Werksmans Attorneys works from three offices and publishes a switchboard for each, plus two departmental mailboxes and nothing else. There is no general telephone number for the firm as a whole. Read from werksmans.com on 6 September 2026.
The three offices
- Johannesburg – The Central, 96 Rivonia Road, Sandton, 2146. Telephone +27 11 535 8000. Private Bag 10015, Sandton, 2146
- Cape Town – Level 1, No. 5 Silo Square, V&A Waterfront, 8001. Telephone +27 21 405 5100. PO Box 1474, Cape Town, 8000
- Stellenbosch – Block B, 2nd Floor, De Wagenweg Office Park, Stellentia Avenue, Stellenbosch, 7600. Telephone +27 21 809 6000. PO Box 1008, Stellenbosch, 7599
Cape Town and Stellenbosch are separate offices with separate switchboards, not one Western Cape office with two addresses. A matter run out of Stellenbosch will not be picked up by the Cape Town line.
The two mailboxes
- General enquiries: [email protected]
- Tenders and requests for quotation: [email protected]
Media enquiries go to a named member of staff whose address is printed on the firm’s contact page; that address belongs to a person rather than to a department, so it is not repeated here – read it off werksmans.com if you need it.
Finding the right lawyer rather than the right number
This is a large commercial firm organised by practice area, and the switchboard is not a triage desk. Werksmans publishes a searchable directory of its own people on the site, and going in through that – finding the practice area, then the person – reaches someone who can act far faster than a cold call to reception. Have the counterparty name ready: a commercial firm has to run a conflict check before it can even discuss your matter, and that check is the first thing anyone will ask about.
Practical points before you make contact
- A first call is not privileged in the way an established retainer is. Do not put sensitive detail in an unsolicited e-mail to a general mailbox.
- Ask for the fee structure and the mandate in writing before work starts. Commercial firms bill by the hour and by the fee earner’s seniority.
- The firm publishes a PAIA manual and a PAIA Form 2 for a request for access to a record, which is the route for an information request rather than a legal instruction.
Werksmans is celebrating its centenary and also publishes legal updates, podcasts and webinars on its site. Those are free and often answer a narrow commercial-law question well enough that a call becomes unnecessary.