former juDGE | HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY IN MUMBAI
Gautam Patel began his practice in 1987 in Mumbai, working on commercial, corporate, and civil litigations and appearing in numerous environmental public interest litigations. He was part of the legal team representing the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) in its quest against the privatisation of the Parel Mill lands. In 1994-1995, he received the first international fellowship at Pacific Energy & Resources Center, Sausalito, California in environmental law which entailed course work at the University of Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law and an internship with the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
He served as the Honorary Secretary of the Bombay Bar Association for two three-year terms (1999-2005), and served on the Association’s Standing Committee till his appointment as a High Court judge. He taught as a part-time lecturer at the Government Law College, Mumbai (2008-2011), and has written widely for newspapers and magazines. Patel retired as a sitting judge from the High Court of Bombay in Mumbai.