Tshepo Shabangu
Partner, Spoor & Fisher, Pretoria
t.shabangu@spoor.com 
+ 27 12 676 1126 
Download Vcard
Tshepo Shabangu is a Trade Mark Practitioner, with BProc and LLB degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and an LLM (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Bonn, Germany. She is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a Notary Public.
Tshepo has over two decades of experience in the local and international selection, clearance, prosecution and registration of trade marks. She also has expertise in trade mark audits, IP portfolio management and due diligence investigations, as well as drafting IP related agreements and policies. She has extensive knowledge in corporate governance, having sat on boards of various trusts and companies.
Tshepo speaks eight languages, including German.
Industry Associations
- Member – South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL)
- Member – European Community Trade Marks Association (ECTA)
- Member – International Bar Association (IBA)
- Member – National Bar Association (NBA)
- Member – Black Lawyers Association
- Member – German Chamber of Commerce
- Member – Austrian Chamber of Commerce
- Member – Legal Practice Council (LPC)
- Member – Institute of Directors
- Member – International Trademark Association (INTA) Brands for a Better Society Committee (2024/2025)
Market Recognition
- Influential Women in IP – World IP Review, 2019
- Best Women in Law Award (IP) – Woza Women in Law Awards, 2019
- Ranked – Legal 500, 2019
- Best Lawyers – Intellectual Property Law: South Africa, 2018-present
- Law Professional of the Year – The SA Professional Services Awards (SAPSA), 2019-2020
- Ranked – WTR 1000, 2021-present
- Best IP Practitioners – World IP Review Leaders, 2021-present
Professional Activities
- Co-author of Traditional knowledge, cultural expressions and folklore chapter of Dean & Dyer: Introduction to Intellectual Property Law (Oxford University Press), 2014
- Addressed the portfolio committee of Trade and Industry in South Africa Parliament, regarding the Traditional Knowledge Bill that was subsequently passed into law
- Co-authored the History of trade marks in South Africa chapter in A History of Brands and Branding: From Groot Constantia to Google 1685 to 2010 (Affinity Advertising & Publishing), 2011
- Invited by Shanghai Intellectual Property Association (SIPA) to attend and address the delegates at the 9th Shanghai IP Forum on the soft power of cities
- Invited by the International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI) to attend and present at a seminar on Specialised Intellectual Property Courts in Washington DC
- Member of the IBA Presidential task force on Cyber Security, contributor to IBA Cyber Security Guidelines, 2018
- Member of the Steering Committee of the IBA Presidential task force on the Future of Legal Services
- Officer of the Bar Issues Commission of the IBA
- Council representative of the Law Society South Africa on the IBA Council
English 
Chinese 
Japanese