Roots established
The firm's roots are established in Cape Town as W E Moore & Son, which later becomes Syfret Godlonton-Fuller Moore.
Harold Bore starts a law firm
Harold Blore establishes a law firm in Johannesburg.
Blore & Cliffe join forces
Blore and Cliffe is established in Johannesburg.
Cliffe Dekker & Todd is born
Carl Todd becomes a partner; the firm is now known as Cliffe Dekker & Todd and remains one of the few law firms that can trace its beginnings to before the Boer War.
Herbsteins is established in Cape Town
Herbsteins, a commercial law firm, is established in Cape Town and also has a presence in London. Phillip Herbstein served as President of the Law Society of the Cape of Good Hope.
Billy van der Merwe establishes a legal practice
Billy van der Merwe establishes a legal practice in Johannesburg.
Hofmeyr van der Merwe & Botha is established
Hofmeyr van der Merwe & Botha is established through a merger.
Cliffe Dekker & Todd absorb leading law firms
Mergers are formed with, and acquisitions made of some of South Africa's leading Johannesburg-based legal practices Heimann Maasdorp & Barker; and McEwan Fearnhead Pinkerton & Paver, eventually becoming absorbed into Cliffe Dekker & Todd.
Y Ebrahim & Co merge with Cliffe Dekker & Todd
Yusuf (Joe) Ebrahim commences practice for his own account in Athlone, a suburb on the Cape Flats, as Y Ebrahim & Co. Joe was appointed a judge of the Eastern Cape bench in 1997 and the practice was continued by his partner, Brent Williams, who subsequently relocated the practice to Cape Town CBD in 1998. In 2003, the partners and staff of Y Ebrahim & Co merge with Cliffe Dekker.
Syfret Godlonton-Fuller Moore established
Syfret Godlonton-Fuller Moore comes into being through the merger of two of Cape Town's oldest practices: Fuller Moore & Son and Fuller De Klerk & Osler, founded in 1885, and Syfret Godlonton & Low, founded in 1887.
Merger of Wilkinson Joshua & Gihwala and Abercrombie & Sonn
Wilkinson Joshua & Gihwala merge with Abercrombie & Sonn, a firm originally established by the late Dullah Omar, the first Minister of Justice in the new South Africa.
Hofmeyr Herbstein & Gihwala established
On 1 September 1997, Hofmeyr van der Merwe in Johannesburg, Herbsteins in Cape Town and Gihwala Abercrombie in Athlone merge to become Hofmeyr Herbstein & Gihwala, becoming one of SA's largest full service, black-empowered national law firms.
A merger creates Cliffe Dekker Fuller Moore
Johannesburg-based firm, Cliffe Dekker & Todd merge with Cape Town-based, Syfret Godlonton-Fuller Moore. The firm becomes known as Cliffe Dekker Fuller Moore.
Merger with Silberbauers
Cape-based Silberbauers is merged into the practice.
Cliffe Dekker Fuller Moore name change
The firm, Cliffe Dekker Fuller Moore changes its name to Cliffe Dekker, operating out of Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Y Ebrahim & Co merge with Cliffe Dekker
The partners of Y Ebrahim & Co merge with Cliffe Dekker.
DLA Piper alliance is formed
1 September 2005, Cliffe Dekker becomes the exclusive member in South Africa of the DLA Piper Group and part of global law firm, DLA Piper.
Jeftha Twala merger with Cliffe Dekker
Jeftha Twala, one of the largest black law firms in Cape Town, merges with Cliffe Dekker.
Another merger creates Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr
1 September 2008, Cliffe Dekker and Hofmeyr Herbstein & Gihwala merge to become Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, a national firm with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and a member of the global DLA Piper Group.
Back to topFormal alliance ends
On 31 August, DLA Piper and Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr agree to end formal alliance.
Back to topNew brand identity is launched
On 1 September, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) launches refreshed branding to reflect our unique identity, as well as our innovative and integrated service offering. The firm's new brand focuses on its position as a known and trusted top tier South African legal advisor with strong networks across Africa.
Back to topCDH incorporates Kieti Law LLP, Kenya.
CDH incorporates Kieti Law LLP, Kenya.
Our overarching goal is to provide seamless legal services in East Africa through this office so as to enable our worldwide clients to harness the vast opportunities for sustainable investment that lie within that region of the continent and beyond.
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