About - Streamlaw Solutions I Expert Company Law Solutions

ABOUT

ABOUT KEREN WATSON

Keren graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg) summa cum laude in 2007, with four prizes for being the top graduate and twenty one certificates of merit for achieving top marks in individual subjects.

She was admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa in 2009 and has worked in corporate and commercial law teams at Webber Wentzel in Johannesburg and Cox Yeats in Durban – both prominent corporate law firms.

Keren has a unique range and depth of experience in corporate law, company law and consumer protection law matters.

WORK EXPERIENCE

CORPORATE TRANSACTIONS

Sale of shares in South African chemical manufacturing company by its foreign owner, with a transaction value of over R300 million
Sale of shares in an industrial cleaning company to include BBBEE owners, with a transaction value of approximately R100 million
Share repurchase to streamline the ownership of a private investment company worth R100 million, where the transaction was contentious and worth R40 million
Capital raising transactions for venture capital companies, with values of over R10 million per round
Working on the instructions of an investment bank to conclude private equity deals including the acquisition of equity and the lending of working capital. Transactions were concluded in the telecommunications, steel and advertising industries, with value over R100 million

COMPANIES ACT

Drafting comprehensive memoranda of incorporation and shareholders agreements for new and existing companies
Transactions for companies yet to be formed
Creating new and complex preference shares or other investor shares
Drafting terms for the restructure of authorised share capital within a business rescue plan
Board and shareholder approval of financial assistance
Board and shareholder approval of share issues
Managing schemes of arrangement such as share buybacks and conversions of loan capital to share capital
Obtaining exemption from the Takeover Regulation Panel
Transactions to place shares in the hands of undisclosed shareholders and regulate the nominee shareholders’ conduct
Appointing directors, including in contentious circumstances
Removing directors, including in contentious circumstances
Converting close corporations to companies
Converting public companies to private companies
Forming new private companies
Deregistering companies
Forming non-profit companies including provision of tailored founding documents

CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT

Approximately twenty presentations on the Act to clients in the retail, restaurant and café, décor manufacturing, appliance manufacturing, animal feed production, aluminium production, private security, mining and automotive parts industries
Reviewing and revising consumer-facing documents for approximately forty businesses, including terms of sale, terms of service, returns policies, conditions of entry, indemnity signs, written indemnities which are business-to-business and warranty documents

KEREN HAS AUTHORED EIGHT PUBLICATIONS FOR THE LEADING LEGAL PUBLISHER LexisNexis

Butterworths Forms and Precedents: Companies, comprising four volumes on company law and corporate governance – the three volumes on company law required a re-write under the new Companies Act and the corporate governance volume was entirely new.
Practical Guidance: Mergers and Acquisitions (lead author)
Practical Guidance: Corporate Governance (lead author)
Practical Guidance: Trusts, Wills and Estates (co-author)
A Practical Guide to the Companies Act: A stand-alone book helping organisations to re-draft their company founding documents under the new Companies Act

With over eleven years’ experience in private legal practice, Keren offers high quality output at affordable rates.

She is accustomed to listening to clients attentively, creating bespoke documents quickly and persisting in matters until the client has achieved their desired outcome.

PLEASE NOTE:

While Keren is admitted in the High Court of South Africa, Keren renders services as a consultant, not as a practising attorney. This means that she does not operate a trust account and is not regulated by the Law Society of South Africa in the same manner as a practising attorney.