Find Legal expertise in Swaziland
- Legal System
- Profession
- Development
Legal System
As in South Africa, the legal system in Swaziland is based mainly on Roman-Dutch law. Under the constitution the judiciary is independent. The final court of appeal is the Superior Court of Judicature, made up of the Supreme Court and the High Court. The High Court has unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. Retired judges from other African countries, traditionally South Africa but increasingly also from other Commonwealth countries, are included in the membership of the superior courts. Specialised inferior courts such as the industrial court also exist.
Profession
Lawyers in Swaziland are styled as advocates and attorneys. The professional body for lawyers is the Law Society of Swaziland, a member of the International Bar Association (IBA). Foreign lawyers can practice in Swaziland, with South African advocates often appearing in Swazi courts. There are numerous law firms, most of them in the capital Mbabane. Cloete Corporate in Association with E.J. Henwood is recognised by the Legal 500 group, a list of legal services providers in over 100 countries.
Development
Information from the World Economic Forum, The Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013
| Value | World Mean | Rank |
Legal rights index | 6.0/10 | – | 65/144 |
Efficiency of legal framework in settling disputes | 3.5/7.0 | 3.8/7.0 | 81/144 |
Efficiency of legal framework in challenging regulations | 3.0/7.0 | 3.7/7.0 | 108/144 |
Property rights (including financial assets) | 4.0/7.0 | 4.3/7.0 | 83/144 |
Intellectual property protection | 3.6/7.0 | 3.8/7.0 | 69/144 |
