Types of courts in England and Wales

The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for civil cases in all of the UK and for criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Typically this court deals with important legal questions that affect the public or the constitution.

The UK Supreme Court was established in October 2009. This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2011. House of Lords decisions from before 2009 are held by the Parliamentary Archives.

You can read more about it on the UK Supreme Court website.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the highest court of appeal for many countries in the Commonwealth, UK territories and military sovereign base areas. It also deals with appeals from ecclesiastical courts.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2009.

You can read more about it on the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council website.

You can read more about how to find older Privy Council and Judicial Committee of the Privy Council records held by The National Archives in the Privy Council research guide.

The Court of Appeal Civil Division is the second most senior court for non-criminal cases in England and Wales.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2001.

You can read more about it on the Court of Appeal Civil Division page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You can read more about how to find older Court of Appeal (civil) justice records in the research guide Civil court cases: an overview.

The Court of Appeal Criminal Division is the second most senior court for criminal cases in England and Wales.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about it on the Court of Appeal Criminal Division page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You can read more about how to find older civil justice records in the research guide Criminal courts: appeal cases.

The Administrative Court is a specialist court within the King’s Bench Division of the High Court. It specialises in public law, often reviewing the decisions made by local authorities and regulatory bodies in England and Wales. The Administrative Court contains a dedicated Planning Court for planning related disputes. Cases in the Administrative Court may be heard by a Divisional Court, which is a court consisting of at least two judges.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about the Administrative court on the judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older Kings/Queens Bench Division cases in the research guide Civil court cases: King's/Queen's Bench 1702-1998.

The Admiralty Court is a specialist court within the King's Bench Division of the High Court. It specialises in shipping and maritime disputes and has the power to arrest and sell ships in England and Wales.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about the Admiralty court on the judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older Admiralty Court records in the research guide High court of Admiralty.

The Chancery Division is one of three divisions of the High Court. It handles a wide range of civil cases including business disputes, intellectual property and probate issues. It has various lists that deal with specialist issues such as the Business List, Insolvency and Companies List, Intellectual Property List, or Property, Trusts and Probate List. It contains the Intellectual Property Enterprise and Patents Courts.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about it on the chancery division on the Judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older records in Civil court cases: Chancery Division since 1875

The Commercial Court is a specialist court within the King’s Bench Division of the High Court. It is also one of the Business and Property Courts of the High Court of Justice. It handles large complex national and international business disputes that may involve issues such as commercial contracts, financial instruments, transportation of goods, and digital assets. It is based in the Rolls Building in London and cases are heard by specialist High Court judges.

The Circuit Commercial Court (previously known as the Mercantile Court) is closely associated with the Commercial Court. It is also part of the broader business and property courts of the High Court of Justice but it deals with smaller, less complex business disputes. It operates in district registries across England and Wales where cases are heard by specialist senior circuit judges. You can find cases decided by the Mercantile Court here.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about the Commercial Court on the Judiciary website.

You may be able to find older Commercial and Mercantile Court records in The National Archives’ Catalogue however the record may not be available online. You can read more about how to find older records in the Civil Court cases: Kings/Queens bench division research guide.

The Family Division is one of three divisions of the High Court. It handles complex cases involving child protection including decisions about: making a child a ‘ward of the court’, international child abduction cases, forced marriage, genital mutilation and financial relief in divorces that have been finalised in a foreign country. The Family Division hears cases in private and often anonymises the people involved to protect them.

The Family Court is different to the Family Division of the High Court. The Family Court is not part of the High Court and hears less complex cases. You can read more about the Family Division of the High Court and the Family Court on the Judiciary website.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about the Family Division of the High Court on HM Courts and Tribunals website.

You can read more about how to find older divorce case files in the Divorce research guide.

This court is a specialist court within the Chancery Division of the High Court. It is also one of the Business and Property Courts. It handles intellectual property disputes including patents, trademarks, designs and copyright for cases seeking damages for under £500,000. Disputes over £500,000 are handled by the Patents court or the Chancery Division of the High Court.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2013.

You can read more about the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court on the Judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older patent records in Intellectual property: patents for invention research guide; Intellectual property: registered designs 1839-1991 research guide or Intellectual property: trademarks 1876-1938 research guide.

The King’s Bench Division is one of three Divisions of the High Court. It handles a wide range of civil claims across contract disputes and civil wrongs (tort) including claims of: negligence, defamation, assault, trespass. This Division contains specialist courts including Administrative, Admiralty, Commercial, and Technology and Construction Courts.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about it on the King’s Bench Division on the judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older King’s Bench records in Civil court cases: King’s/Queen’s Bench 1702-1998 research guide or Criminal court cases: King’s/Queen’s Bench 1675-1988.

The Mercantile Court is now known as The Circuit Commercial Court and is closely associated with the Commercial Court. You can find cases decided by the Mercantile Court here.

This court does not transfer judgments to The National Archives. The judgments from this court included in Find Case Law are from 2008 to 2014.

You can read more about it on the Commercial Court on the Judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older records in the civil court cases : Kings/Queens bench division research guide.

This court is a specialist court within the Chancery Division of the High Court. It is also one of the Business and Property Courts. It specialises in cases involving patents, registered designs and plant varieties. Typically it handles cases where damages sought are over £500,000. Cases less than £500,000 are typically handled by the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about the Patents Court on the Judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older patent records in Intellectual property: patents for invention research guide; Intellectual property: registered designs 1839-1991 research guide or Intellectual property: trademarks 1876 -1938 research guide.

This court is part of the High Court. It assesses costs of civil litigation from various courts and tribunals including Court of Appeal, the High Court Chancery, Family and King’s Bench divisions, Court of Protection, and the County Court in London. It also handles disputes relating to solicitors’ charges.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about the Senior Courts Costs Office on the Judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older civil case records in the Civil court cases: an overview research guide.

The Technology and Construction Court is a specialist court within the King’s Bench Division of the High court. It is also one of the Business and Property Courts. It specialises in disputes relating to buildings, engineering and technology. It hears cases involving contract disputes, professional negligence, insurance disputes, procurement and more. It typically handles cases over £250,000.

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about it on the link on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You can read more about how to find older records in the Civil court cases: King's/Queen's Bench 1702-1998 research guide.

The Crown Court deals with the most serious criminal offences. It is located in over 70 court centres across England and Wales, including the Central Criminal Court, more commonly known as the Old Bailey.

This court began to occasionally transfer selected judgments to The National Archives in 2024. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2024.

You can read more about this court on the Crown Court page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

Crown Court records are more likely held in local archives rather than at The National Archives.

The County Court deals with civil (non-criminal) matters.

Unlike criminal cases, in which the state prosecutes an individual, civil court cases arise where an individual or a business believes their rights have been infringed.

This court began to occasionally transfer select judgments to The National Archives in 2024. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2024.

You can read more about it on the County Court page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

County Court records are more likely held in local archives rather than at the National Archives.

Most family cases are heard in the Family Court. A limited number of cases are heard in the Family Division of the High Court, for example cases involving international child abduction and cases involving the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court. You can learn more about when the family court publish judgments in their practice guidance (opens as PDF).

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2014.

You can read more about it on the Family Justice System page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

The Court of Protection makes decisions on financial or welfare matters for people who can’t make decisions at the time they need to be made (they ‘lack mental capacity’).

This court began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest judgment from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2009.

You can read more about it on the Court of Protection page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal is an independent court that considers complaints under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and claims under the Human Rights Act 1998. It considers allegations of unlawful intrusion by public bodies, including the UK intelligence services, the Police and local authorities and investigates alleged conduct by or on behalf of the UK intelligence services whether or not it involves investigatory powers.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer judgments to The National Archives in 2024. The oldest decision from this tribunal included in Find Case Law is from 2024.

You can read more about this tribunal on the Investigatory Powers Tribunal website.

You may be able to find older Investigatory Powers Tribunal judgments starting in 2003 on the Investigatory Powers Tribunal website.

This tribunal is responsible for handling appeals against decisions made by the Employment Tribunal where a legal mistake may have been made in the case. They also hear appeals and applications about decisions made by the certification officer and the Central Arbitration Committee.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer decisions to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest decision from this tribunal included in Find Case Law is from 2021.

You can read more about it on the Employment Appeal tribunal page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

The Administrative Appeals Chamber is responsible for dealing with appeals against decisions made by certain lower tribunals and organisations including social security and child support; war pensions and armed forces compensation; mental health; special education needs or disabilities; disputes heard by the General Regulatory Chamber; decisions made by the Disclosure and Barring Service; decisions made by the Traffic Commissioner (or the Transport Regulation Unit in Northern Ireland); Special Education Needs Tribunal for Wales; Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales and Pensions Appeal Tribunal in Northern Ireland (only for assessment appeals under the War Pensions Scheme).

They also handle applications for judicial review of decisions made by First-Tier Tribunal (Criminal Injuries Compensation) and other first-tier tribunals where there is no right of appeal.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer decisions to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest decision from this tribunal included in Find Case Law is from 2004.

You can read more about it on the Administrative Appeals Chamber on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You may be able to find older Administrative Appeals Chamber decisions on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.

The Immigration and Asylum Chamber is responsible for handling appeals against some decisions made by the Home Office relating to permission to stay in the UK, deportation from the UK, and entry clearance to the UK.

They also handle applications for immigration bail from people being held by the Home Office on immigration matters.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer decisions to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest decision from this court included in Find Case Law is from 2003.

You can read more about it on the Immigration and Asylum Chamber on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You may be able to find older Immigration and Asylum Chamber decisions on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.

You can read more about how to find older immigration records in The National Archives in the Immigration and immigrants research guide.

The Lands Chamber is responsible for handling appeals against decisions made by First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber); Residential Property Tribunal in Wales and Leasehold Valuation Tribunal in Wales.

They are also responsible for handling applications for cases about a decision about rates made by the Valuation Tribunal in England or Wales; compensation for the compulsory purchase of land; discharge or modification of land affected by a ‘restrictive covenant’; compensation for the effect on land affected by public works; a tree preservation order; compensation for damage to land damaged by subsidence from mining; the valuation of land or buildings for Capital Gains Tax or Inheritance Tax purposes; a ‘right to light’ dispute; compensation for blighted land and Electronic Communication Code - disputes involving masts and other telecommunications equipment on land.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer decisions to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest decision from this tribunal included in Find Case Law is from 2015.

You can read more about it on the Lands Chamber on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You may be able to find older Lands Chamber decisions on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.

The Tax and Chancery Chamber is responsible for handling appeals for certain decisions made by First-Tier Tribunal (Tax), for cases about tax and General Regulatory Chamber for cases about charities.

They also handle appeals against certain decisions made by the Financial Conduct Authority; the Prudential Regulation Authority; Secretary of State for International Trade or the Trade Remedies Authority; the Pensions Regulator; the Bank of England; HM Treasury and Ofgem.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer decisions to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest decision from this tribunal included in Find Case Law is from 2017.

You can read more about it on the Tax and Chancery Chamber page of HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You may be able to find older Tax and Chancery Chamber decisions on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.

The General Regulatory Chamber handles appeals against decisions made by various government regulatory bodies. These appeals cover a range of sectors including charities, community rights, environment, electronic communications, postal services, estate agents, exam boards, food safety, gambling, immigration services, information rights, pensions regulation and more.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer decisions to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest decision from this tribunal included in Find Case Law is from 2019.

You can read more about the General Regulatory Chamber on the HM Courts and Tribunals website.

You may be able to find older General Regulatory Chamber decisions on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.

The Tax Chamber is responsible for handling appeals against some decisions made by HMRC relating to Income Tax; PAYE tax; Corporation Tax; Capital Gains Tax; National Insurance Contributions; Statutory Sick Pay; Statutory Maternity Pay; Inheritance Tax; VAT; Excise Duty and Customs Duty.

They also handle some appeals relating to goods seized by either HM Revenue and Customs or Border Force and against some decisions made by the National Crime Agency and the Gambling Commission.

This tribunal began to regularly transfer decisions to The National Archives in 2022. The oldest decision from this tribunal included in Find Case Law is from 2019.

You can read more about it on the Tax Chamber page on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

You may be able to find older Tax Chamber decisions on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.