Whereas politicians and others often assume that existing laws must be changed since they are detrimental to socio-economic development or good governance, little research seems to have been done to verify these assumptions. In Libya’s present fragile and polarised conditions, it is of the essence that the lawmaking process is informed by reason and experience rather than by rushed conclusions and untested assumptions. This research, based on a critical analysis of recent experiences, intends to provide building bricks for good legislation.