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3. THE PHATSHOANE

HENNEY GROUP

The Phatshoane Henney Group of Associated Law Firms (“Group”) was
established in 2006 by Bloemfontein law firm, Phatshoane Henney Attorneys
in direct response to an identified need of many medium-sized firms to form
part of a larger organisation and benefit from shared resources, expertise
and economies of scale, but without sacrificing their firm identity and
independence. The result was the establishment of the Phatshoane Henney
Group as an association of independent law firms that practice together
in association under the Phatshoane Henney Group brand, but remain Member firms
independent law firms practising in their respective regions for their own
account. are premier firms
Phatshoane Henney Attorneys as founding member of the Group, continues in their region
to set the standard for member firms to follow, with transformation being no
exception. Phatshoane Henney Attorneys is a more than 50% black owned and share similar
law firm and a Level 3 (Generic) entity.
Member firms are selectively identified by Phatshoane Henney Attorneys, with values to that of
most firms standing as premier firms in their region and sharing similar values
to that of the Group. The result has seen a consistent growth in members the Group
to achieve a membership at date of publication of this report of 41 law
firms and nearly 500 professionals spread across all nine provinces. Such a
network of professional firms stands unrivalled in South Africa and provides
the Group with a nationally representative footprint.
As the Group has evolved, so too has the benefit of Group membership with
an increasing focus on supporting firms with strategic planning, resources
and business practices to help members differentiate themselves in their
regions and adopt the Group values in order to position themselves as new
breed law firms in their territories.

As membership grew and the Group brand expanded it became necessary
to implement standards and best practices to which members must adhere
and be measured against as a common member standard required for a
consistent service experience across all firms. Although a long-term initiative,
the recently implemented Group Standards, including the Group BEE
Standards, is a game-changing aspect which we believe will in time see
member firms claim their status as new breed law firms or ultimately risk
losing their membership should they fail to actively position their firms to
comply. The Group Standards are annually assessed by the Group to certify
the compliance of each firm with the Group Standards.

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