Cedar White Bradley expands into Africa with Hahn & Hahn

Hot on the heels of its merger with Europe’s Petosevic, Dubai-based law firm Cedar White Bradley (CWB) has expanded its presence to the African continent with the acquisition of South African counterpart Hahn & Hahn.

Headquartered in Dubai, Cedar White Bradley (known as CWB) is a professional services firm specialised in intellectual property services. The firm supports its clients with topics including trademarks, copyright, patents, anti-counterfeiting and other legal services relating to the of breach of intellectual property.

With the backing of Gulf Capital, a GCC-headquartered investor with over $2.4 billion in assets, CWB has embarked on a buy-and-build strategy with the aim of developing into a pan-global player. That ambition kicked off in February through the merger with Petosevic, with Pretoria-based Hahn & Hahn now added to the group.

Established in 2006, CWB had around 90 staff in Middle East and North Africa prior to its merger with Petosevic. Luxembourg-headquartered Petosevic (founded in the 1960s) had around 130 staff prior to the deal, working from 15+ offices across the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

Now with the addition of Hahn & Hahn, CWB welcomes around 20 staff in South Africa. Founded in 1951, Hahn & Hahn is an established player in the intellectual property segment, having represented many of the top international companies across the African continent.

Both Petosevic and Hahn & Hahn operate under the CWB brand, which combined has roughly 240 staff.

“We previously operated solely in the Middle East and North Africa. With the Petosevic acquisition, we expanded our reach to Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and with the addition of Hahn & Hahn, we now have invaluable and very much coveted coverage of the entire African continent, a diverse region that is evolving at a very fast rate,” said Halim Shehadeh, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of CWB.

“This sets us apart in the intellectual property advisory market – no other firm today offers the global coverage and the on-the-ground service across 100 countries offered by CWB.”

During the deal process, CWB received M&A advice from PwC, with Eversheds serving as its legal advisor. Seller Hahn & Hahn was advised by commercial law firm KEBD (based in Gauteng).

“We are extremely excited about our partnership with CWB,” said Victor Williams, Director at Hahn & Hahn. “This is a special opportunity for our team, playing a part in the formation of an intellectual property firm like no other.”

Karim El Solh, Co-Founder and CEO of CWB’s backer Gulf Capital, said: “The acquisition of a majority stake in Hahn & Hahn gives CWB exposure to the all-important and fast-growing African continent. We are delighted to be supporting their growth ambition.”