Tabacks was started by Lourens van Staden, Mervyn Taback and Rupert Smith, when they decided to break away from Deneys Reitz (with Elize Serfontein and Catharine Keene also from Deneys Reitz joining them a few months later).
The intention was to start a boutique law firm, primarily focused on Corporate and Commercial work, competing with the bigger law firms. The focus has always been on competence and providing clients with quality work at reasonable prices. Tabacks has always been, and continues to be a competitor to be reckoned with in the delivery of excellent legal services.
Client relations — committed to clients by providing reliable services;
Transparency — developing honest, long lasting relationships with clients; and
Business — developing a business that is not focused on money, recognising that legal purchase is a grudge purchase for many clients and being fair with clients in respect of fees. Valuing relationships over fees.
As the years have passed, Tabacks has grown from a three partner boutique law firm to a super boutique law firm with an expansion of its service offering to include Banking and Finance, Competition, Employment, Environmental Health and Safety, Media and Entertainment, Mining, Tax Law and Commercial Litigation.
Our corporate and commercial team provides world class advice and deep-level expertise on M&A, governance, regulatory and commercial matters across all sectors.
The team has acted for most of the major international corporations, as well as local businesses, in respect of various matters, have undertaken cross-border transactions, both into Africa and globally and has extensive experience across diverse industries.
The team has a successful track record of advising a broad spectrum of clients in wide ranging matters, from large, complex transactions to smaller agile matters.
The team’s expertise includes
• Corporate advisory, governance and compliance and Commercial drafting
• Corporate finance and structuring and Insolvency and restructuring
• Stock Exchange listings and securities
• Black Economic Empowerment transactions
• Mergers, acquisitions and take–overs and Formation of business entities and joint ventures
Employment law plays a critical role in business in South Africa and is extensively regulated through both legislation and collective agreements between employers and trade unions. The Employment team punches well above its weight and prides itself on finding practical cost effective solutions for clients while striking the right balance between robust decision making and cautious attention to detail
Our Employment team offers a wide range of regulatory, employment litigation and alternative dispute resolution assistance to high-end clients in various sectors including banking, financial services, chemical, explosives, pharmaceutical, mining, insurance, private equity, retail, advertising, transport and logistics.
Employment expertise
• Collective employment law
• Individual employment law
• Litigation and alternative dispute resolution
• Restraints of Trade
• Transfers of businesses
Intellectual Property law is significant for any company’s business. Whether it be Copyright, and/or Trademark, companies must be aware of the most efficient ways to protect and/or transfer its unique works, both locally and abroad.
Our intellectual property team offers a wide rage of intellectual property law services, including registration, licensing and dispute resolution, to high profile clients across our key industry sectors.
The team’s expertise includes
• Advisory, governance and compliance
• Sale of intellectual property
• Transfer of intellectual property abroad
• Intellectual property dispute resolution
Our litigation and dispute resolution team are leaders in both the international and local legal fraternity. The team strives to deliver commercial success and their in-depth knowledge and experience results in only the best support for your business
The litigation team has some of the most highly respected and skilled litigators in the legal fraternity. The team comprises of multi-disciplinary and dedicated practitioners offering a wide range of regulatory, corporate commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution assistance to high-end local and international clients in various sectors.
Litigation & dispute resolution expertise
• Corporate and commercial litigation
• Insolvency and business rescue proceedings
• International and local arbitration
• Mediation and dispute resolution
