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OUR TEAM
During the 15 years since our inception, we have strengthened our legal team to include lawyers and economic experts who share our core values and commitment to excellence. This shared vision has positioned us as a formidable competitor and one of the leading law firms in South Africa’s legal landscape.
MEET OUR TEAM
ANTHONY NORTON
Considered one of South Africa's top legal minds, Anthony is a highly respected attorney with a proven history of notable achievements. He is widely recognised as one of the country's foremost authorities in competition law, corporate litigation, administrative and constitutional law, and white-collar crime.
Anthony has held the position of Managing Director at Nortons Inc, an innovative boutique law firm with an unrivalled track record, since 2009 when he co-founded the firm with 3 partners.
Anthony's 25-year career has been marked by a series of landmark cases, solidifying his reputation as a strategic and effective legal expert. His deep understanding of the legal and regulatory landscape, allows him to navigate complex negotiations and achieve optimal outcomes for his clients. Anthony is known for his ability to manage highly complex litigation and his exceptional negotiation skills.
ANTON ROETS
Anton, a founding partner of Nortons, is a highly respected legal mind with a distinguished career spanning over two decades. His journey in competition law began in 2000 and his deep understanding of South African competition law is evidenced by his involvement in many of the country's most significant cases. He has directly contributed to shaping the legal landscape through his work on pivotal Constitutional Court decisions concerning the definition of control and the Competition Commission's investigative powers, as well as key Supreme Court of Appeal rulings on the leniency policy and the privilege of leniency applications.
His courtroom experience is extensive, having represented clients before the Competition Appeal Court and the Competition Tribunal on a broad range of complex issues. These include nuanced interpretations of control, the Tribunal's authority over consent orders, confidentiality protocols, diverse merger transactions, instances of abuse of dominance and cartel behaviour, interventions in merger proceedings, and various crucial interlocutory matters.
PAUL RUSSELL
Paul is a founding director of Nortons and a leading authority in competition law and diamond industry regulation. His extensive experience and deep understanding of these complex fields make him an invaluable asset to clients seeking strategic guidance and effective representation.
Paul's expertise in competition law is comprehensive, covering a wide range of issues.
WARWICK RADFORD
Warwick is a highly experienced competition law expert and a director at Nortons Inc. He brings a deep understanding of South African competition law and a pragmatic approach to helping clients navigate this complex landscape. His expertise covers all aspects, including:
Cartels and Prohibited Practices: Warwick advises on cartel investigations, leniency applications, and other anti-competitive conduct.
Abuse of Dominance: He assists dominant firms in navigating complex regulations and defending against allegations of abuse.
Merger Control: Warwick guides clients through all stages of mergers and acquisitions, ensuring compliance with competition law requirements.
Exemptions and Market Inquiries: He advises on exemption applications and represents clients in market inquiries conducted by the Competition Commission.
Dawn Raids: Warwick provides expert guidance and support to clients facing dawn raids by competition authorities.
Compliance: He assists clients in developing and implementing effective competition law compliance programs.
MICHELLE RAWLINSON
Michelle is an accomplished attorney with over 20 years of experience navigating the complexities of South African law. Her expertise shines in corporate litigation, administrative and constitutional law, and white-collar crime, where she consistently delivers impactful results for her clients.
A Force for Change
Michelle’s involvement in landmark administrative and constitutional law cases, including the Allpay social grants matter and the Caxton school workbooks tender challenge, demonstrate her commitment to justice and her ability to achieve meaningful outcomes.
NICOLA ILGNER
Nicola is a highly respected competition lawyer who brings a wealth of experience and a passion for innovation to the Nortons team. Since joining the firm in 2014, she has become an invaluable asset to clients across South Africa and beyond, guiding them through the intricacies of competition law with strategic precision and a commitment to achieving practical, business-focused solutions.
Nicola's expertise spans a wide range of sectors, including consumer goods, e-commerce, retail, energy, and financial services. She provides expert counsel on all aspects of South African and African competition law.
AVIAS NGWENYA
Avias is a highly respected competition economist with a proven track record of providing economic advice to clients across Africa. His deep understanding of competition law, combined with his sharp analytical skills and collaborative approach, make him a trusted advisor in navigating the complexities of today's business landscape.
Since 2013, Avias has served as the in-house economist at Nortons, where he provides strategic counsel on a wide range of competition/antitrust matters, including mergers and acquisitions, abuse of dominance, cartel investigations, and market inquiries. His expertise extends to international trade issues, such as tariff and anti-dumping regulations, and he has extensive experience in forensic investigations and arbitrations.
NICCI VAN DER WALT
Nicci has been practising competition law since 2007 and joined Nortons in 2010.
Her principal area of practice is in South African competition law, in particular, merger control and notification, and advising on the notifiability of mergers in South Africa, as well as other sub-Saharan and African jurisdictions (including COMESA, Botswana, eSwatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). Nicci has also been involved in conducting competition law reviews or audits and reporting on competition law compliance.
MELISSA STEELE
Melissa joined Nortons in 2017 and quickly established herself as a dedicated and insightful legal professional. Her passion and expertise span a diverse range of critical legal areas, including general commercial law, constitutional and administrative law, and the intricacies of competition law.
Melissa's commitment to her clients is evident in her experience before numerous significant courts, including the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Appeal, as well as the High Court, the specialised Competition Appeal Court, and the Competition Tribunal.
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NICKY COSTER
With over 25 years of experience, Nicky is a seasoned legal expert who brings a wealth of knowledge and a pragmatic approach to every client engagement. Her deep understanding of employment and commercial law, coupled with her exceptional drafting skills and commitment to building strong client relationships, makes her a valued asset to Nortons Inc.
Nicky's journey has been one of diverse experiences. She honed her skills at ENS Africa, a leading law firm, where she rose to the position of director in the employment law department. She further broadened her expertise as Group Legal Executive for the Lightstone group of companies, providing strategic in-house counsel, and went on to establish her own independent legal consultancy. In 2023, Nicky joined Nortons Inc. as a consultant, bringing her extensive knowledge and independent perspective to further enhance the firm's capabilities.
NINA GREYLING
Since joining Nortons in 2019, Nina mostly works on matters that involve administrative, constitutional and regulatory law.
As part of her competition experience, Nina has worked on numerous large mergers – not only notifying them, but also opposing them. She was also a member of the team that acted for the merger parties of the largest transactions in South Africa (in the past decade) in the agricultural industry, the coal industry as well as in the platinum industry. She has also been involved in a number of excessive pricing complaints and other competition law related matters which involves prohibit practices, such as collusion between two competitors.
CONTACT
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The Reserve First Floor
54 Melville Road
Illovo, Johannesburg
South Africa
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