Geoff Budlender
Trustee
Geoff Budlender SC is an advocate (barrister) practising in Cape Town, South Africa. He works mainly in the areas of constitutional law, human rights, administrative law, and other aspects of public law.
In 1979 he was one of the founders of the Legal Resources Centre (LRC). He litigated cases dealing with freedom of movement, forced evictions, citizenship, detention without trial, and fair labour practices. He was National Director of the LRC from 1994 to 1996.
With the advent of democracy he advised the new government on the creation of new legal frameworks for land reform, water rights, and the structure of the legal profession. In 1996 he was appointed Director-General of the Department of Land Affairs in the Mandela administration. He held that post until January 2000. He then re-joined the LRC as Director of its Constitutional Litigation Unit.
Since 1994 he has litigated cases dealing with the death penalty, evictions, HIV/AIDS, housing rights, land rights, access to justice, and the rights of women under customary law. He appears regularly in the Constitutional Court.
He has acted as a judge of the High Court of South Africa in Johannesburg and Cape Town.