigations. She has chaired numerous enquiries and investigations in various industries, ranging from large corporations to NGOs and SOEs, such as Eskom, PRASA, Transnet, Nestle, Standard Bank, Coca-Cola and SAQA to name a few, with her recommendations being upheld by the CCMA and the Labour Courts.
  • Samantha has a non-formalistic approach to her work and makes sure due process is followed.
  • Samantha’s facilitation experience is equally impressive. She has facilitated processes that cover a range of disputes, particularly in the mining, government, and transport industry. She has facilitated small and large groups and works with the parties using a range of tools to resolve disputes effectively.
  • Samantha previously worked with Office of the Deputy Prime Minister UK, Equity Chambers in Birmingham England and Clarendon Chambers, London, England.
  • She is fluent in English.
Qualifications
  • LL. B (Bachelor of European, International and Comparative Law) Sheffield University 
  • Bar Vocational Course University of the West of England
  • LL.M (Commercial Masters) University of Cape Town
  • International Mediator, Conflict Dynamics, CEDR (SA and UK)
  • International Arbitrator, Association of Arbitrators (SA)

Nerisha Ramgoolam

  • Nerisha is a notary and conveyancer who has extensive experience in Property Law, Litigation, Real Estate and Conveyancing.
  • Since her admission as an Attorney, Notary Public and Conveyancer, Nerisha has gained a wealth of experience in all types of Notarial and Conveyancing work, including but not limited to transfers of all types of properties (full title, sectional title, deceased estates, divorce, partitions, rectifications, low cost & RDP Housing), registration of bonds (residential, commercial and notarial), due diligences, drafting and vetting of all property/notarial agreements and ante-nuptial contracts.
  • Nerisha has attended to the preparation, lodgement and registration of deeds at various Deeds Offices around the country.
  • Nerisha previously worked with Bowman Gilfillan (Legal Practice) and NR Inc (Legal Practice).
  • She is fluent in both English and Afrikaans.
    Qualifications
    • LL.B (Honours) University of KwaZulu Natal

    Want to work with us?

    Get in touch

    Contact Us