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Regulatory know-how: Gabi Richards-Smith brings private practice and in-house experience to her new role as a Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr director
Experienced financial regulatory lawyer Gabi Richards-Smith has joined Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, bringing expertise shaped by top-tier private practice and four years inside a major South African investment group.
A combination of financial regulatory expertise, in-house corporate experience, and a 'pragmatic approach' valued by clients is what Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) says new director Gabi Richards-Smith brings to the large South African law firm.
CDH has announced that Richards-Smith joined the firm as a director in its Banking, Finance & Projects practice, as of 1 September, moving from Webber Wentzel, where she was a partner in the Financial Regulatory practice. She is based in Cape Town.
“She brings outstanding experience across banking, financial services regulation, banking regulatory, governance and compliance, together with a pragmatic approach that clients value,” said Mashudu Mphafudi, CDH's Head of Banking, Finance & Projects.
“Her expertise is highly complementary to our existing service, and together we will be able to offer clients an even broader and more integrated financial regulatory capability in a rapidly evolving market.”
Richards-Smith advises across financial sector legislation, including banking, securities and stock exchange law, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption regulation, asset management, collective investment schemes and hedge funds, alongside general banking and finance work. She also brings a client perspective, having spent four years as an in-house counsel. Richards-Smith left Webber Wentzel in 2018 to join Rand Merchant Investment Holdings (RMI), then a JSE-listed public company, where she served as Head of Legal, Sustainability and Compliance with oversight of legal matters across the group.
She returned to Webber Wentzel as a financial regulatory partner in 2022, before moving to CDH this month. CEO Brent Williams said the appointment formed part of the firm’s investment in senior talent as the needs of its clients continued to change.
“Gabi’s appointment reflects our continued investment in top-tier talent and our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our clients," he said. "Her deep knowledge of financial services regulation and extensive corporate experience make her an outstanding addition to the firm."
A law graduate of the University of Cape Town, who also completed an LLM in Commercial Law in 2023, Richards-Smith began her legal career at Werksmans Attorneys in 2009. She later worked at Baker McKenzie, including six months in its London banking and finance team, before first joining Webber Wentzel in 2015 and becoming a partner in 2017.
CDH says Richards-Smith will also play an important role in strengthening its Western Cape offering and deepening relationships with clients in the region.