Baker McKenzie has appointed trade and commodity finance lawyer Lodewyk Meyer as a partner in its banking and finance practice group in Johannesburg.

Meyer was previously partner of the banking and finance team at Hogan Lovells in Johannesburg, where he had been since 2015.

His experience also includes roles at Norton Rose Fulbright, Bowman Gilfillan, Standard Chartered, Nedbank and Absa. Throughout his career he has advised banks, structured trade and speciality funds, and actors in the commodity value chain in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the US.

“Lodewyk’s hire forms part of our strategy to grow our transactional practice in Africa through strategic recruitment and organic promotions,” says Baker McKenzie managing partner Morne van der Merwe. “Lodewyk’s skills in trade, finance and investment in Africa are invaluable to multinational organisations who must negotiate a multitude of trade and finance laws and regulations when transacting across borders in Africa.”