DLA Piper bolsters Finance, Projects & Restructuring capability in South Africa

DLA Piper has announced the appointment of Bridget King as a legal director of its Finance, Projects and Restructuring practice in Johannesburg.

Bridget, who joined the firm on 8 March from Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, brings more than 15 years of specialist skills in derivatives, bank and financial markets regulation, exchange control and FinTech law. Her practice includes advising clients, both inside and outside of South Africa, in the banking, financial services and markets sectors, and she also advises major industry associations and private equity houses. She is exclusive local counsel to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association Inc. (ISDA) and has a wealth of experience issuing the South African industry opinions on collateral, initial margin and variation margin, clearing and netting enforceability under South African law. She also assists ISDA with its wider initiatives in Africa.

Bridget is the second legal director to join the team in recent months. Restructuring and insolvency lawyer, Nicola Nolan joined as a legal director in September from ENS Africa bringing with her more than 17 years of experience advising financially distressed companies and their boards, insolvency practitioners and business rescue practitioners as well as creditors, on all aspects of voluntary and compulsory liquidations, business rescue proceedings and distressed restructurings.

Commenting on the recent appointments, South African Location Head of Finance, Projects & Restructuring, Jackie Pennington, said: “Bridget and Nicola are fantastic additions to our growing team. Their appointments are in line with our ambition and strategy to provide a full service offering to our domestic and international clients. They reflect the increased demand we are seeing in the financial regulatory space, in addition to the broader need we are seeing in the South African market for specialist restructuring and insolvency services as companies and financial institutions grapple with the impact of COVID-19.”