Trevor Versfeld

Webber Wentzel
​90 Rivonia​ Road
Sandton, Johannesburg
South Africa

Tel: +27 115 305 352

Email: trevor.versfeld@webberwentzel.com
Web: www.webberwentzel.com

Trevor is a specialist in arbitrations, corporate and commercial litigation, and the case management of complex disputes. He has over 30 years’ experience and his expertise includes international and domestic commercial arbitrations, company law, contractual, constitutional, administrative law matters, and pensions law.

He advises a range of local and international clients including major banks, mining companies and corporates. He also specialises in the resolution of disputes in the financial services field. Trevor has been responsible for the case management of a number of complex and high-profile disputes and has provided litigation support in various mergers and acquisitions, forensic investigations and in the restructuring of distressed businesses.

Qualifications
  • LLB, University of the Witwatersrand, 1987
  • BA, University of the Witwatersrand, 1985
  • Admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa
Honours & Recognition
  • Named by Legal 500 2012 – 2023 as a leading individual
  • Named by Chambers Global 2010 – 2023 as a ranked lawyer
  • Named by Best Lawyers 2014 – 2023 as a leading individual; Lawyer of the Year for Arbitration and Mediation 2022
  • Included in Legal 500’s Africa Arbitration Powerlist 2021
  • Named by Who’s Who Legal 2013 – 2015 as a listed lawyer (Asset Recovery)

We have extensive experience in advising on domestic and international commercial arbitration matters and investment law disputes. We have acted for claimants and defendants (public and private sector parties) in many complex, high-value commercial and investment treaty arbitrations throughout the world, but with a particular focus on Africa.

We regularly act in institutional and ad hoc international and domestic arbitrations under a variety of rules, including various rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), Chinese Arbitration Association (CAA), Association of Arbitrators of South Africa and UNCITRAL. We also represent clients in other dispute resolution fora, including mediations, adjudications and expert determinations.

Webber Wentzel is a founding member of AFSA; is represented on the board of Africa ADR and the African Arbitration Association; and is one of the 25 signatories establishing the China-Africa Joint Arbitration Centre (CAJAC).

We advise on every phase of the dispute process: negotiating the arbitration clause, managing the conflict at a project level, declaring and prosecuting or defending the claims and seeing the matter through to enforcement.

Our offering includes:

  • advice relating to choice of governing law;
  • advice relating to appropriateness of institutional or ad hoc arbitration;
  • advice relating to the rules published by various arbitration institutions;
  • advice on the choice of arbitrator and challenges to the appointment of arbitrators;
  • advice relating to procedural aspects of arbitrations;
  • advice relating to challenging arbitral awards and enforcement of arbitral awards;
  • drafting of arbitration clauses and agreements;
  • advice relating to international investment arbitrations and investment law aspects of treaty-based arbitrations; and
  • risk advisory services relating to bilateral and multilateral investment treaties.

​​​​​​​Webber Wentzel is an African firm founded in South Africa more than 150 years ago. We provide in-depth legal and tax services through​out the continent. Our alliance with Linklaters and network of deep relationships with Africa’s leading firms allows us to draw on the highest quality and most business relevant pan-African advice – matching this to the needs of our clients. We have over the last 50 years worked on some of the most transformative and significant matters on the African continent.

​We are committed to exceptional client service consistently delivered through every client experience. We have extensive experience in advising on matters spanning Africa’s countries, regions and languages: our track record is testimony to this. We support our clients across Africa: we do this independently or working alongside our established and integrated network of alliance and key relationship firms. Whether you work with us independently or alongside our network firms, we deliver a ‘single firm’ experience. With our culturally diverse teams and African proximity, we have developed a fundamental understanding of the continent’s multiple and varied legal systems and cultures. We also bring international perspective to our clients through our alliance with global firm, Linklaters.

“Johannesburg-based Trevor Versfeld is exceptionally well regarded in the arbitration and litigation space. He is routinely engaged by international clients and on mandates involving international parties, with expertise spanning commercial and contractual issues, as well as those related to fraud allegations and insolvency.”
Chambers & Partners