Big Five (law firms) in South Africa
The Big Five law firms is a term informally used in South Africa to refer to those law firms which, collectively, are perceived to be the leading law firms based in South Africa.
The following firms are usually seen as comprising the "Big Five" :
| Name | Date founded | Offices | Lawyers |
| Bowmans | 1885 | Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Johannesburg, Kampala, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Moka, Nairobi | 400+ |
| Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr | 1853 | Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch | 350+ |
| Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs | 1905 | Accra, Alexandra, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Mitchells Plain, Nairobi, Port Louis, Stellenbosch, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Windhoek | 600+ |
| Webber Wentzel in alliance with Linklaters | 1868 | Cape Town, Johannesburg | 450+ |
| Werksmans | 1917 | Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch | 175+ |
Rankings
Chambers and Partners Global rankings
Chambers and Partners Global Rankings of the number of departments recognised as leaders in their respective fields in South Africa in 2020. This list is non-exhaustive.| Rank1 | Name | Band 1 | Band 2 | Band 3 | Band 4 |
| 1 | Webber Wentzel | 13 | 3 | 4 | - |
| 2 | Bowmans | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | ENS | 9 | 8 | 2 | - |
| 4 | Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr | 6 | 10 | 3 | - |
| 5 | Werksmans | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Allen & Overy South Africa | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Clyde & Co South Africa | 1 | - | 2 | - | |
| Spoor & Fisher | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa | - | 6 | 2 | 3 | |
| Fasken Martineau South Africa | - | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa | - | 1 | - | 4 | |
| Shepstone & Wylie | - | 1 | - | - | |
| Baker McKenzie South Africa | - | - | 4 | 4 | |
| DLA Piper South Africa | - | - | 2 | - | |
| Fluxmans | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Knowles Husain Lindsay | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Lawtons Africa | - | - | - | - |
Note1: Based on Band 1 rankings.
Who's Who Legal Global 100
Law firms included in the Global 100 aren't assigned a specific ranking.| Year | Firm3 |
| 2013 | ENS |
| 2013, 2014 | Webber Wentzel |
Note3: firms listed alphabetically
Who's Who Legal South African Law firm of the year
| Year | Firm |
| 2015 | Webber Wentzel |
| 2013 | Webber Wentzel |
| 2012 | Webber Wentzel |
| 2011 | Webber Wentzel |
Midsized law firms
Firms with more than 50 attorneys are generally viewed as midsize law firms.| Name | Founded | No. of offices | No. of attorneys |
| Fairbridges Wertheim Becker | 1812 | 2 | 51 |
| Fasken Martineau South Africa | 1901 | 1 | 67 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa1 | 1922 | 3 | 75 |
| Shepstone & Wylie | 1872 | 5 | 69 |
| Spoor & Fisher | 1920 | 4 | 94 |
| STBB - Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes | 1900 | 13 | 111 |
| Strauss Daly | 9 | 52 |
Note1: On 1 June 2011, Deneys Reitz Inc joined UK based firm Norton Rose. Deneis Reitz, and then Norton Rose Fulbright, was formerly considered to form part of the big five law firms. Due to its decline, Werksmans, which was formerly outside of the big five law firms, took its place.