Practice Areas
Specialist Expertise
Across Every Domain
Competition Law
We stand at the forefront of competition law in South Africa and have an unequalled track record.
Litigation
We are dedicated to upholding the principles of justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
Employment Law
Workplace disputes and workforce risk rarely remain static — left unmanaged, they can disrupt operations, damage reputations and expose businesses to significant legal and financial liability.
International Trade Law
Our proven track record in providing comprehensive legal solutions for international trade matters sets us apart.
White-Collar Crime
Our white-collar crime and fraud practice is a cornerstone of our firm, offering clients unparalleled expertise.
Mediation Hub
At Nortons, we believe that not every dispute needs to be fought out in a courtroom. The Nortons Mediation Hub offers a faster, more cost-effective, and more constructive path to resolving disputes.
Practice Area
Competition Law
Nortons stands at the forefront of competition law in South Africa.
Our firm has an unequalled track record in navigating complex, ground-breaking mergers.
Merger notifications and related matters
Over the last 10 years we have notified over 250 merger transactions on behalf of our clients with the relevant competition authorities and have had every single merger transaction ultimately approved.
Multi-jurisdictional capabilities in Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe amongst others.
Nortons has also acted on behalf of the Namibia and Botswana Competition Authorities.
We regularly provide advice in relation to competition and regulatory matters in respect of regional competition authorities such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Nortons has been involved in more opposed merger matters than any other firm in South Africa and has achieved significant success in dealing with opposed merger matters.
Prohibited practices – competition investigations
We advise clients in matters involving alleged prohibited conduct, whether defending clients or lodging complaints against third parties engaging in such practices, including:
horizontal restrictive practices (cartel conduct), such as price fixing, market division, tender collusion; and
vertical restrictive practices, such as agreements between suppliers and customers and issues such as resale price maintenance; and abuses of dominance, such as excessive pricing, exclusionary practices and predatory conduct.
Nortons is currently advising a dominant company in relation to its differential pricing practices, including potential price discrimination and excessive pricing considerations.
We also provide advice on complex competition law and regulatory issues in South Africa and for our clients with business operations within the SADC and COMESA regions.
We have also secured corporate leniency for various major corporate clients and immunity applications in relation to cartel investigations across various industries.
Market inquiries
Nortons has represented clients in various market inquiries conducted by the South African Competition Commission:
Banking Market Inquiry (Absa); Private Healthcare Market Inquiry (Netcare); Grocery Retail Market Inquiry (Pick n Pay); Data Market Inquiry (Telkom); Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry (Private Property); Fresh Produce Market Inquiry (Pick n Pay); The current Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (eMedia); and The current Polymers Market Inquiry (Sasol).