Staff

Kate Handley is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Biodiversity Law Centre. She holds an LLB and LLM in Environmental Law from the University of Cape Town with her research interests focusing on the policy and regulatory framework pertaining to biodiversity and protected areas. Kate is an experienced environmental attorney, having worked for more than a decade in private practice advising public and private sector clients, as well as civil society organisations, on a range of environmental and administrative law issues.

Always one to explore, in 2019, Kate embarked on the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking 2500km through the old growth forests and staggeringly beautiful mountains of California and Oregon. Passionate about the ecology of pristine habitats and the long-standing and integral coexistence of communities and wild spaces, Kate believes in the power of law to shape meaningful change. Kate’s connection with nature extends to her student days and has not only prompted a diverse career as an environmental lawyer, but also informs her vision of the Biodiversity Law Centre as an organisation which has an enduring impact on ensuring the preservation and flourishing of indigenous ecosystems.

Kirsten Barratt joined the Centre in January 2025 is an attorney with a background in biological sciences. She holds a BSc in Marine Biology and Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, as well as an LLB and LLM in Environmental Law, from the University of Cape Town. Her professional journey was shaped by an early passion for marine conservation, sparked during her high school and university years as a volunteer on the Two Oceans’ Aquarium’s penguin team. This experience deepened her understanding of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, ultimately inspiring her to pursue a career where law and policy can drive significant change.

Kirsten enjoys spending time outdoors – whether in the ocean or in the mountains. She is a PADI open water diver and amateur free diver, and, surprisingly for someone who grew up in Cape Town, an avid snowboarder.

Khanya Sidzumo is an admitted attorney who obtained her LLB and BSocSci degrees from the University of Cape Town, volunteered at several organisations focused on advising and supporting marginalised people facing evictions and unfair labour practices, worked with mining affected workers and communities at Richard Spoor Incorporated, and served as a law clerk at the Constitutional Court, before joining the Biodiversity Law Centre in January 2025.

A lifelong city dweller, Khanya attributes her environmental consciousness to her past and present clients’ persistent efforts to protect the land, air and species that sustain us all. She plans to continue contributing to these efforts at the Biodiversity Law Centre.