Established in 2006, the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to the study and practice of law. It proceeds on the premise that law cannot exist in isolation from other social phenomena. Consequently, it must be understood and applied in context. The CSLS seeks to mainstream the understanding and application of law with reference to its social, economic, cultural and political environment. We believe that the challenge of underdevelopment and the myriad of social vices that dog our nation’s attempts at development are traceable to the failure to create innovative responses or to adapt the received laws and procedures in a manner consistent with our needs, culture and experience. In other words, the disconnect between our laws and legal systems on the one hand and the socio-political challenges is largely responsible for the dilemmas that confront our society.