About Us
Welcome to Legal Aid Board
Legal Aid Board is a statutory body created under the Legal Aid Act Chapter 19 of 2005. The Board is mandated to provide legal aid services (criminal and civil) to indegent persons.
Vision
A credible and innovative provider of legal aid promoting access to Justice for all.
Mission
“To provide quality legal aid for enhanced access to justice”
Values
“To uphold professional ethics, good conduct, efficiency, accountability, transparency and integrity.”
History
The provision of legal aid services in Zambia dates back to 1967 when the Government of the Republic of Zambia passed the Legal Aid Act No.20 of 1967 which is now Chapter 34 of the Laws of Zambia. The Act received two minor amendments in 1967 and 1972. There were no further amendments until the enactment of Act no.17 of 2000 and Act No.19 of 2005. These two Acts established the Legal Aid Fund and the Legal Aid Board as a semi-autonomous institution.
Prior to the establishment of the Legal Aid Board there was a Directorate of Legal Aid as a department in the Ministry of Legal Affairs ( now Ministry of Justice). It relied entirely on the Ministry administration for all logistical support services, and its operations were limited to the line of rail. Operational functions greatly improved after the Legal Aid Board became operational in January 2008. The Legal Aid Board has seen tremendous growth over the years and is currently operating in all the provinces in Zambia with the Copperbelt and Southern provinces having two(2) stations each due to the enormous workload in these provinces.
With the assistance of cooperating partners such as GIZ in 2015, Legal Aid Board saw an establishment of Legal Services Units in various places such as Kitwe, Chingola, Ndola, Choma and Livingstone. This greatly improved the provision of legal services as these units are located at the Magistrate Court building in their respective towns. The bulk of litigation in Zambia takes place in the Magistrate court, this therefore greatly widened the Legal Aid Board footprint in the quest to deliver quality services and in turn promote access to justice.
Legal Aid Six (6) step process
01
Consultation
Walk in clients undergo a formal consultation process with our qualified Legal Counsel. This allows the Legal Counsel to analyse the case and advise on a possible solution to the clients case.
02
Means Verification
A means verification test is conducted to ascertain the financial position of the client. This is to ensure that those that can afford do not enjoy the service which is intended for the poor and vulnerable people in this country who are the intended beneficiaries of this service. out
03
Grant of Legal Aid
The Director of the Legal Aid Board upon receiving recommendation from the Legal Counsel and analyzing the means verification report will then grant Legal Aid to the applicant.
04
Contribution
The applicant shall now be required to make a contribution towards Legal Aid Services.
05
File Creation
A file shall now be created for the client both manually and electronically.
06
Assignment of Counsel
A qualified Legal Counsel shall then be assigned to the client for full representation up until the close of the case.
Why choose us?
It is your constitutional Right
It is a constitutional right for ALL citizens to have access to Legal representation.
The institution strives to hire competent and highly qualified professionals.
Staff are committed and dedicated to serve you with diligence on all your matters.
Would you like to talk with us?
Contact Legal Aid Board Head office on the following Telephone line.
Contact Legal Aid Board Head office on the following Fax line.
Contact Legal Aid Board via email : info@legalaidboard.org.zm