About Hlela Advisory
We help businesses get set up properly, owned clearly and protected for the long run.
Most clients come to us at a turning point. They're starting a company, bringing in a partner, raising capital or restructuring what they've already built. They need advisers who understand both the law and the business, and who give a clear answer. That's what Hlela Advisory was built for.
Who we are
Hlela Advisory Services is a corporate and commercial legal advisory firm based in Sandton. Our work is transactional at its core. We set up companies, structure groups, advise shareholders, and draft the agreements that hold it all together. Our work has covered more than 3,112 transactions across 17 jurisdictions, including Zambia, the DRC, the United Kingdom, Europe, the UAE and the United States.
Boardroom thinking, not just legal advice
Our team has worked inside business as well as alongside it, in legal, company secretarial, risk and compliance roles at group level. That shapes how we advise. We don't stop at what the law says. We tell you what it means for your business and what we'd do in your position.
What clients come to us for
The core of our work is company formation, company structuring and shareholding advice. That means getting the entity right, designing who owns and controls what, and putting shareholder agreements and company constitutions in place before anyone needs them. We also advise on:
- Preference shares and debentures, for raising capital on terms that keep you in control.
- Mergers and acquisitions, from due diligence to closing, both locally and across borders.
- Commercial drafting and review, from lease agreements to sale agreements, so every contract says what you mean and protects you when it counts.
- Employment and labour matters, because a business is only as sound as its relationships with its people.
Where we're heading
Our clients build serious wealth, and the natural next step is helping them protect it and pass it on. We're growing our trusts, estates and succession planning work, and we bring to it the same structure and rigour we bring to business.
How we work
Senior people stay involved in your matter from the first conversation to the final signature. We keep your affairs confidential, we give straight answers, and we take on work where we know we can make a real difference.
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