Corporate and commercial law firms In Centurion

Burger Huyser Attorneys is a corporate and commercial law firm serving Centurion businesses with contract drafting and review, shareholders’ agreements, commercial leases, company registrations, acquisitions and disposals, and commercial litigation. Instructions are handled through the firm’s Commercial Law and Contracts practice, with litigation coordinated through its General Litigation practice when a transaction or agreement leads to a dispute.

What Corporate and Commercial Law Actually Covers in South Africa

Corporate and commercial law overlap, but they answer different business needs. Corporate law concerns the company as a legal entity: incorporation, governance, share issues, director and shareholder decisions, restructuring, and compliance with the Companies Act 71 of 2008. Commercial law concerns the agreements through which that company trades, including supply, distribution, lease, franchise, service, partnership, joint-venture and sale agreements.

Area	Primary focus	Typical documents or issues
Corporate law	The company, its ownership and governance	Registration, Memorandum of Incorporation, shareholders’ agreements, board resolutions, share transactions and restructuring
Commercial law	The company’s day-to-day transactions	Customer and supplier terms, leases, service-level agreements, restraints, non-disclosure agreements and business sales
Commercial litigation	Enforcing rights when a transaction fails	Breach claims, debt recovery, urgent relief, defended proceedings and contract-based arbitration

The regulatory layer depends on the transaction. The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 may govern qualifying consumer-facing supplies, while the Competition Act 89 of 1998 addresses restrictive practices, abuse of dominance and merger control. Larger or regulated transactions may also require advice on B-BBEE structuring, Takeover Regulation Panel requirements, JSE rules, financial-sector regulation or King IV-aligned governance. Commercial advice should identify which rules apply to the business.

The Typical Centurion Corporate/Commercial Client’s Needs

• SMEs and owner-managed businesses: registering a private, non-profit or external company where appropriate; agreeing founder rights; preparing employment contracts; reviewing a commercial lease; and setting reliable supplier and customer terms.
• Growing businesses: bringing in shareholders, restructuring before a funding round, reviewing regulatory licensing, conducting sale-of-business due diligence, and documenting B-BBEE or investment transactions.
• Established companies: managing governance and competition-law exposure, defending regulatory action, restructuring or unwinding business arrangements, and enforcing contracts through litigation or arbitration.

The legal work should follow the business life cycle. A shareholders’ agreement drafted at inception may later need amendment when an investor enters, while a supply agreement that once suited a small operation may require stronger service levels, liability controls and dispute procedures as turnover and operational exposure increase.

What the Burger Huyser Service Offering Includes

Contract drafting and review

Shareholders’ agreements, share-sale and business-sale agreements, commercial leases, service-level agreements, franchise arrangements, supply and distribution contracts, non-disclosure agreements and restraints.

Company secretarial and governance support

New company registrations through CIPC, statutory record support, board and shareholder resolutions, and governance documentation. Sections 13 and 14 of the Companies Act address incorporation and registration; section 15 regulates memoranda of incorporation, shareholder agreements and company rules; and section 33 governs annual returns.

Commercial property support

Commercial lease drafting, renewal, cancellation and transactional due diligence, with property aspects coordinated through the firm’s Notarial and Conveyancing services where required.

Commercial transactions

Due diligence for acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, partnerships and transaction structures. Disposals of all or the greater part of a company’s assets, amalgamations, mergers and schemes of arrangement can trigger the fundamental-transaction provisions in sections 112 to 116 of the Companies Act.

Commercial litigation and arbitration

Contract and transaction disputes handled with the General Litigation practice in the competent Magistrate’s Court, the Gauteng Division of the High Court or the arbitration forum selected in a valid agreement.

Good drafting and dispute readiness belong together. Clear performance duties, notice procedures, default remedies, liability allocations and forum provisions can reduce uncertainty before litigation begins, while an integrated litigation team can act if negotiation does not resolve the breach.

The Local Filing Layer: Where Centurion Commercial Work Hits the Map

What to Look for When Choosing a Corporate and Commercial Attorney in Centurion

• Transactional and litigation capability: the firm should draft defensively and be able to enforce or defend the resulting agreement.
• Industry awareness: Companies Act, consumer, competition and licensing obligations differ across finance, technology, manufacturing, retail and professional services.
• Appropriate senior oversight: governance, ownership and acquisition documents require careful legal judgement and clear access to the attorney responsible for the advice.
• Transparent fees: the quote should distinguish professional fees from CIPC charges, counsel, sheriff’s fees and other disbursements.
• Forum experience: a Centurion business should know whether the firm can manage proceedings in the relevant Magistrate’s Court, the Pretoria seat of the Gauteng Division, or arbitration.

Burger Huyser Attorneys meets the first of these practical requirements by combining its Commercial Law and Contracts work with an established General Litigation practice rather than treating drafting and enforcement as unrelated services.

Practical Considerations: Cost, Timeline, What to Bring

Issue	What to expect
Cost	A single contract review or defined transaction is generally scoped as a once-off matter, while ongoing counsel may be quoted on a retainer. Litigation is assessed after the pleadings, evidence, urgency and likely hearing requirements are understood. The written quote should identify third-party charges separately.
Timeline	CIPC turnaround depends on the filing type, documentation, payment and current service standard. Contract drafting may take one to three weeks where the document is complex or requires negotiation. Commercial proceedings can run from months to years depending on urgency, interlocutory disputes, evidence and court availability.

Bring the following to the first consultation:

• the company’s CIPC registration documents and current Memorandum of Incorporation;
• the existing shareholders’ agreement, if there is one;
• the contract, term sheet or other document to be drafted, reviewed or enforced;
• relevant board or shareholder resolutions;
• key correspondence, notices, invoices and proof of performance or breach; and
• a short written brief describing the commercial objective, deadlines and preferred outcome.

This preparation allows the attorney to identify missing approvals, authority problems, statutory filings and litigation risks before quoting the next phase of work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between corporate law and commercial law at a Centurion firm?

Corporate law centres on the company itself, including registration, governance, shareholder and director duties, restructuring and Companies Act compliance. Commercial law centres on the contracts through which the company trades. Firms list both because the work overlaps in documents such as shareholders’ agreements and business-sale agreements.

Do I need a Centurion-based attorney, or can a Johannesburg firm handle my commercial work?

A Johannesburg firm can handle transactional work, but a Centurion office may be more convenient and can shorten coordination where a dispute belongs in the Pretoria seat of the Gauteng Division. Court jurisdiction depends on the parties, cause of action and applicable procedural law, not convenience alone.

How much does it cost to register a company through an attorney in Centurion?

Burger Huyser quotes company-registration work per matter after a brief intake. The total can include CIPC charges and a professional fee for registration or secretarial work; current CIPC fees must be confirmed from CIPC when the instruction begins.

Can Burger Huyser draft or review a shareholders’ agreement for a small business with two or three founders?

Yes. The firm’s Commercial Law and Contracts practice drafts and reviews shareholders’ agreements, including founder arrangements, new-shareholder terms, voting and dividend rules, dispute processes, exit provisions, and drag-along or tag-along mechanisms suited to the transaction.

What happens if a commercial contract is breached — can the firm litigate?

Yes. Burger Huyser coordinates commercial disputes through its General Litigation practice. The matter may proceed in a competent Magistrate’s Court, the Gauteng Division of the High Court or arbitration, depending on jurisdiction, value, relief sought and the contract’s dispute clause.

Where is Burger Huyser’s Centurion branch and what are the hours?

The Centurion branch is at Block 12, Unit 34, First Floor, Central Office Park, 257 Jean Avenue, Centurion, 0157. Telephone 012 644 4990. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm, and the branch mobile number is 061 516 7117.

For a contract, shareholders’ agreement, company registration, commercial lease, acquisition, disposal or commercial dispute, contact Burger Huyser Attorneys’ Centurion branch on 012 644 4990 or visit Block 12, Unit 34, First Floor, Central Office Park, 257 Jean Avenue, Centurion, 0157. The firm has a 4.8/5 average from 250+ Google reviews, verified by Trustindex, and received the Commercial Law Firm of the Year 2025 – South Africa award from the 5 Star Lawyers Awards.