ABSTRACT
Civil law is concerned with rights and duties between individuals. When there is a breach of a right or a failure of duty then the aim of the civil law is to put the parties into the position they would have been in if there had been no breach or failure. Criminal law sets out what behaviour is forbidden by the state, at risk of punishment. There are many differences between criminal cases and civil cases. The Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Crown Court are superior courts, while the County Court and the Magistrates' Court are inferior courts. Courts which hear appeals are called appellate courts. The systems of courts and tribunals are distinct. The system of civil courts that now operates in England and Wales is based on the system set up in the nineteenth century. The Queen's Bench Division is the only division in which cases can be tried by a jury.
