User:Gran56/Bharat Patel

Justice Bharat Patel was born in 1952 and educated in Zimbabwe. Lehe was legally trained and qualified in Zimbabwe and England. He began his working career in 1978 in the London para-legal sector with focus on civil rights, employment and social welfare law.

He joined government service in Zimbabwe in 1982 as legal counsel performing advisory and representative duties in matters of public law and international law.

Since 1993, he headed the Division of Legal Advice in the Attorney-General’s Office of Zimbabwe, and was appointed to the position of Deputy Attorney-General in August 2000. He assumed the post of Acting Attorney-General in April 2003.

In December 2004, he was appointed to the Bench (High Court of Zimbabwe) in December 2004 and assumed judicial duties in January 2005. Subsequently, he was seconded for one year to post of Acting Attorney-General in December 2007 following suspension and removal from office of previous incumbent.

Bharat Ptael was engaged since 1980 in various part-time lecturing and training positions (in England, Zimbabwe and Swaziland) in employment law, immigration & nationality law, international law and environmental law. He authored various publications and papers since 1980 on human rights, international law, environmental law and trade law. He was also engaged since 1994 on several consultancies in trade/investment law and environmental law.

Professionally, he was involved in interpretation and application of international and regional trade instruments, including treaties, agreements and ancillary instruments of :- 	World Trade Organisation 	Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 	Southern African Development Community

In addition, he has been involved in human rights field since 1978 - through papers, publications, committees, advisory opinions and reports, tribunals and courts - in the context of both international and constitutional instruments.