Culture of exemplary service a core focus at Shepstone & Wylie

“WE PRIDE ourselves on our firm culture with a dynamic team of professionals and support staff, who work together to achieve our goals,” says Nigel Woodroffe, managing partner at Shepstone & Wylie.

The firm has a history of an extremely high staff retention rate.

“The number of long-term staff awards handed out annually is always a pleasant surprise. We have staff members who have been with the firm for as long as 35 years, and countless others who have been with us for many years.

A standout member of our team was Shane Dwyer – an extraordinary lawyer in our shipping and logistics team who was with us for 50 years before his passing last year.

“You can write the best business plan or strategy on a chart, but without the right people, those business plans become meaningless. The right people are everything in a business, which is why our key strategy is to attract and retain enough of the right people.

“Our approach is to employ standout industry specialists in their areas of expertise who are in the strongest position to provide the best practical and solution-driven advice to our clients.

“Shepstone & Wylie has been one of the leading law firms since 1892 and has grown from strength to strength, with 131 years of excellence and experience.”

The firm is consistently recognised as one of the country’s highest rated law firms. A recent feather in the cap is the recognition in the 14th edition of Best Lawyers – where 12 lawyers were acknowledged as leaders in their respective fields.

David Warmback, one of the firm’s leading commercial lawyers, went on to receive the Lawyer of the Year Award in South Africa for commercial law.

Chambers and Partners is one of the most regarded accolades globally, and five partners from the firm received recognition this year.

Who’s Who Legal continued the winning streak by recognising Shepstone & Wylie as a leading law firm for labour, employment and benefits, as well as environmental law in Europe, Africa and the Middle East regions. The annual PMR.africa survey awarded Shepstone & Wylie as a top law firm in KwaZulu-Natal, an accolade consistently achieved over the years.

Another core focus is the firm’s commitment to transformation and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“We continually strive to reflect the demographics of the South African population and promote these objectives by actively recruiting, training, developing and retaining both professional

Nigel Woodroffe, managing partner at Shepstone & Wylie.