ADAMS & ADAMS, LLC
LAKE PARK, FLORIDA

Adams & Adams is an internationally recognised and leading African law firm that specialises in providing intellectual property and commercial services. With primary office locations in South Africa and branches and associate offices in a number of African countries, our firm’s leadership position is reflected in the groundbreaking work we do, the valuable client relationships we have and the quality of our professionals. Many of the firm’s partners and staff are already actively involved in individual philanthropic and social upliftment campaigns, while a few have been chosen as part of our corporate strategy – both fundamental components of our commitment to social advancement, sustainability and empowerment. Adams & Adams is consistently shortlisted and acknowledged by leading global industry bodies and publications that recognise excellence in global legal practice. Prestigious awards such as those awarded by Managing IP and InterContinental Finance recognise those firms which are consistently delivering the best results for their clients. Established in 1908 by Harry Adams, the firm’s Partners have never been satisfied with practicing law ‘by the book’ – rather they have demanded and inspired an ethos that ‘writes the book’ – a way of securing the firm’s future by preparing and blueprinting it in the present. Adams & Adams is committed to being a responsible business both in the way that it is managed internally and in how we deliver client service; delivering positive impact for our colleagues, clients, profession, environment and our local community. This is underpinned by the firm’s culture and values of teamwork and respect, integrity and fairness, understanding and commitment which is held core to everything that we do. We take our corporate responsibility seriously and strongly believe in behaving in a socially responsible approach and giving something back where possible to our people and our local communities and to helping to reduce the environmental impact of the firm’s operations. We are proud to be a platinum sponsor of the King IV Report, a corporate governance code that sets out the philosophy, principles, practices and outcomes which serve as the benchmark for good corporate governance in South Africa – a lodestar to improving the impact that business can have in society. The firm’s social responsibility programme is driven by its people and overseen by the Socio-Economic Development committee which meets regularly, putting issues of corporate social responsibility at the heart of the discussion internally. Our responsible business programme covers four areas: Feeding Scheme and Creche located not far from our Head Office in Pretoria, but we are greatly involved in many other programs aimed at looking after our country’s future generations, such as the Life Sciences – Law Firm of the Year – South Africa: Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year – South Africa: Outright winner for Anti-Counterfeiting Law Firm of the Year – South Africa: Civil Law Law Firm of the Year – South Africa: Outright winner Patents Law Firm of the Year – South Africa: Advertising and Marketing: Law Firm of the Year – South Africa: Biotechnology: Law Firm of the Year – South Africa: Lawyer Monthly only conducts one awards per year, ‘The Legal Awards’ and we are publishing a glossy perfect bound special edition for the winners to profile themselves and/or their organisation. This will be distributed in print and digital versions to our entire readership and subscribers of 179,587 from December 2016 and will be the single largest print and digital publication in Lawyer Monthly’s history. Our core readership demographic is made up of C-Level business and corporate readers, business owners, HNWIs, legal private practice, in-house legal teams, consultants and expert witnesses, financial institutions, government institutions and academic institutes. If the axiom that ‘the future builds on the foundation of the past’ holds true, then the palpable temperament of innovative law established by over a century of business certainly explains why the law firm Adams & Adams commands such a leading position in the southern hemisphere. Established in 1908 by Harry Adams, the firm’s Partners have never been satisfied with practicing law ‘by the book’ – rather they have demanded and inspired an ethos that ‘writes the book’ – a way of securing the firm’s future by preparing and blueprinting it in the present. The law firm owes its name to two sons of the Reverend Harry Adams, who came to the Transvaal in 1875 to advance the cause of the Church of England. Henry (Harry) Walter Adams born in Lydenberg, Transvaal, in 1882, while brother, Eustace Victor (EV) was born in Barberton in 1888. In 1897, Jemima Adams returns to England with family. The younger son, Eustace Victor, later wrote: “My mother conducted a boarding house so well that she was able to take us five children to England for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee (in 1897) and placed Harry and Melville at school there, and sent my sisters to a finishing school in Brussels.” This is one of the first recorded notes in the archives of the firm. Two of the sons, Harry and Eustace (later known affectionately as EV), were sent to public school in England and then went up to Cambridge University. He was then articled as an engineer with the South Eastern and Chatham Railway Company. Within a few days of admission to the profession, in July 1908, Harry opened his own office in Bureau Lane, Pretoria, under the name HW Adams, Solicitor. On 2nd July 1908 he had become registered as a patent agent. He married Mary Crawford, daughter of the Honourable Hugh Crawford, then Speaker of the Transvaal Parliament In 1922 Harry went to Europe, the United States and Canada to visit the firm’s intellectual property correspondents – the first of the relationship-building trips that are still undertaken by Adams & Adams. Harry had a reputation for being completely honest and straightforward and was an extremely hard worker. Committed to good structures, he believed a firm could keep ahead of competitors by implementing advanced and efficient systems.