Civil Courts

Civil Courts
The jurisdiction of civil courts at the first instance
There are two types of civil court in the country, they are the County Court and the High Court.

The County Court
There are around 220 County Courts in England and Wales, they have jurisdiction to hear many cases, such as…
-Contract, tort and recovery of land
-Partnerships, trusts and inheritance up to £30,000
-Divorce and family matters
-Bankruptcy
-Personal injury claims less than £50,000
-Small claims, fast track and some less complex multi-track cases

The High Court
The High Court is based in London; however there are several district High Courts across the country in the major cities. The High Court is divided into three divisions and each division has certain matters that can be heard. The division are…
-The Queens Bench Division
-The Chancery Division
-The Family Division

The Queens Bench Division
The QBD has jurisdiction to hear contract and tort cases over £50,000 and complex multi track cases. The QBD also contains other courts such as the Commercial Court, Admiralty Court and the Technology and Construction Court. The QBD also hears judicial review

Family Division
This court has the jurisdiction to hear any wardship cases and other family matters cases as of the Children’s Act 1989. The court listens to all family matters no matter what price.

Chancery Division
This court deals with technical issues and has the jurisdiction to hear matters of insolvency, mortgages, trusts, wills and probate, property disputes, intellectual property, copyright and patents.

How a case can be taken to court
Most people will not go to court and will settle their issues using ADR. However, if ADR fails then the claimant must take the following steps to begin a civil court case…

-Complete an N1 form and submit it to…