Norton Rose Fulbright has acquired South African law firm Keller Snyman Schelhase, bringing its team in Cape Town to 33 lawyers.

As part of the acquisition, Keller Snyman Schelhase partners Andrea Keller, Anton Schelhase and Lauren Fine have joined Norton Rose Fulbright as directors.

Founded in 2012, Keller Snyman Schelhase specialises in the infrastructure, transport, energy, real estate, retail and financial services sectors.

Norton Rose Fulbright has partnered with the Cape Town-based firm on significant transactions in the past, according to Donald Dinnie, managing director of Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa.

“South Africa is an important jurisdiction for Norton Rose Fulbright,” he says. “This addition will enable us to progress our long-term strategy across South Africa and the African continent, and will further support our ambition of becoming one of the world’s leading providers of legal services.”

Schelhase adds: “Our strong market position in the Cape, together with Norton Rose Fulbright’s established global position, means that we can provide clients with unrivalled legal services in the region.”

The move extends Norton Rose Fulbright’s current coverage of Africa, which includes offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Casablanca and Dar es Salaam. The firm has also entered strategic alliances with law firms in Uganda, Burundi, Zimbabwe and most recently in Kenya.