Anel Bestbier

Anel Bestbier is a Director at Thomson Wilks in the Cape Town office, where she practises primarily in commercial and civil litigation, with a particular focus on insurance-related disputes. Her work spans court proceedings, arbitration, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, and she advises clients on disputes that require both strong technical analysis and a commercially practical approach.

Anel has substantial experience in complex commercial litigation, including significant insurance claims, business interruption disputes, contractual claims and matters involving immovable property. She has acted in proceedings before the Magistrates’ Courts and High Courts, as well as in appellate litigation, and has developed particular depth in matters where contractual interpretation, financial exposure and broader commercial considerations intersect.

She joined Thomson Wilks in 2014, was appointed as a Director in 2019 and became a member of the firm’s management committee in 2021. Her practice also extends to insolvency matters and selected private-client and commercial drafting work, including trusts, wills and ante-nuptial contracts.

Anel holds an LLB from Stellenbosch University and was admitted as an attorney in 2015. She also holds a right of appearance in the High Court of South Africa and has completed further training in legal practice management.

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Anel’s experience includes:

Anel represents clients in commercial and civil disputes across litigation, arbitration, mediation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Her work includes insurance coverage and business interruption claims, contractual and property-related disputes, insolvency matters and other commercially significant claims. She also advises on the drafting of commercial agreements and assists clients with trusts, wills and ante-nuptial contracts where these form part of her broader practice.

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Anel’s areas of speciality

• Commercial & Civil Litigation
• Insurance Law & Insurance Litigation
• Arbitration
• Mediation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Insolvency Law
• Contractual Disputes
• Property-Related Litigation
• Commercial Agreements
• Trusts & Wills

Anel combines substantial litigation experience with a strong focus on commercially significant disputes, approaching matters with careful analysis, strategic judgement and an understanding of the broader business interests at stake.