Zambia
Common law
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Zambia is a common-law country that inherited English law, with a Constitution that was heavily revised in 2016, which created a Constitutional Court. Customary law is also recognised, especially in family and land matters.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution (as amended in 2016), the highest law
- Acts of Parliament
- English common law and equity, received by statute
- Customary law, applied in local courts where it is not contrary to justice or the Constitution
The main courts
- The Supreme Court at the top
- The Constitutional Court, which decides constitutional questions
- The Court of Appeal, the High Court and subordinate and local courts
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree, then the bar course at the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education and admission as an advocate.
What may surprise you
- Local courts, run by lay justices, apply customary law to everyday disputes.
- A separate Constitutional Court was created only in 2016.
- Zambia's court decisions often cite English, Zimbabwean and South African cases as persuasive authority.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Zambia as: Common law, Customary. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Zambia, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
