Professional Bio
Mehluli Malisa Batakathi is a distinguished public interest lawyer and currently the Managing Partner at Malisa and Partners. With a background in groundwater geophysics and natural resource management, he has interfaced with the legal profession for a substantive period of time during which he co-founded Conservation Advocates Zambia, a non-profit organisation that champions the use of the law as a means to protect the environment, advance climate justice and achieve sustainable development anchored on the respect of human rights and ethical business practices. He is renowned for his dedication to good governance, transparency, human rights, environmental and climate justice, playing a pivotal role in high profile litigation and advocacy aimed at protecting some of Zambia’s natural ecosystems, promoting sustainable development and protection of fundamental human rights.
Educational and Work Experience
His credentials include a Master of Laws in Constitutional Law from the University of Zambia along with a BSc (HONS) and LLB Degrees. Mehluli is also an Alumnus of the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship programme which he completed at the American University Washington College of Law in the U.S.A. specialising in Law and Human Rights. He has also undertaken a number of short professional courses with the Community College of Baltimore County, the University of Maryland and Cambridge University. His career highlights include representing individuals, local and international NGOs in landmark environmental, human rights and constitutional cases. Internationally recognized, he has collaborated with global experts on human rights, constitutionalism, sustainable development and environmental protection. Additionally, he has provided technical support to threatened human and environmental rights advocates across Sub-Saharan Africa as Pro-Bono Counsel for the American Bar Association’s Justice Defenders’ Program based in Washington D.C.
Areas of Practice
Constitutional Law, Environmental Law, Labour Law, Corporate Law, Human Rights Law, ESG