https://www.webberwentzel.com//Pages/RSS-Feeds.aspx Webber Wentzel feed en-us Copyright 2020 Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:35:12 +0200 Sample Code http://server/image.jpg https://www.webberwentzel.com//Pages/RSS-Feeds.aspx 04d12f3e-02fd-4670-8ea7-7fdb860f3568 134f101a-bc87-46dc-8e14-fc98fee0cc4c https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/draft-national-ai-policy-what-it-means-and-what-to-do-now.aspx The publication of South Africa's Draft National AI Policy marks a turning point for organisations that develop, deploy or rely on artificial intelligence. 2026-04-13T22:00:00Z 7b4bfc49-a20b-472d-bf13-2789629e5440 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/your-mining-supply-agreement-was-written-for-humans-but-your-trucks-are-driving-themselves.aspx In August 2025, in Benavides v Tesla, Inc (Benavides), a Miami jury awarded USD 240 million in damages against Tesla, including USD 200 million in punitive damages, in a wrongful death lawsuit related to its Autopilot system. 2026-03-25T22:00:00Z 0da883eb-fc5b-4fea-a830-cc97cac32bb5 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/adapt-automate-or-step-aside-the-junior-lawyers-ai-reckoning.aspx The question is no longer whether AI will change the role of junior lawyers. It already has. The real question is what that means and what opportunities it unlocks. 2026-03-22T22:00:00Z 6a9da518-30bc-49b9-8c39-ad22f638c651 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/the-legal-ai-race-to-the-bottom.aspx TL;DR: The race to the bottom in legal AI is real and it runs deeper than headlines suggest. Rather than a competitive sprint across the market, it demands a deliberate descent into foundational questions about what makes legal work valuable and trustworthy. 2026-03-17T22:00:00Z 953bfdc1-8a18-4cf0-97a0-932f49d5f0ab https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/your-ai-conversations-are-probably-not-privileged.aspx On 10 February 2026, a judge of the Southern District of New York ruled that roughly 31 documents generated by a criminal defendant using Anthropic's consumer AI chatbot "Claude" were neither protected by attorney-client privilege nor shielded by the work product doctrine. 2026-03-02T22:00:00Z ec0bc336-2a37-41b1-83a9-fa41693b62d9 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-launches-technology-subsidiary-fusion.aspx Johannesburg, South Africa, 16 February 2026 - Leading African law firm, Webber Wentzel today announced the launch of a new AI, technology and legal operations subsidiary at the African GC Summit 2026 - as general counsel across the continent confront increasing regulatory complexity, cost pressure, and accelerating AI adoption challenges. 2026-02-15T22:00:00Z 55ee5237-27a9-4330-bb1e-30e8603d23dc https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/from-stealth-to-spotlight-webber-wentzel-reveals-innovation-engine-driving-market-leadership.aspx After years of quietly pushing the boundaries of legal innovation in Africa, Webber Wentzel is stepping forward to share a deeper look into its holistic, integrated and people-first approach to legal innovation in Africa – and beyond. 2025-08-26T22:00:00Z a8a25839-2243-4889-812f-0909a3bdbe64 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/ai-and-automation-in-retail-legal-risks-related-to-ai-driven-customer-service-inventory-management-and-back-office-support.aspx The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in retail continues to generate discussion. This is largely due to the benefits that retailers have realised by using the technology across various parts of the business value chain. However, the incorrect implementation of AI functionality can result in unintended consequences for retailers. 2025-06-25T22:00:00Z 2b812f1b-8893-4d12-ad50-561e46a8fcdd https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-shortlisted-in-seven-categories-at-the-african-legal-innovation-and-technology-awards-2025.aspx Webber Wentzel has been recognised as a finalist across seven categories at this year’s African Legal Innovation & Technology Awards, underscoring the firm's ongoing efforts to evolve legal service delivery across the continent. 2025-04-16T22:00:00Z 2becd13c-c4a2-438f-9a1a-ceb5ae9b24fb https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-recognised-at-the-2024-african-legal-awards.aspx Webber Wentzel's excellence in Competition, Intellectual Property and Tax law, combined with an innovative approach to legal services, was recognised at the 2024 African Legal Awards held at the Houghton Hotel on Friday, 6 September 2024. 2024-09-08T22:00:00Z 58f98d80-0d60-4d7e-b501-c0670e6de957 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/leveraging-genai-for-efficiency-a-boon-or-bane-for-legal-workflows.aspx Ruth Gondwe, a manager at Webber Wentzel Fusion recently had a conversation with an attorney about his use of technology, which sparked a discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the legal industry. A question arose from the attorney's excitement about how technology helped him save time on transaction management and contract reviews: would this result in fewer billable hours? 2024-05-20T22:00:00Z 908a5b14-803d-488d-b990-1394feeedcc3 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-fusion-elevating-legal-excellence-for-a-tech-forward-tomorrow.aspx Webber Wentzel, the leading full-service law firm in Africa, has expanded its NewLaw and legal technology division and rebranded it as Webber Wentzel Fusion. This is the next step in the firm's innovation journey, following its five-year long incubation of an alternative legal services centre and its early investment in artificial intelligence. 2024-01-15T22:00:00Z 8320fa69-2bcf-4d92-8a50-110fe4b4f7cd https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-embraces-generative-ai-as-part-of-its-ongoing-innovation-journey.aspx Webber Wentzel is taking the lead on responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) investment within the African legal landscape as part of its continued commitment to deliver an exceptional client experience and foster an open, creative, and entrepreneurial culture. 2023-06-22T22:00:00Z 4901bc08-5816-44cd-ae4c-3b74f880deea https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/lawyers-2.0-in-a-chatgpt-world-the-human-ai-connection.aspx The legal industry is facing a future where Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to take over many of the tasks that lawyers have traditionally done. Months after its release, the hype surrounding OpenAI's ChatGPT has not relented. 2023-02-13T22:00:00Z cf2bf974-50d9-4299-89c6-5b0a89c3bc1c https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-recognised-as-2022-south-africa-law-firm-of-the-year-by-top-ranked-legal.aspx Webber Wentzel has been awarded the 2022 South Africa Law Firm of the Year in the EMEA Awards by Top Ranked Legal. 2022-12-20T22:00:00Z 1466fdd2-4250-482a-86f1-aeec2533edfe https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-won-the-african-legal-awards-for-african-law-firm-of-the-year.aspx Webber Wentzel has been named African Law Firm of the Year (Mid-Large Sized Practice) at the 2022 African Legal Awards. 2022-10-23T22:00:00Z c89d9408-4096-4293-8562-37d5cca27f5c https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-won-the-african-legal-awards-m-and-a-team-of-the-year.aspx Webber Wentzel won the African Legal Awards M&A Team of the Year for advising on the joint venture between Sanlam Limited, its subsidiaries, and Allianz BV, a subsidiary of Allianz SE. 2022-09-25T22:00:00Z d28ff0ed-808e-4c14-8e53-89f2a47fa9b4 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/amendments-proposed-to-the-100mw-licensing-exemption-and-registration-requirements-in-the-electricity-regulation-act-2006.aspx Proposed amendments to the Electricity Regulation Act will amend the licensing exemption and registration requirements for generating, trading, transmitting, and distributing electricity. 2022-09-11T22:00:00Z a8f5c0ff-4fbe-4179-acae-4f12a5d16512 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/do-androids-recognise-electric-sheep-south-africa-recognition-of-blockchain-arbitration-agreements.aspx The enforceability of (foreign) blockchain arbitrations under South Africa's international arbitration regime might be difficult but there are possible solutions. 2022-09-11T22:00:00Z e010be47-b02c-41d6-8a94-54ddbc607e95 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/22-legal-developments-for-businesses-to-monitor-in-2022.aspx We have collated a snapshot of key themes to track in 2022 and of 22 legal developments for the year which you will need to keep a tab on. In 2022, various legal developments are expected to have an impact on businesses, particularly in the fields of liability, ESG, digital and economic transformation. 2022-03-22T22:00:00Z b8147fc2-7f1c-4a9f-85ca-8273180ac8f7 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-recognised-in-chambers-global-2022.aspx Earlier this year, Webber Wentzel was awarded South Africa Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Africa Awards 2022. Yesterday, Chambers Global released its 2022 results, ranking law firm practices and lawyers according to their client service, commercial vision, business understanding, diligence and value for money. 2022-02-17T22:00:00Z f6790cde-e16c-4341-b51f-fd04bc2444f6 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/south-african-law-year-to-come-2022-and-year-in-review-2021.aspx Webber Wentzel has contributed to the Linklaters' global guide series - Year to Come 2022 and Year in Review 2021. The series brings together analysis, thinking and highlights from lawyers around the world across multiple jurisdictions, in the form of topic-specific and jurisdictional guides. 2022-01-17T22:00:00Z aec7a587-2dc0-4775-976c-9c1ee306f6f3 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/a-journey-of-growth-and-success.aspx Webber Wentzel Senior Partner Christo Els and Managing Partner, Sally Hutton, chat to Tom Pearson in a podcast focussing on the growth and success of one of Africa’s foremost law firms. 2021-08-09T22:00:00Z 27554e6e-a1c7-42e8-8e8d-469938b2adf3 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/sa-lets-do-business-ebook.aspx ​A tailored and on-the-ground perspective for business in South Africa and those looking to invest in South Africa. 2021-02-28T22:00:00Z fbaf2e43-dd16-4d1c-8d46-201f2ce1c251 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzels-expertise-recognised-by-chambers-global.aspx Chambers Global has released their 2021 results. Webber Wentzel had an exceptional year with key highlights. 2021-02-21T22:00:00Z 893a6a8e-6088-4df1-b96a-78b9a06cca6e https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/21-legal-developments-for-businesses-to-monitor-in-2021.aspx We have collated a snapshot of key themes to track in 2021 and of 21 legal developments for the year which you will need to keep a tab on. 2021-02-17T22:00:00Z 78f988ea-07d2-489f-9e94-9c9adac4d681 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/linklaters-global-guide-year-in-review-2020-and-year-to-come-2021.aspx We have contributed to the Linklaters' global guide series - Year in Review 2020 and Year to Come 2021. 2020-12-06T22:00:00Z 7b5284a0-3748-45ae-911b-a8b231f46cc0 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/reflections-on-2019-and-key-insights-for-2020.aspx Each year we publish a South Africa - Year in Review and Year to Come 2019/2020 insights piece with our alliance partner, Linklaters. 2020-01-08T22:00:00Z d68115c3-b73d-467d-bc74-d742980fc7e3 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-is-african-law-firm-of-the-year-at-the-african-legal-awards.aspx Webber Wentzel received the coveted African Law Firm of the Year award at the 2019 African Legal Awards on Friday, 6 September 2019. 2019-09-08T22:00:00Z 27ee180e-f1f2-44a5-b3b6-30225ba853c5 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-publishes-insights-pieces-looking-at-key-legal-and-regulatory-developments-for-2018-2019.aspx Webber Wentzel together with its alliance partner, Linklaters, recently published a Year in Review and Year to Come 2018/2019 insights piece. This publication highlights significant legal and regulatory developments that took place in South Africa during 2018, and expected changes for 2019. 2019-01-14T22:00:00Z 6be98d00-7b88-41cd-8e4e-d1e3e856438e https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/legal-innovation-tech-fest-key-thoughts-and-takeaways.aspx We recently attended the inaugural Legal Innovation & Tech Fest held in Johannesburg on 11 & 12 June and thought it may be useful to share some of our thoughts and key takeaways from the conference. Some of these points may resonate with you. 2018-07-04T22:00:00Z 40ad0dc7-b683-4a81-a3ad-88699c5fa1f9 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-sharpens-its-focus-on-technology.aspx The appointment by Webber Wentzel of Warren Hero into the newly created role of Chief Information Officer signals the firm's heightened commitment to harnessing technology as a means of delivering efficient and innovative legal solutions to its clients. 2018-05-22T22:00:00Z 2e7a68b1-144f-4dd6-8273-0b0cb7dcde8d https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-ignite10-the-innovators-to-watch-in-2018.aspx Webber Wentzel has selected 10 successful start-ups and scale-ups to join the Webber Wentzel Ignite legal incubation programme. 2018-04-17T22:00:00Z 2a8685a3-e880-4258-9ce0-f703964056b7 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-deploys-luminance-s-artificial-intelligence-platform-in-south-africa.aspx Leading South African law firm, Webber Wentzel, has adopted Luminance’s artificial intelligence technology to enhance its due diligence processes for M&A transactions.  The agreement marks another major international win for the fast-growing AI platform. 2018-04-08T22:00:00Z f83790c9-900d-4ce5-92d5-d97749deefa6 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-launches-webber-wentzel-ignite-a-legal-incubation-programme-for-entrepreneurs.aspx Webber Wentzel has launched Webber Wentzel Ignite - a legal incubation programme that will provide selected entrepreneurs and innovators with: 2017-12-06T22:00:00Z 44f4671f-162f-417e-bb09-bc38e4da189d https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wenzel-rolls-out-ediscovery-dispute-resolution-support.aspx A few weeks ago we published an article around the use of eDiscovery in law firms as a result of growing volumes in big data and data storage capacity increases. In the world of litigation, the costs of discovery can amount to up to 70% of the total matter costs. 2017-10-15T22:00:00Z 0f083623-69bd-40ab-b680-2bde09b6a0e6 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/big-data-has-significant-discovery-implications-for-litigation-and-dispute-resolution.aspx As the volume of big data escalates and data storage capacity increases, law firms need to take a proactive approach to data discovery, retention and management. Electronic discovery (eDiscovery) is the process in which electronic data is sought, located, secured and searched with the intent of using it as evidence in a civil or criminal legal case. 2017-09-05T22:00:00Z