International law firm Pinsent Masons has announced plans to launch an energy and infrastructure-focused practice in Johannesburg, South Africa. The firm has appointed two founding partners to launch the office. Rob Morson joins from Bowman Gilfillan where he was Head of Construction and is widely-regarded as a pre-eminent practitioner in the market.

Shane Voigt also joins from the same firm and is similarly recognised as one of the leading disputes partners in the infrastructure sector. He is also known for his experience with Chinese contractors and infrastructure investors and is a committee member of the Africa Sub-Committee of the China Africa Joint Arbitration Centre.

The new team will join Pinsent Masons already well-developed Africa practice built around the energy and the energy and infrastructure investment communities in London, Paris, Dubai, and Beijing in particular. Globally the firm currently has around 40 partners and 150 lawyers working on Africa-related matters across 38 African countries. In 2013 the firm appointed Akshai Fofaria to lead the firm's Africa initiative and last year brought in project finance specialist Stéphane Gasne from the East African Development Bank. Over 50 of the firm's top 250 clients have a presence in South Africa.

Significant energy-related African mandates upon which the firm has been engaged in the past include advising Oriental Resources on a multi-stakeholder negotiation in relation to the $1.5billion collapse of Afren Plc, advising MRS on its high profile dispute with AMCON of Nigeria relating to the acquisition of Chevron Africa, and advising a consortium of African and Asian investors on the development of a 400km refined fuel pipeline in Cameroon. Pinsent Masons senior partner Richard Foley said: "Africa is a fast-growing market with clear infrastructure need and is a market where we are already doing significant business for Chinese organisations, European contractors, investors and funds.

“Having an on-the-ground presence in Johannesburg, led by a team with a market-leading reputation, will enable us to scale the existing practice significantly. We will focus on infrastructure initially – and particularly projects in the energy, IT, Telecoms and transport arena. It takes us a further step toward our vision of being recognised as an international market leader in the global sectors upon which we focus. We said at the turn of the year that we would continue to invest to stay relevant and this is proof of our commitment."

Richard Laudy, Global Head of Infrastructure at Pinsent Masons, added: “Johannesburg is increasingly well-positioned as an entry point for international investors transacting business across the African continent, so there is real opportunity to pursue."   The South Africa presence will be fully-integrated into the wider firm. It will be the second new international office to be launched by Pinsent Masons this year following its launch in Dusseldorf, and brings the firm's total number of offices to 22.