We offer full service legal advice through partnerships with specialist consultants in commercial law, technical and environmental tax law.
Chantal Murdock – Director
Chantal Murdock is a Director at Nupen Staude de Vries, with a focus in the mining regulatory practice of Nupen Staude de Vries Inc. She is a specialist in all mining regulatory compliance related matters and assists with the compilation and submission of various applications in terms of the MPRDA and Mining Charter.
As a notary, Chantal has experience in the execution and registration of cessions and amendments of mining rights and has advised clients on litigious matters involving review applications in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act and overlapping rights granted under the MPRDA.
Chantal completed her LLB and LLM through the University of Johannesburg and is admitted as a notary and conveyancer. She previously practised at Hogan Lovells Johannesburg Inc.
Nicole Limberis-Ritchie – Senior Associate
Nicole Limberis-Ritchie is an environmental law expert with experience in the public, civil society and private sectors. Her work spans the suite of environmental and mining legislation and includes air quality, water, biodiversity, coastal management, energy, mining, oil and gas, protected areas and waste management.
In her career to date, Nicole has worked at the erstwhile Department of Environmental Affairs in the South African Government, at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in the United Kingdom and most recently at the Centre for Environmental Rights. She has strengthened relationships with the National Departments of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Provincial Departments and agencies responsible for environmental issues, as well as local authority counterparts.
Samantha Reyneke – Senior Associate
Samantha specialises in construction law and product liability including litigation and alternative dispute resolution.
She is experienced in the bespoke construction contracts as well as on all the standard form contracts, including the FIDIC Suite of Contracts, NEC, JBCC, GCC and the MBSA Domestic Sub-Contract Agreement and has arbitrated in terms of both AFSA and the Association of Arbitrators Rules as well as the ICC and UNCITRAL Rules for arbitration. Before joining NSDV, she worked at Fasken for 9 years where she acted primarily for clients in the energy and power industries, in particular for one of the main contractors on South Africa’s two largest power expansion projects.
Samantha commenced her legal career at the Competition Commission of South Africa prior to joining the Antitrust/Competition and Marketing team at Bell Dewar (now Fasken). She completed her LLB at the University of Pretoria.
Sanjee Maharaj – – Associate
Sanjee Maharaj is an associate at Nupen Staude de Vries Incorporated, with particular interest in construction and mining law, as well as dispute resolution.
She completed her LLB degree cum laude at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, for which she also received the Phatshoane Henny Group Honours medal. She also received the Dean’s Commendation in all four years of her studies. Sanjee was a candidate attorney at Adams & Adams Attorneys.
Emlyn Pillay – Associate Designate
Emlyn has a particular interest in mining and environmental law. He has experience in engaging with the various applicable departments.
He assists mining companies with the reporting process on compliance in terms of the MPRDA and Mining Charter, 2018. He is also experienced in drafting internal appeals to the DMRE and applications in terms of section 11 and 102 of the MPRDA for the transfer of and amendment to mining and prospecting rights.
He completed his BCom Law Degree and LLB at the University of Johannesburg.
Calvin Matlala – Candidate Attorney
Calvin Matlala is a candidate attorney at Nupen Staude de Vries Incorporated, with a particular interest in environmental, mining and construction law.
Calvin has experience with mining transactions and capital raising for mining companies and engagement with unions, industry, municipalities, various departments and other stakeholders.
He completed his LLB at the University of South Africa.
Helyn Herholdt – Consultant
Helyn is a corporate and commercial lawyer at Nupen Staude de Vries. She was previously a director of ENSafrica Inc, where she practised for over 10 years; prior to that practising at Webber Wentzel.
Helyn specialises in general corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions (both cross-border and domestic), joint ventures, and corporate reorganisations and restructurings.
She advises mining companies on various corporate and commercial transactions including BEE restructures in order to comply with the Mining Charter, 2018 requirements as well as various sale and purchase transactions and advising listed and unlisted companies on the structuring, implementation and unwinding of their B‑BBEE transactions. In addition she advises developers of, and investors in, renewable energy projects on their corporate and shareholding arrangements.
Helyn has an LLB from the University of KZN, a Master’s Certificate in Banking and Finance Law from the University of Witwatersrand and Advanced Company Law I & II from the University of Witwatersrand.
Carmen de Villiers – Consultant
Carmen de Villiers has extensive experience in the corporate and banking & finance law space. She started her career at Webber Wentzel where she was a member of the Banking & Finance Team. She was later appointed as a director at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. Carmen then headed up the legal team at Transcend Capital, where she advised clients on the legal aspects of their B-BBEE transactions.
Carmen has been involved in both local and cross-border finance transactions, B-BBEE transactions, the corporate aspects of mining transactions and general corporate and commercial transactions.
Sonia de Vries (1967 – 2019)
In memoriam, Sonia de Vries was a founding director of Nupen Staude de Vries Incorporated.
She had significant experience as a dispute resolution attorney, and applied her pragmatic approach and strategic thinking to each client’s best advantage. Sonia specialised in construction, mining and corporate commercial law, was previously a director at Knowles Husain Lindsay Inc, Webber Wentzel, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Baker McKenzie (SA) and Malan Scholes Attorneys. We continue to honour Sonia’s memory as she was an invaluable asset to the firm and her clients.