Kate Paterson

Kate Paterson is a Partner at Bowmans in Johannesburg, specializing in Administrative Law. She advises on public law, constitutional and administrative law, public procurement, public-private partnerships, data protection, and litigation.

Kate has represented organs of state and private companies in complex procurement-related disputes, and regularly advises on the Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act. Notable matters include advising Eskom Holdings SOC (Ltd) on public procurement reforms and recovery efforts arising from state capture; advising the Department of Home Affairs on a public-private partnership to redevelop key land ports of entry; and advising the City of Cape Town on its Broadband Infrastructure Project. She also advises international clients on establishing independent schools and tertiary institutions in South Africa, and has advised on data protection, B-BBEE compliance, and COVID‑19 regulatory matters. Prior to joining Bowmans, she clerked for Justice Edwin Cameron at the Constitutional Court of South Africa and practised at a public interest law centre in Johannesburg.

She holds a B.A. with Honours in Law and Politics from Rhodes University, an LL.B from the University of the Witwatersrand, and an LL.M from Cambridge University, where she was a Cambridge-Commonwealth scholar. She is admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

Kate has been ranked as Up and Coming in Administrative & Public Law in South Africa by Chambers Global (2026), where clients describe her as "really good at providing easy‑to‑understand guides" and "a dedicated lawyer."