prisons.co.ukHow the UK Legal System Works
The question of how the UK legal system works is not necessarily an easy one to answer. The UK doesn’t have a formal constitution and although the Queen is technically the Head of State she doesn’t dictate how the UK legal system works!
The legal side of life in the UK is managed by the government via the House of Commons (where MPs work) and the House of Lords (where peers work). The government is led by the Prime Minister. The law in the UK is upheld by courts and is based on the use of statute law, case law and constitutional conventions (this basically means that the legal system works on laws that are formally set down and laws/cases that have been used in the past).
There are various types of courts in the UK that work to uphold the law. Although these courts operate independently they can all work together in certain cases. UK courts include:
- Tribunals - these are informal court hearings which can rule on various issues such as immigration and employment.
- Magistrates Courts - these are local courts that deal with minor offences via a Magistrate or a panel of Magistrates.
- County Courts - these local courts tend to hear civil rather than criminal cases.
- Crown Courts - these courts deal with more serious offences and will have a judge and jury system.
- The High Court - this court deals with cases passed on from lower level courts or on specialist cases.
- The Court of Appeal - this court deals with appeals against rulings in lower level courts.
- The House of Lords - the House of Lords will hear appeals from the court of Appeal and sometimes from the High Court.
If you need to understand how the UK legal system works on a personal level then you will probably need the services of a solicitor and/or a barrister. Solicitors can help you out in various ways - from selling a house to a minor court appearance but you may need the services of a barrister if you are defending/prosecuting a significant court case.