Abstract
The article proves the need to search and argue modern approaches to promote the effectiveness of legal journalism as a factor in civic legal culture based on retrospective analysis of its development in the period when the Republic of Kazakhstan was being formed as an independent democratic state. Content analysis clarifies the content of legal journalism definition from the standpoint of its object, the scope of functioning and the functional use. By means of retrospective analysis, the main stages of formation and development of legal journalism have been singled out in the context of media evolution in Kazakhstan. Features of each stage of the legal journalism formation with identification of destructive and complementary development factors have been reasoned. The key feature of legal journalism functioning throughout its entire development period has been substantiated. A system of practical measures has been developed to improve the competitiveness of legal journalism in the national and international information market, to expand the geographical boundaries of its functioning and to increase the competence of journalist human capacity.