While access to justice has many components, the speed with which litigants can have their case disposed of is an important justice indicator. While there is widespread belief that the courts are inefficient, the evidence of this inefficiency is largely anecdotal and impressionistic. There is very little, if any, empirical data on the perfor-mance of Zambian courts. This project seeks to address this gap and examine how efficiently the courts dispense justice and how ordinary citizens seeking legal remedies interface with the judicial system. It is hoped that re-search findings can inform the development of norms and standards that can facilitate sound case management models and accountability.