Career prospects

As a progressive and forward thinking law firm, we need exceptional people with ambition and drive and a desire to succeed in business. At Cliffe Dekker we recognise that if we are to attract and keep the best then we need to offer an environment that is challenging, rewarding and empowering.

We regard our people as our most valued asset. We strive to help our young lawyers achieve their career aspirations and we work towards creating an environment where all our people can grow, thrive and develop to their full potential.

National strength

Cliffe Dekker has developed rapidly in a relatively short time.

While our roots go back to 1853, through a series of mergers and expansion we are today one of South Africa's largest full service commercial law firms.

• We currently have 55 directors (partners) in Cliffe Dekker, 2 directors in Cliffe Dekker Tax, 142 lawyers and over 300 staff in all. And we continue to grow.

• We are a national firm with offices in Johannesburg (Sandton) and Cape Town.

The firm is structured around three principal practice groups: Corporate & Commercial; Dispute Resolution: Litigation and Arbitration; and Property & Conveyancing.

Within these practice areas we have specialist teams concentrating on different areas of law and business, including black economic empowerment; competition; employment; mergers & acquisitions; private equity; tax; technology, media & telecommunications; and trade marks & intellectual property.

We have niche industry-focussed teams and our broad client base encompasses many major local and multi-national corporations, local and international banks and financial institutions, mining groups and listed companies, as well as medium-sized businesses.

We offer clients pragmatic, business-driven advice that contributes to their success.

Global reach

We are affiliated to DLA Piper, the world's second largest legal services organisation with over 3,400 lawyers across 63 offices and 25 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the US, Africa and Australasia.

• DLA Piper was named Global Law Firm of the Year in 2006.

• As the South African member of DLA Piper Group, our lawyers have access to the very best international practice, global knowledge, management systems and skills transfer: it allows for secondments of lawyers to DLA Piper offices in Africa and abroad.

Accolades

Cliffe Dekker:

• Rated the No. 1 large law firm by corporate South Africa for 3 consecutive years.
• Runners-up in the 2005 Chambers Global Corporate Law Firm of the Year, Africa awards.
• Lead legal advisers on the 2005 Private Equity Deal of the Year.
• Highly ranked in the leading international law and business directories, including:
  • Chambers Global Guide: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2007
  • PLC Which Lawyer? 2007 Yearbook
  • IFLR1000 -Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms, 2007
  • The Legal 500 Europe, Africa & Middle East Series, 2007

Investing in your career

At Cliffe Dekker we recognise that our continued growth and success depends on the quality of our people, which is why we take so much care in recruiting and training the best.

Top priority is given to knowledge management - disseminating information, continuous training and transferring the experience and skills of senior professionals to our young lawyers.

We were the first South African law firm to appoint a director to oversee this portfolio on a full-time basis.

We offer young lawyers every opportunity to achieve their full potential and a nurturing culture that encourages individuals to contribute personally and as part of a team. Mentoring, assessment and our specialised coaching programme are an integral part of the process.

Through a rotational system, candidate attorneys train for up to six months in different practice areas to give them practical exposure to a wide range of specialist fields.

Trainees work with a director and as part of a team appointed to look after the particular client's business and learn through practice and observations in an interactive learning environment.

Regular feedback and performance evaluation allow junior lawyers to set and review their training and development objectives, and to develop and grow as individuals.

Along with on-the-job training, we provide continuous skills training, interactive discussions of case studies, presentations on new developments in law and access to our database of opinions, arbitration awards and other resource materials designed to advance all-round professional knowledge and skills.

Equality and diversity

• Equality and diversity are fundamental to our identity and an integral part of our desire to be an employer of choice.
• Our transformation policy builds an environment which underpins our values of respect for the individual and equal opportunity for all our people.
• Our approach is based on best international employment practice and encourages understanding and appreciation of diversity and teamwork.
• These productive measures have strengthened Cliffe Dekker's position as one of the most empowered large law firms in South Africa.
• We were awarded the Empowerdex AAA transformation rating, equivalent to an overall BEE score of 85% - 100%.
• Black directors own 26.78% equity in the firm. Black women own 12.5%; women attorneys own 26.28% of the firm.

A rewarding experience

Cliffe Dekker is generally regarded as a rewarding place to work. Many of our directors started their careers as trainees with us.

New recruits will appreciate our youthful makeup combined with a progressive outlook that provides realistic opportunities for promotion.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits programmes.

Trainees are given paid study leave.

Our practical skills development programme supplements the statutory training requirements laid down by the Association of Law Societies.

Our young lawyers are also encouraged to research and co-author articles for our own and external journals.

Corporate Social Responsibility

We encourage our people to participate in corporate social responsibility projects and meaningfully contribute to the firm's aspirations for wider community involvement.

Cliffe Dekker is involved in numerous pro bono and community initiatives, among them:

• Providing legal assistance in establishing schools in poor communities.
• Giving practical legal training for black lawyers through the Black Lawyers Association and the Law Society.
• Assisting the Southern African Litigation Centre in developing legal resources for human rights litigators in Southern African countries.
• In 2005 we established The Come Together Children's Home with the Iflend Community Outreach to provide shelter for AIDS orphans in the Sebokeng community; funding the purchase of the nine hectare property which houses the children's home, a crèche, staff accommodation and buildings that are used to teach sustainable skills to people from the community; and providing various forms of support and assistance.

Relationships are at the heart of our service and our people define our relationships.

If you are a talented all rounder who is interested in challenging and stimulating work and a top-rate training environment we would like to hear from you.

Please submit an application form with:

• Your CV
• Copy of your ID
• Full academic transcripts
• Other degrees obtained (if applicable)
• Matric and merit certificates
• Reference letters

You may send them either by post, fax or email.

Application Enquiries

We would welcome your further enquiries. Please submit your application to:

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