Accolades
Werksmans has received a variety of local and international marketplace accolades acknowledging the firm’s leadership in the field of corporate and commercial law in South Africa.
Our firm has been recognised with leading marketplace accolades by the following credible international rankings organisations:
Chambers’ Global | High Net Worth Guide 2026 : South Africa
Werksmans Attorneys ranked band 1 in Private Wealth Law, South Africa.
Notable practitioners
Doelie Lessing has a broad range of expertise in tax law. She regularly advises high net worth clients and their businesses on domestic and international tax, trust and estate planning.
Doelie is very pragmatic, highly knowledgeable and very strong in her communication.
Working with Doelie is a pleasure. She responds in a timely fashion, and her communication is efficient and good.
Michael Honiball continues to receive praise for his expert handling of private client work for high net worth individuals and families, and is highly adept at dealing with complex international tax issues.
Michael is very personable and approachable. He is the gold standard for client service.
Michael is a true thought leader and industry expert. He is extremely thorough, practical and very commercial in his outlook.
Michael is not only able to advice on South African tax issues, but he also has a detailed understanding of the tax in a number of other jurisdictions, which allows him to provide holistic and meaningful advice.
Erich Bell is a trusts expert. He routinely advises on settling and restructuring offshore trusts, and on their tax implications.
Erich Bell is very commercially focused, has a great set of skills and is very pragmatic.
Erich Bell is my go-to. He is super responsive, accessible and very technical in his advice, while also being very easy to deal with.
Erich is very proactive, client-focused and very on the ball.
Chambers’ Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business
Our firm has been ranked across 21 areas of law and 37 of our lawyers are ranked individually as leading lawyers in their respective fields.
IFLR1000: Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms
In 2025, Werksmans was ranked by IFLR1000, reflecting Werksmans market standing within the financial and corporate practice areas, which covers the Sub-Saharan African legal market. A total of 15 of our lawyers were ranked as ‘highly regarded’ legal practitioners across 6 practice areas.
The Legal 500
Werksmans has achieved a total of 29 rankings which includes, 12 firm rankings and 17 individual rankings.
Intellectual Property Stars
In 2024 Werksmans was ranked by IP Stars – the leading specialist guide for companies or individuals looking for experienced legal practitioners to deal with contentious and non-contentious intellectual property issues. Managing IP has been covering IP law and practice worldwide since 1990.
Word Trademark Review’s, WTR1000.
In 2025, Werksmans was ranked Bronze by the WTR 1000. WTR 1000 – the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals – a unique guide that identifies the top trademark professionals in key jurisdictions around the globe. The WTR 1000 focuses exclusively on trademark practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive ‘go-to’ resource for those seeking world-class legal trademark expertise.
