PROFILE
Hon. Mrs. Justice Abha Nayar Patel, SC is a Judge of the Court of Appeal having been appointed to the Court on 3rd April, 2023. Justice Patel holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Zambia and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She was admitted to the Bar in 1989, and was admitted as a Solicitor to the Roll of Solicitors of the Supreme Court of England & Wales in April 2008.
Prior to her appointment, she was the Judge-in-Charge of the Commercial Division, Kitwe High Court. She was appointed to the High Court on 7th March, 2019. Justice Patel had a legal career spanning 30 years, she has been recognized for her many outstanding achievements as a prominent member of the Zambian Bar, including being part of the first members of the Bar to be trained in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Justice Patel served as Board Member for several Institutions and has been invited to speak at several Conferences organized by the Law Association of Zambia, the International Chamber of Commerce, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, where she served as a Judge on the Panel of the final round of the Moot Court Competition.
Justice Patel was conferred with the rank and status of State Counsel in 2016, making her at the time, only the third female advocate to achieve this recognition, and the only one in private practice.
Justice Patel is a Mediator, a trainer of Mediators and an Arbitrator. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and also a member of the Zambia Association of Woman Judges.
