Lawyer in Port-Louis, Mauritius — Family, Estate & Civil Law
A barrister's chambers in the capital
Lex Aquila Advocates keeps chambers at Suite 304, St James Court, St Denis Street, in Port-Louis. Clients who live or work in the capital have a short journey; clients from the rest of the island come to a part of town they already know, inside the administrative and commercial core, near the banks, the ministries and the courts.
Port-Louis generates a particular mix of instructions. It is where most companies keep their registered office and where a large share of the island's salaried employment sits, so employment disputes and commercial claims arrive from here steadily. It is also a city of long-settled families holding property that has passed through several generations, which is where succession work usually begins — an estate that was never wound up, a title deed naming people who have died, relatives who cannot agree what to do with a house.
The chambers acts both for people based in Port-Louis and for people whose matter simply has to be heard here, which is true of a good deal of contested litigation in Mauritius.
Which court hears a Port-Louis matter
The district of Port Louis is served by the District Court of Port-Louis. Section 93 of the Courts Act establishes a District Court in every district; each is a court of record with limited jurisdiction, and in civil matters it hears claims where the sum or matter in dispute does not exceed Rs 250,000. A larger claim, or a charge beyond what a District Magistrate may sentence, is heard higher in the court structure. The Supreme Court sits in Port-Louis — one practical reason the chambers is where it is. Source: the Supreme Court of Mauritius on the District Court.
Me Mokshda Pertaub and the Port-Louis bench
Me Mokshda Pertaub was sworn in at the Bar of Mauritius on 29 January 1998. She served on the bench at the District Courts of Flacq and Port-Louis in the early 2000s, returned to practice, and is a former Director of the Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies. That period on the bench is part of why advice from these chambers tends to start with what a court will actually want to see.
What we handle for clients in Port-Louis
The two authority areas of the chambers are family law — matrimonial proceedings, divorce, alimony, custody and child abduction — and estate and succession law, covering wills and inheritance under the Code Civil Mauricien. We also act in employment, civil and commercial and criminal matters. Foreign nationals living in the capital may want the guide for expats and foreign nationals first. The other areas we serve are listed on the locations page.
Nearby areas we serve
Instruct the chambers
+230 5858 7956
mepertaub@gmail.com
Suite 304, St James Court,
St Denis Street, Port-Louis
Questions we are asked
Three that come up most often from this part of the island
Where exactly are the chambers?
Suite 304, St James Court, St Denis Street, Port-Louis. Consultations are by appointment — message or call +230 5858 7956 before coming rather than arriving on spec.
Will my case be heard in Port-Louis?
It depends on the matter and on which court has jurisdiction over it. We tell you which court is involved, and what that means for timing, before anything is filed.
Can we start without meeting in person?
Yes. Most matters can be opened by WhatsApp or email with documents sent electronically, and an appointment arranged once we know what the matter needs. Some documents will eventually be needed in original.
Speak to the chambers
Suite 304, St James Court, St Denis Street — by appointment