ABSTRACT
A sound knowledge of the civil and criminal court structure is essential for a proper understanding of many aspects of the English legal system. You should be aware of the jurisdiction of each court (that is, which types of cases each court is competent to deal with), how its workload compares with other courts, how it is organised and what criticisms have been made of these features. The courts in question are the county courts, magistrates’ courts, the Crown Court, the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the House of Lords and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
