Speaker details

Biography

Esmari Jonker is a practising attorney admitted in the High Court of South Africa. She leads the franchising law portfolio at Smit & Van Wyk, Inc., a law firm based in Pretoria, South Africa. Esmari specialises in intellectual property and has more than 23 years’ experience in the fields of trademarks, copyright, franchising, and related intellectual property law matters. Esmari is considered as one of the leading franchise attorneys in South Africa. She acts on behalf of local as well as international clients in the franchise industry. She advises and represents both franchisors and franchisees in respect of franchise agreements and franchise litigation. Esmari is the representative of Smit & Van Wyk who is a registered industry member of the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA) and she also serves on FASA’s Membership Committee. Special Awards and Market Recognitions: • Best Lawyers: Recognised by Best Lawyers in South Africa for Franchise Law (2022). Received Best Lawyers 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” award for Franchise Law in South Africa. • Who’s Who Legal: Listed by Who’s Who Legal in the Franchise Law category for South Africa in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. • Lexology Client Choice: Received the Lexology Client Choice Award in 2020, 2021, 2022 – Franchise Lawyer in South Africa. • World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000: Listed by WTR 1000 as a recommended expert in the fields of prosecution and strategy in 2021 and 2022. Quotes: “Shining star Esmari Jonker stands out as a highly regarded franchising specialist with significant credibility”.