Transparency of the Legal System
“There can be no Rule of Law unless there is access to the basic sources of law.”
— Theuns Viljoen, Executive Director, LexisNexis South Africa
Rule of Law cannot exist without a transparent legal system, the main components of which are a clear set of laws that are freely and easily accessible to all, strong enforcement structures, and an independent judiciary to protect citizens against the arbitrary use of power by the state, individuals or any other organisation.
In some countries the average citizen, businesses trying to operate in those countries, and even practicing lawyers have limited access to laws or legal decisions. Recognising this challenge, LexisNexis® is working in Ghana, Mauritius and three Nigerian states to update laws, to issue them in printed volumes, and then to make them publicly available.
For the past seven years, LexisNexis® South Africa has worked throughout Africa to consolidate and update laws in Kenya, Swaziland, South Africa, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. As Theuns Viljoen, Executive Director, LexisNexis® South Africa, observes, “Our approach is that there can be no Rule of Law unless there is access to the basic sources of Law.”
LexisNexis® also has joined the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) in a joint initiative with the International Bar Association and Open Society of Southern Africa. The SALC trains attorneys, supports human rights cases, and carries out other programs to advance the Rule of Law.