Danie Brand holds the degrees BLC LLB (UP) LLM (Emory) and LLD (Stell). Prior to his appointment at the UFS, he worked for 24 years as an academic at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria. His field is constitutional and administrative law and constitutional theory. His research and publications focus in particular on the relationship between law and poverty and the manner in which law regulates and so both enables and limits access to basic livelihood resources such as housing, food, water, land, medical care and education. This interest extends into legal practice, where he runs an impact litigation practice as advocate, focussing on housing and land issues.