Navneet K. Patwalia Bhalla

Navneet K. Patwalia Bhalla is an attorney from the United Kingdom where she practiced at a law firm for a number of years, and is currently serving as Of Counsel to the firm on selected employment litigation matters.  Ms. Patwalia Bhalla’s services to the Firm include counseling clients and providing strategic advice to the Firm on complex legal and procedural issues related to employment litigation. 

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Patwalia Bhalla was the supervisor for the employment department of a law firm in London and handled a diverse range of employment matters.  She successfully litigated a very high profile employment matter against a national institution in the U.K.  resulting in a successful settlement.

Additionally, within the asylum law department of her former firm, Ms. Patwalia Bhalla represented approximately three hundred asylum applicants from various countries, including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Kosovo, Somalia and Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Accordingly, Ms. Patwalia Bhalla carried out extensive research linked to human rights violations in various countries and worked closely with non-governmental organizations and community groups specializing in this field.

In 2008, Ms. Patwalia Bhalla took a leave of absence from the firm and travelled to Sudan, Africa, where she served as a Legal Consultant for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on matters relating to the application of domestic labour laws upon International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO’s).  Ms. Patwalia Bhalla’s work culminated in a comprehensive report and recommendations on best practices and strategies to protect the legal interests of the IRC and other INGO’s operating in Sudan.  In addition, Ms. Patwalia Bhalla reviewed Sudanese labour laws extensively and provided recommendations for broad legal reform in Sudan.

Ms. Patwalia Bhalla completed her LL.M. with a specialization in International Human Rights Law at American University Washington College of Law in Washington D.C.  While at American University, Ms. Bhalla served as a Peace Fellow of the Public International Law and Policy Group.   As a Peace Fellow, Ms. Patwalia Bhalla researched various human rights commissions and particular courts in several countries, focusing on identifying circumstances that cause civil unrest in a region and the means to achieve resolutions.

Due to her diverse background, Ms. Patwalia Bhalla is fluent in Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi