Our People
Wayne Lurie BA LLB (UKZN)
Wayne Lurie BA LLB (UKZN)
Director and Founder
Wayne began his law career in the late 90’s after graduating from the University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban with the BA and LLB degrees. He completed his training in Durban at one of the oldest law firms in the country where, very early on in his career, he established a technology department giving him a firm grounding in technology, new media and e-commerce.
In 2002, Wayne relocated to Johannesburg to work as in-house legal counsel for what was then amongst the largest outsource service providers to the interactive gambling industry worldwide. It is here that Wayne cut his teeth in the gambling industry and he has practised almost exclusively in such arena since.
In 2003, Wayne founded the law firm of Lurie Incorporated in Johannesburg. Since then, he has been widely consulted by a broad range of clients local and international on all manner of issues and matters surrounding the gambling sector, both online and terrestrial. His clients range from small family businesses to multinational publicly listed companies.
Whilst first and foremost an “operator’s lawyer”, Wayne’s clientele has extended to include government regulators and commissions, terrestrial casinos, bookmakers, online betting operators, manufacturers of gambling equipment and software, payment service providers and test laboratories.
Wayne’s practice experience extends beyond dealing with commercial and regulatory matters for his clients to litigation around the subject of gambling and he has been involved in landmark litigation cases in the highest South African courts and abroad, including in the United States, Germany and the European Court of Justice. Wayne has also been extensively involved in gambling licensing processes in the European Union, the United Kingdom and various other international jurisdictions.
Wayne has received international recognition in various legal guides and associations and has featured frequently in online, print and television media on the topic of gambling law and is often invited to speak on the topic at international conferences.
Wayne maintains an extensive local and international network of similarly specialised lawyers and is currently a member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors.
Dean Joffe LLB (Wits), LLM (Wits), MBA (TAU)
Dean Joffe LLB LLM (Wits) MBA (TAU)
Consultant
Dean has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a Master of Laws in Corporate Law (LLM) from the University of Witwatersrand. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in New Venture Creation and Entrepreneurship (MBA) from Tel Aviv University. He is currently completing his Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) at the University of Witwatersrand.
Dean is a practicing attorney, where he specialises in commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, banking and finance, employment and regulatory law. He has acted for clients in a variety of industries including the fast-moving consumer goods, aviation, healthcare, information technology and communication, financial institutions, and the manufacturing and industrial industry.
He is the founder of BitFund, a crypto asset portfolio management software company, and Decipher Dot Consulting, a legal, financial and operational consulting firm. Dean holds investments in a wide range of FinTech, Web3 and aviation assets. He has raised various capital rounds for businesses he is involved with, and managed distressed assets during their turn-around strategy.
He brings his legal, commercial, operational and technology backgrounds to all the businesses he is involved in. He has an in-depth understanding of venture capital, private equity, corporate and commercial, and mergers and acquisitions.