By Celestine Okorie, Correspondent South Africa

DLA Piper has appointed Peter Somekh as Managing Partner of its Africa practice, effective 1 January 2021. The appointment expands Peter’s current role as Managing Partner for the Middle East providing him with responsibility for the leadership and day-to-day management of the firm’s operations across both regions.

Peter takes over from David Church who retired from the firm’s partnership in 2020. David will continue to work closely with Peter, Charles Severs, Managing Director for Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa and James Kamau, DLA Piper Africa Chair, to complete transition of his role and support Peter in his efforts going forward.

With over 200 Africa-focused lawyers across global offices and, through DLA Piper Africa, over 430 lawyers across 20 African countries, DLA Piper has an unrivalled offering across Africa. The firm has performed strongly in recent years having been named International Law Firm of the Year at the African Legal Awards in September 2020 and topping the Africa Top 50 2020 list, research compiled by Law.com International in collaboration with Africa Legal, by number of offices.

DLA Piper’s Managing Director for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Charles Severs said: “Africa is a strategically important region for our clients and our firm as a whole. We have made strong progress in recent years and our priority is to strengthen and sustain that momentum. Peter has a strong leadership track record, a relentless focus on clients and is well connected within the global firm. I look forward to working with him to drive forward our growth agenda in Africa to the benefit of our people and our clients.”

Chair of DLA Piper Africa James Kamau said: “We are thrilled to have Peter lead us in the next phase of our journey as we continue to work with businesses and governments around the world to realise the opportunities offered by Africa. On behalf of the Board, I would also like to thank David for his tremendous contribution. Under David’s leadership we have built a unique platform that has positioned us at the forefront of the market and laid a solid foundation for future growth. ”