Adams & Adams has been named Africa Firm of the Year for the second consecutive year at the 2026 Managing Intellectual Property (IP) Awards for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), which was hosted in London on 2 May. The accolade cements the firm’s leadership position in IP law across the continent.

In addition to retaining the top continental honour, the firm was presented with three further awards, reflecting the breadth of its expertise across multiple jurisdictions and practice areas. Adams & Adams was named South Africa Trademark Firm of the Year, reaffirming its market-leading trade mark practice since its previous win in the category in 2021.

Adams & Adams also received the South Africa Impact Case of the Year award for Yossi Barel v Popular Trading CC – an acknowledgement of the matter’s legal significance in the market and the decisive outcome that the firm secured for its client.

Recognising the firm’s multi-jurisdictional litigation ability, Adams & Adams was named in the Europe Cross-Border Patent Litigation Team of the Year award, for the Astellas (Xtandi) proceedings against generics.

"Back-to-back recognition as Africa Firm of the Year at the Managing IP Awards is a powerful validation of our team’s technical expertise in trade marks and patents, delivered consistently at the highest level. We are proud of our achievements at this year’s event, which reflect our investment in our people and capabilities as we continue to be a trusted partner to clients navigating an increasingly complex IP environment,” says Jac Marais, Chairperson of Adams & Adams.

The Managing IP Awards are widely regarded as one of the most authoritative benchmarks of excellence in the global IP profession. Winners are selected through a rigorous research and review process, incorporating detailed firm submissions, peer and client feedback, and independent analysis of case work and market impact.