Whether drafting legal documents, litigating, or managing a law firm, legal professionals are expected to predict, with a relatively high degree of certainty, the possible consequences of every step they take and every word they communicate. Then, having considered all the possible consequences, they must decide on the best course of action. Any such decision typically involves having several alternatives, comparing them and evaluating their outcomes.
Dr Van den Berg advises on the full spectrum of commercial work, including banking and project financing, competition, information and communication technology and general corporate issues. He also advises clients in the energy and natural resources sector on environmental, regulatory and other matters. His clients range from banking institutions, private companies, international companies, as well as individuals.
He is a court-accredited mediator and often acts as trustee, company director and company secretary. He has conducted board induction trainings and other trainings to clients and is the former Chairperson of the Law Society of Namibia and the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund.
Dr Van den Berg is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town, where he is affiliated with the DST/NRF Research Chair: Mineral Law in Africa. He lectures mineral law in Africa, oil and gas law and mine contract negotiation and also regularly publishes on mining, energy and environmental law.
His experience has included advising:
- Lenders and borrowers in some of the largest project financing transactions in Namibia.
- Namibian and international companies in defending investigations of restrictive business practices and abuse of dominance under competition law.
- An offshore engineering and operations company with various aspects relating to an offshore gas field, including commenting on the relevant petroleum agreements, providing regulatory advice and providing other commercial and upstream petroleum advice.
- Various entities on diverse aspects of Namibian oil and gas law, include due diligences, regulatory advice, drafting of oil and gas contracts and advising on environmental aspects.
- A mining company on the acquisition of various mining assets and the expansion of its mining operations in Namibia, including providing regulatory advice and drafting of the necessary contracts.
- A company, as lead local counsel, on an acquisition transaction where it acquired mining assets in Namibia, further assisting with competition, mining, commercial and land issues.
- Namibia’s first cement production company on various matters, including environmental, regulatory and commercial matters.
- Mining companies on various regulatory and commercial issues.
- Providing training to an international petroleum company for their Namibian Oil and Gas Scenarios Workshop.
Professional Qualifications
- University of Stellenbosch: LLB (2007); BAHons in Classical Literature (Latin) (cum laude) (2011)
- University of Cape Town: LLM in Mineral Law (cum laude) (2009); PhD in Petroleum Law (2015)
- Admitted as legal practitioner in the High Court of Namibia (2010)
Recognition
- Ranked as Band 3 lawyer in Chambers Global, every year since 2019
Memberships
- Law Society of Namibia
- International Bar Association
- Institute of Directors of Southern Africa