Administrative Law, Data Protection Law, Energy Law, Financial Services Law, Public Procurement Law
Raisa Cachalia
Admitted 2013 – South Africa
Raisa Cachalia is a senior public, energy and regulatory lawyer with experience across constitutional and administrative law, public procurement, public finance management, electricity-sector reform, IPP procurement and energy infrastructure projects. She also has experience in information and data protection, education, advertising and financial services regulation. She advises clients operating at the intersection of business, regulation and the state, where legal decisions often carry both commercial and public-law consequences.
Previously at Bowmans, and with more than 10 years in regulatory consulting, Raisa combines deep practical legal expertise with a rigorous academic and research foundation. In 2026 she was awarded a doctoral degree for her dissertation on the judicial regulation of state contracts in South Africa. Her work is relevant both to public-sector clients seeking support on regulatory, procurement, energy, data protection and governance matters generally, as well as to private-sector clients navigating complex government processes, regulatory compliance, and commercial arrangements shaped by public law considerations.
Years' Experience
10+ Years
Primary Practice
Administrative Law, Data Protection Law, Energy Law, Financial Services Law, Public Procurement Law
Jurisdictions
South Africa
Previously At
Bowmans
Expertise
Constitutional and Administrative Law, Energy Law & Regulatory Advisory
Raisa is a public, energy and regulatory specialist, with particular expertise in constitutional and administrative law, public procurement and public finance management. She also has an active energy law practice, advising government entities, municipalities, project developers and energy traders on matters related to electricity-sector reforms, IPP projects, gas-to-power projects, energy trading (including virtual wheeling and power purchase agreements), section 34 determinations, and licensing and permitting. Other areas of expertise include information and data protection, education, advertising and financial services regulation.
She is adept at helping clients understand how legal frameworks apply in practice, whether in relation to government engagement, regulatory compliance, public decision-making, or commercial arrangements affected by public-law requirements.
Her approach is careful, structured, and commercially aware. She helps clients identify the legal position, understand the risks, and make informed decisions in complex regulatory environments through advisory work, legal opinions, due diligence support and by reviewing agreements, policies, guidelines and MOUs for their regulatory implications.
- Administrative Law
- Constitutional Law
- Public Procurement
- Public Finance Management
- Energy Law
- Data Protection
- Education
- Advertising
- Financial Services
- Regulatory Advice
- Regulatory Structuring
- Regulatory Compliance
Selected Expertise
Selected Experience
Regulatory Advisory
Provides regulatory advice and opinions to clients from both private and public sectors across a broad range of sectors, including energy, infrastructure, education, advertising and financial services.
Regulatory Compliance · South Africa
Energy Law · Public Procurement · South Africa
Drafts unsolicited proposals to organs of state for infrastructure projects in accordance with National Treasury’s regulatory framework for unsolicited proposals.
Public Procurement Law · Energy Law · Infrastructure Projects · Gas · South Africa
Energy Trading · Wholesale Electricity Market · South Africa
Advises energy trading clients on regulatory risk arising from participation in the wholesale electricity market and drafts comprehensive legal opinions on virtual wheeling arrangements.
Energy Law · Electricity Regulation Amendment Act · Trading · Regulatory Compliance · South Africa
Energy Regulation · Renewable Energy Projects · South Africa
Provides regulatory due diligence and legal opinions for energy clients covering licensing and approvals required for financial close. Assists with government engagements across various departments, liaises with broader project teams, and provides regulatory support to commercial contract negotiation and drafting.
Energy Law · Regulatory Compliance · South Africa
Data Protection & AI Regulation · Education Sector · South Africa
Advises on data protection compliance and AI governance considerations for national public-interest database projects involving government, civil society and private-sector data partners.
Data Protection Law · Technology Law · South Africa
Financial Services Regulation · Investment Structuring · South Africa
Advises foreign investment managers on the regulatory classification of proposed investment structures, including licensing and intermediary-services implications under the applicable financial services framework.
Financial Services Regulation · Regulatory Compliance · South Africa
Education
Qualifications
LLD – Judicial Regulation of State Contracts in South Africa
Stellenbosch University
2025
LLM – Administrative Law, Contract Law, Information and Privacy Law & Corporate Law (Cum laude)
University of the Witwatersrand
2016
BA Law, LLB (Cum laude)
University of the Witwatersrand
2010
Work with Raisa Cachalia
Available for ad hoc briefs, retainers, and secondments across South Africa and internationally.
Currently accepting new instructions
View full professional profile
Practice Areas
Administrative Law, Data Protection Law, Energy Law, Financial Services Law, Public Procurement Law
Jurisdictions
South Africa
Languages
English
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