Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys

What Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys does

Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys is a full-service South African law firm headquartered in Durban and founded in 1892. The firm operates from five offices across Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, and Richards Bay, with international affiliations extending its representation into Southern Africa, Europe, and North America. Its 70+ attorneys deliver legal services across more than 25 practice areas organized around five main departments: Litigation, Corporate & Commercial, Employment, Environmental, and Shipping & Logistics, with specialized sub-brands including Customs @ Wylie (trade and customs advisory) and Social @ Wylie (social media law and cyber crimes).

The firm's core service lines span litigation and dispute resolution, corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, competition/antitrust, employment and labour law, tax litigation and advisory, customs and trade remedies, maritime and shipping law, environmental and clean energy law, pension and employee benefits, conveyancing, family law, immigration, insolvency and business rescue, planning and development, mediation, and arbitration. Digital touchpoints are limited to a conveyancing cost calculator, a Media Hub of articles and podcasts, and lawyer-directory search functionality; there is no proprietary technology platform. Specialized practice depth is reflected in repeated appearances before the Supreme Court of Appeal on transport, trade, and customs matters, and in 20+ years of environmental law practice.

The firm operates on a professional services revenue model, billing primarily through hourly rates, fixed fees for defined services, and contingency or fee arrangements for litigation matters. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct engagement with corporate clients across the five offices, supplemented by content marketing, podcasts, an annual Tax Congress, and thought-leadership recognition in Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, Lexology, and Who's Who Legal. The firm serves a diversified client base across corporate and HNW individual segments, with no parent company, private equity, or venture capital backing.

Name

Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys

Legal name

Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys

Website

https://wylie.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys is a 130+ year-old full-service South African law firm operating from five offices with 70+ attorneys, delivering litigation, corporate, employment, environmental, shipping, tax, and property legal services to corporate and HNW individual clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Commercial legal services
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Maritime and shipping law
• Corporate and employment law
• Property conveyancing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Professional legal services billed primarily through hourly rates, fixed fees for specific services (such as conveyancing calculator for property transactions), and contingency or fixed-fee arrangements for litigation matters. Revenue is generated from a wide range of legal practice areas including litigation, corporate and commercial law, employment law, tax, shipping and logistics, and property services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys is a full-service South African law firm providing legal advisory, litigation and dispute resolution services across 25+ practice areas including corporate and commercial law, employment law, litigation, environmental and clean energy law, shipping and logistics (including customs), tax, pension and employee benefits, property and conveyancing, family law, immigration, insolvency, planning and development, and media/cyber law. The firm delivers professional legal services to corporate and individual clients through 70+ attorneys across five South African offices, with international affiliations extending representation to Southern Africa, Europe and North America. A free online Conveyancing Calculator supports property transaction cost estimation.

Product overview

Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys is a full-service South African law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm's service offering is structured as a unified law practice with specialized departments including Litigation, Corporate & Commercial, Employment, Environmental Law, Shipping & Logistics, Tax, and more. The firm also provides a Conveyancing Calculator as a digital tool for property transaction cost estimation. Founded in 1892, the firm operates from offices in Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, and Richards Bay with approximately 70+ attorneys across various specializations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Customs @ Wylie: An initiative of Shepstone & Wylie's Shipping and Logistics Division providing national and international advice on import, export, trade and logistics-related issues.
• Social @ Wylie

Products and services

• Litigation Services Civil litigation with emphasis on commercial disputes including contractual and delictual claims, construction and engineering disputes, insurance matters, and financial recoveries.
• Corporate & Commercial Services Advisory on business ventures, corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, competition law, and corporate governance matters.
• Employment Law Services Representation for management in collective bargaining, employment contracts, discrimination matters, disciplinary proceedings, and labor court litigation.
• Environmental & Clean Energy Law Environmental compliance, clean energy regulatory matters, environmental impact assessments, and sustainability advisory with over 20 years of practice experience.
• Shipping & Logistics Services Maritime law, customs advisory, international trade, logistics, and offshore & energy legal services. The firm was established in 1892 on the back of maritime law expertise.
• Tax Law Services Tax litigation, corporate tax structuring, VAT advisory, international tax, transfer pricing, and tax dispute resolution against SARS.
• Customs, Excise, VAT & Trade Remedies Customs compliance, SARS audit support, trade remedies, tariff classification, and international trade dispute resolution under the Customs @ Wylie initiative.
• B-BBEE Advisory Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment compliance, sector codes, preferential procurement, enterprise development, and B-BBEE transaction advisory.
• Pension & Employee Benefits Retirement fund advice, board of trustee representation, pension fund litigation, and employee benefits structuring.
• Property & Conveyancing Commercial and residential property transfers, sectional title transactions, mortgage bonds, and notarial services.
• Child & Family Law Divorce litigation, custody matters, maintenance applications, international child abduction, and family dispute resolution.
• Global Mobility & Immigration Corporate immigration, work visas, critical skills permits, permanent residency applications, and compliance audits for workforce mobility.
• Social Media & Cyber Crimes Social media law, cyber crime advisory, data protection compliance, and POPIA implementation under the Social @ Wylie initiative.
• Mediation Services Voluntary dispute resolution through specialized mediators for commercial, family, property, and environmental disputes.
• Arbitration & Adjudication Alternative dispute resolution through arbitration and adjudication for construction, commercial, and contractual disputes.
• Insolvency & Business Rescue Business rescue proceedings, company liquidations, creditor claims, debt restructuring, and insolvency administration.
• Planning & Development Town planning, development agreements, environmental authorization, and municipal legal advisory for property developments.
• Conveyancing Calculator Online transfer and mortgage calculation tool for property transaction cost estimation, applicable up to R100 million capital amounts.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• de ChalainssupportingTechnology or Integrationde Chalains is a specialist Intellectual Property (IP) firm engaged by Shepstone & Wylie to provide clients with trade mark, patent and design searches with opinions, registrations and related litigation services. Contact: David Bernstein on 082 465 5193 or [email protected]

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ENSafrica (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs): Africa's largest law firm by headcount with extensive South African coverage. Competes head-to-head with Shepstone & Wylie in corporate, commercial, employment, tax, and dispute resolution work for enterprise clients.
• Bowmans (Bowman Gilfillan): One of South Africa's leading full-service corporate law firms with comparable breadth across corporate, dispute resolution, employment, tax, and shipping practices. Directly competes with Shepstone & Wylie for mid-to-large corporate mandates across the same five practice-area pillars.
• Webber Wentzel: Major South African full-service law firm with a similar multi-office footprint and a comparable client roster of large corporates. Overlaps directly with Shepstone & Wylie across most practice areas including litigation, employment, tax, and regulatory advisory.
• Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH): Leading South African full-service firm offering corporate, litigation, employment, tax, and competition law. Directly comparable in scale, practice breadth, and target client base to Shepstone & Wylie.
• Werksmans Attorneys: South African corporate and commercial law firm with strong presence in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Competes with Shepstone & Wylie for mid-to-large corporate mandates in commercial, employment, and dispute resolution matters.

Broad incumbents

• Hogan Lovells (Johannesburg): Global law firm with a Johannesburg office providing corporate, finance, and litigation services. Overlaps with Shepstone & Wylie's corporate and dispute resolution practices for international clients doing business in Africa.
• DLA Piper Africa: Global firm with an extensive African network including South African member firms. Competes for the same large cross-border mandates, particularly in corporate, finance, and dispute resolution.
• Norton Rose Fulbright (South Africa): Global law firm with a significant South African practice through its merger with Deneys Reitz. Provides comparable services across most of the same practice areas as a much larger, internationally integrated competitor.
• Baker McKenzie (Johannesburg): Global law firm with a Johannesburg office providing cross-border corporate, tax, and dispute resolution services. Overlaps with Shepstone & Wylie on large international and inbound Africa work for multinational clients.

Regional players

• Cox Yeats Attorneys: KwaZulu-Natal based South African law firm with a strong shipping, maritime, and construction law focus. Directly comparable to Shepstone & Wylie's regional KZN roots and maritime/shipping practice, competing for similar KZN-based enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shepstone-&-wylie-attorneys
• Facebookfacebook.com/shepstoneandwylie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys