Leading South African law firm Bowmans is mourning the death of its chairman and senior partner Robert Legh. 

The firm announced Legh’s death in messages posted on its Twitter and LinkedIn pages earlier today. 'Last night we received the devastating news that our chairman and senior partner, Robert Legh, had passed away,' the firm said. 'We send our condolences to his immediate family.'  

It went on to say the firm had 'lost a leader, a partner, a colleague and a friend'. 

Legh spent the entirety of his career with Bowmans, joining as an associate in 1986 and making partner in 1992. He founded the firm’s competition practice in 1998 and led it for more than two decades before becoming chairman and senior partner in 2014.  

During his seven years in the top roles, he divided his time between chairing the firm and advising clients on complex antitrust matters.  

He specialised in antitrust and regulatory law as well as in mergers and acquisitions and mining law. In recent years, he worked on a number of high-profile cases relating to hostile mergers, abuse of dominance and cartels and contributed to the first South African textbook on competition law.  

His expertise has been recognised by a number of international legal directories, including Chambers Global, the Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, and the Global Competition Review.  

Sally Hutton, private equity lawyer and managing partner of rival firm Webber Wentzel, is one of Legh’s many peers to have shared a message in tribute to his life and career on Linkedin.  

“Our deepest condolences and sympathy to the entire Bowmans family and Rob’s family and friends on this tragic loss,” she wrote.  

In another message, Len Konar, director and chairman of LKA Advisory, commended Legh’s “foresight and strategic direction and branding” of Bowmans as the top firm in South Africa. “May his family take comfort and celebrate his life and achievements despite his passing,” he wrote.  

Sydney-based Gilbert + Tobin corporate partner David Josselsohn, who spent five years at Bowmans earlier in his career, wrote: 'Rob was a kind and good man and will be sorely missed.'