DLA Piper appoints new director to its South African Finance, Projects & Restructuring team

DLA Piper has today confirmed the appointment of Nick Grootes as a director in their Finance, Projects & Restructuring (FP&R) team in South Africa.

Highly regarded in the South African market, Nick is a banking and finance lawyer specialising in acquisition finance, corporate lending, real estate finance and debt restructuring. His clients include leading local and international banks as well as REITs.

“Nick is a great fit for our South Africa FP&R practice. His skillset means that he will not only bolster our existing leveraged finance capability but also improve our capacity to work on wider debt restructuring mandates. We look forward to him joining the firm and adding further bench strength to our already successful team.” said Jackie Pennington, Head of DLA Piper’s FP&R practice in South Africa.

“DLA Piper’s strong reputation in the South African market and impressive reach across the African continent and globally really appealed to me. They are delivering some really cutting-edge work for clients in the finance space and are known for their collaborative culture and innovative approach to client service – two things I am also passionate about. I am pleased to be joining and look forward to further enhancing our leveraged finance offering to clients.” said Nick Grootes.

Colin Wilson, International Group Head of Finance, Projects and Restructuring, DLA Piper, says: Nick’s hire is another example of our wider FP&R and leveraged finance strategy. Our clients continually tell us that they want to work with lawyers who are recognised in the market, have a track record of international experience and access to joined-up international teams. Nick will complement our wider team by further cementing the strong connections between our finance lawyers in the UK and across Europe with colleagues in South Africa and beyond, especially across DLA Piper Africa offices.”

Nick’s appointment follows several appointments in South Africa over the past 12 months, including Megan Sturgeon (Director, Litigation and Regulatory) and Charles Smith (Director, Corporate) in March 2023, Livia Dyer (Director, IPT) in September 2022, Amelia Heeger (Legal Director, September 2022) and Malachizodok Mpolokeng (Associate, July 2023), as well as the promotion of Danielle Robbertze and Sibusile Khusi (both Corporate) and Justine Katz (Employment) to Senior Associate.