Enhanced client access to justice.

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.