Kobus de Beer
Co-founder & Director
Kobus de Beer brings a rare combination of practical insight and legal strategy to dispute resolution. With more than a decade of experience leading commercial litigation teams and a background in the construction industry, Kobus understands how disputes unfold. Not just legally, but personally and commercially.
His practice focuses on dispute resolution, including construction, commercial, property, and contractual disputes. Whether through litigation, mediation, or arbitration, Kobus is known for his ability to read the room, reduce friction, and find workable solutions without unnecessary expense. In one case, he helped clients avoid costly formal mediation by initiating a roundtable discussion that resolved the matter swiftly and amicably.
Kobus believes dispute resolution is an art, one that requires emotional intelligence, timing, and strategic flexibility. His clients describe him as dependable, creative, and results driven. He’s advised on everything from high-value arbitrations for state-owned companies to complex real estate litigation and urgent Anton Piller applications.
What sets Kobus apart is his ability to adjust strategy as a matter evolves, recognising that disputes are dynamic and often emotional. Always focused on achieving the best possible outcome for his clients, his experience allows him to anticipate when to push, when to pause, and when to change his approach.
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BA (Law)
BA (Honours) Criminology
LLB
Certificate: Corporate Governance
Certificate: Construction Contracts
Diploma: Labour Law
Right of appearance in the High Court of South Africa
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Appointed by the Minister of Human Settlements as an inaugural member of the Sectional Title Schemes Advisory Council
Court appointed administrator since 2021 of a Body Corporate, consisting of a 7-storey building with 10 commercial units and 200 residential units, in Maboneng, Johannesburg.
Main Practice Areas
Representative experience
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Acted for the largest investment company in Africa in a ZAR1bn multi-jurisdictional dispute in respect of a loan facility provided to a national educational service provider.
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Acted in an arbitration for the architect of a large residential and commercial property development in a contractual dispute.
Successfully represented a large mining house in an arbitration regarding a contractual dispute.
Acted for homeowners in an arbitration in respect of a design/contractual dispute of a large development.
Mediated a contractual dispute for a large mining house, resulting in an out of court settlement that benefited both parties.
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Acted for property developers, property management companies, and other role players in the construction and real estate sector in real estate disputes.
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Provided legal advice for a large state-owned investment company in respect of substantial construction and contractual disputes relating to a super basement.
Provided legal advice and representation on a wide variety of complex corporate/commercial matters, including contractual disputes, commercial tenancy matters, commercial and large-scale residential evictions, as well as real estate and construction related litigation.
Acted on behalf of a large property fund management corporation in contractual negotiations with the anchor tenant (a large shopping chain) regarding consents for redevelopment of a shopping complex.
Advised and acted for a state-owned company in a high-value arbitration relating to the technical aspects of calculating damages, involving various experts including accountants.
Assisted a national public entity with Anton Pillar proceedings and successfully executed the seizure of site information/documents that were removed irregularly.
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Advised on and instituted legal proceedings in respect of the failure to adhere to enacted regulations in connection with building and construction processes and mandated registrations of construction projects.
Acted for management agents, body corporates and trustees in building rehabilitations, and body corporate health and financial planning.
Advised on various complex contractual disputes in the public and private sector.