Lesser flamingoes are pictured on September 30, 2011 at the Lake Natron at the foot of Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania. Salmon-coloured clouds of flamingoes sweeping overhead is a common sight at east Africa's Rift Valley lakes, but the mounds of mud where they lay their eggs are found only here.Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images
The London-based global law firm Norton Rose says it is opening a fully fledged office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as resources companies worldwide increasingly look to Africa's natural riches.
Norton Rose, which has established a massive presence in Canada by merging with domestic law firms Ogilvy Renault and McLeod Dixon, announced the move Tuesday.
The announcement comes a day after news that Canada's own Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP plans to merge with a South African law firm, Bell Dewar, with an eye on serving mining and natural-resources clients as they increasingly head into Africa.
Norton Rose, which itself announced a merger with South Africa's Deneys Reitz law firm in 2010 along with its plan to sign up Ogilvy Renault, says the global firm now has 260 lawyers in Africa alone. It also has offices in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Casablanca.
Overall, Norton Rose has more than 2,900 lawyers in 43 offices worldwide, placing it among the world's largest law firms by head count.
"Our dedication to Africa and to our clients with an interest in the region is unwavering," Rob Otty, the firm's South Africa managing director, said in a press release. "We will continue to entrench ourselves as global leaders in Africa."
Jeff Gray