Durban · KwaZulu-Natal · National reach

Corporate & commercial law in Durban

Corporate and commercial advice for KwaZulu-Natal's entrepreneurs, family businesses and industry leaders – from the port city to the fast-growing North Coast – with the reach to support you anywhere in South Africa.

Discuss your business

Local presence.
National perspective.

Clark & Johnston Attorneys is a national corporate and commercial law firm with a presence in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. We advise clients across South Africa, wherever their business takes them.

From blue-chip businesses, entrepreneurs and business leaders to ambitious growing companies and family-owned groups, our advice is shaped around commercial priorities, not just the transaction in front of us. Angela Clark remains closely involved, and Clark & Johnston draws on experienced consulting attorneys in our independent network as each matter requires.

A port city
with an entrepreneur's spirit.

Durban is South Africa's principal container gateway and the anchor of the trade corridor to Gauteng. Around the port sits one of the country's most important manufacturing bases – automotive production and its supplier network, chemicals, paper and packaging, and food processing – much of it built for export.

North of the city, the coastline from uMhlanga and Sibaya to Zimbali and Ballito has become one of the most active development corridors in the country. Mixed-use precincts, corporate head offices, resorts and lifestyle estates are rising around King Shaka International Airport and the Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone, drawing families, professionals and capital from Gauteng and abroad.

KwaZulu-Natal is also home ground for some of South Africa's best-known retail and consumer brands, and for a deep culture of owner-managed and family businesses, often built over generations, alongside a significant community of high-net-worth individuals.

Sectors we understand in Durban

Automotive & manufacturing

Vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers and export-focused producers, where supply agreements, B-BBEE, trade compliance and SEZ incentives shape the bottom line.

Ports, logistics & trade

Freight, warehousing and distribution businesses on the Durban–Gauteng corridor, and companies trading across SADC and into the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Retail & consumer brands

Retail groups, franchises and consumer brands that need sound supplier terms, franchise and distribution agreements, brand protection and Consumer Protection Act compliance.

Property development & the North Coast

Developers and investors behind mixed-use precincts, estates and commercial nodes, structuring joint ventures, development agreements and the entities that hold them.

Family businesses & private wealth

Owner-managed groups and high-net-worth families balancing growth, governance and the move to the next generation.

Tourism & hospitality

Hotels, resorts and leisure operators riding new airline routes and North Coast investment, from management agreements to leases and acquisitions.

What KwaZulu-Natal businesses need from their lawyers

Succession and continuity

Many of the region's leading businesses are founder- or family-led. We help structure ownership, shareholder agreements and succession so the business outlasts any one generation.

Development and investment structures

For North Coast and SEZ projects, getting the joint venture, land and incentive conditions right from day one protects the investment for years to come.

Supply chain and trade contracts

Export-facing manufacturers and logistics businesses need supply, distribution and agency agreements that allocate risk clearly when ports, power or freight lines are disrupted.

Business and private wealth, together

Trusts, holding companies and tax planning are considered alongside the business itself, with our tax advisory colleagues involved from the start.

Connected business advice

Corporate & Commercial

Our core practice. Strategic legal advice for blue-chip businesses, entrepreneurs, business leaders and start-ups, covering the agreements, structures, transactions and decisions that shape how a business is established, run, protected and transformed: company law and governance, commercial agreements, transactions and investment, outside corporate counsel, and reorganisation, succession and exit. Every agreement is connected to your broader commercial objectives.

Commercial Dispute Resolution

Protecting relationships, managing risk and keeping commercial objectives in view. We pursue practical resolutions and, where formal proceedings are necessary, a clear and decisive strategy.

Tax Advisory

Commercial decisions need a connected view of legal and tax considerations. Experienced tax practitioners in our independent network bring tax insight into business structures, transactions and planning.

Property Advice

A supporting service, brought in where premises, investments or transactions form part of your commercial objectives. Property advice that sits alongside your wider business interests, not separate from them.

Property services in Durban →

Your next commercial move.

Clear advice. Commercial understanding. Personal service.

Speak to Angela Clark Contact Clark & Johnston Attorneys

Local presence.National perspective.

A port citywith an entrepreneur's spirit.