Home / Publications / CMS Next / Meet our expert: Bridgett Majola, Partner, South...
  1. Protection and loyalty: securing valuable trade secrets
  2. Meet our expert: Maria Figueiredo, Partner, Portugal
  3. Meet our expert: Dalia Majumder-Russell, Partner, UK
  4. Digitalisation and innovation
  5. Contributing to climate-neutral transportation
  6. Investing in intelligent automation
  7. Advising on innovative digital project
  8. Supporting climate-resilient businesses
  9. Supercharged ESG: Getting control of the post-COVID agenda
  10. Meet our expert: Adriana Escobar, Partner, Colombia
  11. Meet our expert: Babita Ambekar, Partner, Singapore
  12. Meet our expert: Bridgett Majola, Partner, South Africa
  13. Meet our expert: Lillian Lofty, Partner, Kenya
  14. Meet our other experts
  15. After the pandemic
  16. Digital transformation & sustainability to help overcome COVID crisis
  17. Data and risk: challenges in an uncertain world
  18. Smart living: creating a framework for disruption and innovation
  19. Technology: a unifying force
  20. The green economy: identifying primary risks and key opportunities
  21. The true cost of ESG
  22. Developing markets
  23. Helping our clients grow
  24. Investing in new technologies
  25. Shaping the Energy Transition
  26. Supporting electromobility
  27. Transforming the short-term insurance industry in the East African market
  28. Advising on a EUR 1.1bn Bulgarian gas pipeline procurement
  29. ALPLA expands its global plastic recycling capabilities
  30. CMS advises on first ever European real estate transaction using blockchain
  31. CMS advises on ‘Train Maya’ rail project
  32. CMS helps the BBC launch the streaming service BritBox in the UK
  33. Commerz Real lands the largest deal in its history
  34. Helping Teyliom Hospitality’s expansion in Central and West Africa
  35. Online gambling grows as Gamesys is sold to JPJ Group
  36. Selling the Merkur offshore wind farm
  37. ST Pharm establishes new medical testing and analysis business line
  38. CMS expands in Norway
  39. One woman’s journey to advocating for fair global health
  40. Raising funds for a good cause
  41. CMS Academy adds participants through digital learning
  42. Lupl delivers transformative open industry platform for legal matters
  43. Heike Wagner on women in law

Meet our expert: Bridgett Majola, Partner, South Africa

How has the pandemic affected your clients/the sector your clients are active in and what steps are they taking to secure success in the post-pandemic business environment?

Panic over force majeure clauses in power purchase agreements and the meaning of  “material adverse effect” in finance documents pursuant to the COVID-19 pandemic is where the market has been focussed on since March 2020.

Government support is crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic for a number of reasons:

  • when many governments are allowing renewable energy projects to postpone their commissioning deadlines with no consequences for concessions this allows for the power purchase agreements to continue without breach;
  • gives independent power producers the ability to negotiate reprieves with financiers;
  • employees retain jobs.

The pandemic has given rise to an increase in banking and finance litigation as well as litigation pertaining to  POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) non-compliance by participants in the financial services sector. As a result, the financial industry has strengthened its operational resilience by planning for the unexpected in the general areas of:  risk, digital adoption, processes and profitability, and systems and security – ensuring that they have frameworks in place that account for (and drive) business and legislative changes.

How do you expect your work as a lawyer to change in the coming years?

I anticipate that the scope of work for lawyers will be more rooted in electronic commerce - with lawyers in the financial services sector facilitating local and cross-border transactions electronically. I expect legal practitioners to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their business models to make work efficient and add value for clients. Legal practices must allocate resources towards updating, growing and modernising their technology and data storage in order to remain profitable.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice is to let go of the idea that things could have been any other way. It is important to remain adaptable, open minded and just keep going. You will also be able to enjoy life, both your personal and professional, if you stop worrying about the “what if’s”.

Key contact

Bridgett Majola
Partner
Banking & Finance | Head of Project Finance: Energy & Infrastructure
Johannesburg
T +27 (0) 71 782 8878