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Back to Lusaka and this time with Joseph Jalasi of law firm Dentons.

Joseph is an experienced Senior Partner with a demonstrated history of working in the law practice industry. Skilled in Banking and Finance, M&A, ESG,Tax Law, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property and Arbitration.

As for Zambia:

GlobalNewsWire recently reported “The region's share of the number of lawyers employed by the continent's 100 largest law firms declined in 2022. Challenges include questions over the independence of the judiciary, corruption, attacks on lawyers and court backlogs. There is limited use of foreign lawyers as most countries demand that lawyers need to be citizens or permanent residents.

Opportunities

Expansion into fast-growing countries such as Zambia and Mozambique. Multinationals are entering the region and looking for established South African or foreign law firms. Offering alternative dispute resolution services. Providing legal advice in growth areas such as ESG, oil and gas and renewable energy. Running legal training programmes.

Challenges

Court backlogs, and lack of court infrastructure and vehicles. Crime and corruption, including money laundering and cybercrime are major challenges. Economic growth in some countries remains poor. Law associations are investigating the entry of foreign law firms. Legal education is often poor. Limited use of foreign lawyers. Political instability with elections in four countries expected in H2 2024. The cost of access to justice is high. The independence of the judiciary continues to be in question. The lack of rule of law, including attacks on lawyers, remains a serious challenge. There is concern over the number of fake attorneys.”

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