The judiciary is made up of judges, magistrates, tribunal members, and coroners.
Together, they uphold the rule of law.
Judges and other members of the judiciary oversee cases, in different
types of courts and tribunals and in different areas of law across the
country.
Specialist courts which decide business, commercial, property and other chancery disputes and technology and construction disputes, both domestic and international.
The Court of Appeal deals exclusively with people challenging the decisions made by other courts or tribunals. It has two divisions, Criminal and Civil (the latter also hears family appeals).
The High Court hears the most serious administrative, civil and family cases. It has three divisions – King’s Bench, Family and Chancery.
The Tribunals are specialist judicial bodies whose judges and members hear a wide range of cases, such as tax, employment, and immigration and asylum. The Upper Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal hear appeals challenging some tribunal decisions.
Magistrates, or Justices of the Peace as they are also known, are trained, volunteer members of the local community who make decisions in criminal and family cases in Magistrates’ courts and the Family Court. The most complex cases in Magistrates’ courts are heard by District Judges who are legally qualified specialists.
Coroners investigate certain deaths which are deemed to be unnatural, violent, or where the cause is unknown.