Law of the United Kingdom - wikipedia Law of the United Kingdom The Middlesex Guildhall is home to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom United Kingdom This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the United Kingdom Constitution Constitution Cabinet Manual Erskine May Taxation The Crown British Monarchy Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Heir apparent The Prince of Wales Royal family Succession to the British throne Royal prerogative Executive HM Government Prime Minister Theresa May Cabinet Current ministry Her Majesty 's Civil Service Departments Executive agencies Public bodies Privy Council Crown - in - Council Queen Elizabeth II Legislature Parliament ( 56th Parliament ) Crown - in - Parliament Queen Elizabeth II House of Lords Lord Speaker The Lord Fowler House of Commons Speaker John Bercow Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn Her Majesty 's Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet State Opening of Parliament Prime Minister 's Questions Act of Parliament Statutory Instruments Judiciary Supreme Court President Lord Neuberger Deputy President Lady Hale Judges of the Supreme Court Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Scotland Courts of Northern Ireland Devolution Joint Ministerial Committee Scotland Government Parliament Wales Government National Assembly Reserved matters Northern Ireland Executive Assembly Administrative geography England Subdivisions of England Local government in England Scotland Subdivisions of Scotland Local government in Scotland Wales Local government in Wales Northern Ireland Local government in Northern Ireland Elections Parliament constituencies Political parties Last election Next election Referendums Foreign relations History Foreign policy UK and the United Nations Politics of the European Union Commonwealth of Nations United Kingdom portal Other countries Atlas The United Kingdom has three legal systems, each of which applies to a particular geographical area. English law applies in England and Wales, Northern Ireland law applies in Northern Ireland, and Scots law applies in Scotland. While these three systems diverge in the more detailed rules, there are also substantive fields of law which apply across the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom does not have a single legal system because it was created by the political union of previously independent countries. Article 19 of the Treaty of Union, put into effect by the Acts of Union in 1707, created the Kingdom of Great Britain, but guaranteed the continued existence of Scotland 's separate legal system. The Acts of Union of 1800, which combined Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, contained no equivalent provisions but preserved the principle of separate courts to be held in Ireland, of which the part called Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the highest court in the land for all criminal and civil cases in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and for all civil cases in Scots law. The Supreme Court came into being in October 2009, replacing the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. In England and Wales, the court system is headed by the Senior Courts of England and Wales, consisting of the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice ( for civil cases ) and the Crown Court ( for criminal cases ). The Courts of Northern Ireland follow the same pattern. In Scotland the chief courts are the Court of Session, for civil cases, and the High Court of Justiciary, for criminal cases. Sheriff courts have no equivalent outside Scotland, as they deal with both criminal and civil caseloads. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the British overseas territories, and the British Crown dependencies. There are also immigration courts with UK - wide jurisdiction -- the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and Special Immigration Appeals Commission. The Employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal have jurisdiction throughout Great Britain, but not Northern Ireland. Contents 1 Three legal systems 1.1 English law 1.2 Northern Ireland law 1.3 Scots law 2 United Kingdom legislatures 2.1 United Kingdom Parliament 2.2 Northern Ireland Assembly 2.3 Scottish Parliament 2.4 National Assembly for Wales 3 See also 4 Notes 5 External links Three legal systems Main article : Legal systems of the world There are three distinct legal jurisdictions in the United Kingdom : England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Each has its own legal system, distinct history and origins. English law Main article : English Law The Royal Courts of Justice in London, home of the Senior Courts of England and Wales `` English law '' is a term of art. It refers to the legal system administered by the courts in England and Wales, which rule on both civil and criminal matters. English law is renowned as being the mother of the common law and is based on those principles. English law can be described as having its own legal doctrine, distinct from civil law legal systems since 1189. There has been no major codification of the law, rather the law is developed by judges in court, applying statute, precedent and case - by - case reasoning to give explanatory judgments of the relevant legal principles. These judgments are binding in future similar cases ( stare decisis ), and for this reason are often reported. In the early centuries, the justices and judges were responsible for adapting the Writ system to meet everyday needs, applying a mixture of precedent and common sense to build up a body of internally consistent law, e.g., the Law Merchant began in the Pie - Powder Courts, see Court of Piepowder ( a corruption of the Law French `` pieds - poudrés '' or `` dusty feet '', meaning ad hoc marketplace courts ). As Parliament developed in strength, subject to the doctrine of separation of powers, legislation gradually overtook judicial law - making, so that today judges are only able to innovate in certain very narrowly defined areas. The year 1189 was defined in 1276 as being the boundary of time immemorial. The courts of England and Wales are headed by the Senior Courts of England and Wales, consisting of the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice ( for civil cases ) and the Crown Court ( for criminal cases ). The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land for both criminal and civil appeal cases in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and any decision it makes is binding on every other court in the same jurisdiction, and often has persuasive effect in its other jurisdictions. On appeal, a court may overrule the decisions of its inferior courts, such as county courts ( civil ) and magistrates ' courts ( criminal ). The High Court may also quash on judicial review both administrative decisions of the Government and delegated legislation. The ultimate body of appeal for all criminal and civil cases in England and Wales ( and Northern Ireland, and for all civil cases in Scots law ) is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, which took over this function from the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords ( usually just referred to as `` The House of Lords '' ) in October 2009. After the Acts of Union, in 1707 English law became one of two legal systems in different parts of the same, united, kingdom and has been influenced by Scots law, most notably in the development and integration of the law merchant by Lord Mansfield and in time the development of the law of negligence. Scottish influence may have influenced the abolition of the forms of action in the nineteenth century and extensive procedural reforms in the twentieth. Northern Ireland law Main article : Northern Ireland law The law of Northern Ireland is a common law system. It is administered by the courts of Northern Ireland, with ultimate appeal to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in both civil and criminal matters. The law of Northern Ireland is closely similar to English law, the rules of common law having been imported into the Kingdom of Ireland under English rule. However, there are still important differences. The sources of the law of Northern Ireland are Irish common law, and statute law. Of the latter, statutes of the Parliaments of Ireland, of the United Kingdom and of Northern Ireland are in force, and latterly statutes of the devolved Assembly. The courts of Northern Ireland are headed by the Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland, consisting of the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, the Northern Ireland High Court of Justice and the Northern Ireland Crown Court. Below that are county courts and magistrates ' courts. Scots law Main article : Scots law Parliament House in Edinburgh is the seat of the Supreme Courts of Scotland. Scots law is a unique legal system with an ancient basis in Roman law. Grounded in uncodified civil law dating back to the Corpus Juris Civilis, it also features elements of common law with medieval sources. Thus Scotland has a pluralistic, or ' mixed ', legal system, comparable to that of South Africa, and, to a lesser degree, the partly codified pluralistic systems of Louisiana and Quebec. Since the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain under the 1707 Acts of Union, Scots Law has shared a legislature with England and Wales, and while each retained fundamentally different legal systems, the 1707 Union brought English & Welsh influence upon Scots law, and vice versa. In recent years, Scots law has also been affected by both European law under the Treaty of Rome, and also following the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, which legislates within domestic areas of legislative competence. The chief courts are the Court of Session, for civil cases, and the High Court of Justiciary, for criminal cases. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom serves as the highest court of appeal for civil cases under Scots law, with leave to appeal from the Court of Session not required as a general rule. Sheriff courts deal with most civil and criminal cases including conducting criminal trials with a jury, known as sheriff solemn court, or with a sheriff and no jury, known as sheriff summary Court. The sheriff courts provide a local court service with 49 sheriff courts organised across six sheriffdoms. The Scots legal system is unique in having three possible verdicts for a criminal trial : `` guilty '', `` not guilty '' and `` not proven ''. Both `` not guilty '' and `` not proven '' result in an acquittal with no possibility of retrial. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice is the member of the Scottish Government responsible for Police Scotland, the courts and criminal justice, and the Scottish Prison Service, which manages the prisons in Scotland. United Kingdom legislatures Main article : United Kingdom legislation United Kingdom Parliament The Houses of Parliament, as seen over Westminster Bridge Main article : Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is bicameral, with an upper house, the House of Lords, and a lower house, the House of Commons. The House of Lords includes two different types of members : the Lords Spiritual ( the senior bishops of the Church of England ) and the Lords Temporal ( members of the Peerage ) ; its members are not elected by the population at large. The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber. The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster ( commonly known as the `` Houses of Parliament '' ), in the City of Westminster in London. By constitutional convention, all government ministers, including the Prime Minister, are members of the House of Commons or House of Lords. Parliament evolved from the early medieval councils that advised the sovereigns of England and Scotland. In theory, power is vested not in Parliament, but in the `` Queen - in - Parliament '' ( or `` King - in - Parliament '' ). The Queen - in - Parliament is, according to the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, completely sovereign with the power to make and unmake any law other than to bind itself. In modern times, real power is vested in the House of Commons ; the Sovereign acts only as a figurehead and the powers of the House of Lords are greatly limited. Northern Ireland Assembly Main article : Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish : Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots : Norlin Airlann Semmlie ) is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. It sits at Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast. The latest incarnation of the Assembly was established under the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, an accord aimed at bringing an end to Northern Ireland 's violent 30 - year Troubles. It is based on the principle of power - sharing under the D'Hondt method to ensure that Northern Ireland 's largest political communities, the unionist and nationalist communities both participate in governing the region. The Assembly is a unicameral, democratically elected body comprising 108 members who are known as Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLAs. Members are elected under the single transferable vote form of proportional representation. Scottish Parliament Main article : Scottish Parliament The public entrance of the distinctive Scottish Parliament building, opened in October 2004 The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic : Pàrlamaid na h - Alba ; Scots : Scots Pairlament ) is located in the Holyrood area of the capital Edinburgh. The Parliament, which is informally referred to as `` Holyrood '' ( cf. `` Westminster '' ), is a democratically elected body of 129 members who are known as Members of the Scottish Parliament or MSPs. Members are elected for four - year terms under the Additional Member System of proportional representation. As a result, 73 MSPs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality voting system ( `` first past the post '' ), with a further 56 returned from eight additional member regions, each electing seven MSPs. The original Parliament of Scotland ( or `` Estates of Scotland '' ) was the national legislature of the independent Kingdom of Scotland and existed from the early thirteenth century until the Kingdom of Scotland merged with the Kingdom of England under the Acts of Union 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. As a consequence, the Parliament of Scotland merged with Parliament of England, to form the Parliament of Great Britain, which sat at Westminster in London. National Assembly for Wales Main article : National Assembly for Wales Since 2012, the National Assembly for Wales ( Welsh : Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru ) has been invested with legislative powers. It is situated in Cardiff. The National Assembly, first elected in 1999, is a democratically elected body of 60 members who are known as Assembly Members or AMs. Members are elected for four - year terms under the Additional Member System of proportional representation. As a result, 40 AMs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality voting system ( `` first past the post '' ), with a further 20 returned from five additional member regions, each region electing four AMs. See also Constitution of the United Kingdom Legal education in the United Kingdom British Nationality Law British labour law United Kingdom company law UK commercial law UK competition law United Kingdom trade mark law Copyright law of the United Kingdom Software patents under United Kingdom patent law UK Domestic Recycling Policy Notes Jump up ^ `` The UK has three legal systems, operating in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland '', direct.gov.uk, accessed 12 March 2007 Jump up ^ `` The Treaty ( act ) of the Union of Parliament 1706 ''. Scottish History Online. Retrieved 5 October 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` Constitutional reform : A Supreme Court for the United Kingdom '' ( PDF ). ( 252 KiB ), Department for Constitutional Affairs ; accessed 22 May 2006. Jump up ^ UK Supreme Court judges sworn in BBC News, 1 October 2009 Jump up ^ `` Constitutional reform : A Supreme Court for the United Kingdom '' ( PDF ). ( 252 KB ), Department for Constitutional Affairs. Retrieved on 22 May 2006 Jump up ^ `` pdf file '' ( PDF ). ( 64.6 KiB ) `` For the purposes of the English conflict of laws, every country in the world which is not part of England and Wales is a foreign country and its laws foreign. This means that not only totally foreign independent countries such as France or Russia... are foreign countries but also British Colonies such as the Falkland Islands. Moreover, the other parts of the United Kingdom -- Scotland and Northern Ireland -- are foreign countries for present purposes, as are the other British Islands, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey. '' Conflict of Laws, J.G. Collier, Fellow of Trinity Hall and lecturer in Law, University of Cambridge Jump up ^ `` Court of Session -- Introduction ''. Scottish Courts. Retrieved 5 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` High Court of Justiciary -- Introduction ''. Scottish Courts. Retrieved 5 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` House of Lords -- Practice Directions on Permission to Appeal ''. UK Parliament. Retrieved 22 June 2009. Jump up ^ `` Introduction ''. Scottish Courts. Retrieved 5 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` The case for keeping ' not proven ' verdict ''. London : Times Online. 20 March 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` Scottish Cabinet and Ministers ''. Scottish Executive. Retrieved 5 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` Comhaontú idir Rialtas na hÉireann agus Rialtas Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Thuaisceart Éireann ag Bunú Comhlachtaí Forfheidhmithe '' ( in Irish ). Oireachtas. Retrieved 8 June 2008. Jump up ^ `` Tha Boord o Ulstèr - Scotch -- Tha Boord '' ( in Scots ). Ulster - Scots Agency. Archived from the original on 26 November 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2007. Jump up ^ `` Scottish Parliament Word Bank ''. Scottish Parliament. Archived from the original on 3 December 2005. Retrieved 14 November 2006. Jump up ^ `` Scottish Parliament MSPs ''. Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 14 November 2006. ^ Jump up to : `` The First Scottish Parliament : the Middle Ages -- 1707 ''. Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 14 November 2006. External links UK Government Legislation portal Law of the United Kingdom Common fields Constitutional law Civil liberties Company and insolvency law Competition law Labour law Commercial law European Union law Parallel fields Scots delict and English tort law Scots and English contract law Scots and English land law Trusts Scots and English administrative law Scots and English criminal law Scots and English family law Scots and English civil procedure Related systems English law Northern Ireland law Scots law Welsh law Law of the British Virgin Islands Law of Australia Law of Canada Law of India Law of the Republic of Ireland Law of New Zealand Law of the United States Anglo - Saxon law Law of Hong Kong Common law Equity English case law See also Legal services in the United Kingdom United Kingdom law category English law Core subjects UK Constitution Administrative law Criminal law Contract Tort Property Trusts European Union law Further subjects Company law Competition law Labour law Commercial law Procedure Family law Courts of England and Wales Related systems Law of the United Kingdom Northern Ireland law Scots law Welsh law Australian law British Virgin Islands law Canadian law Hong Kong law Indian law New Zealand law Singaporean law United States law Anglo - Saxon law Common law Equity English case law Category Portal Law in Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other entities Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard Other entities European Union Law Core subjects Administrative law Constitutional law Contract Criminal law Deed Equity Evidence International law Law of obligations Procedure Civil Criminal Property law Public law Restitution Statutory law Tort Other subjects Agricultural law Aviation law Banking law Bankruptcy Commercial law Competition law Conflict of laws Construction law Consumer protection Corporate law Cyberlaw Election law Energy law Entertainment law Environmental law Family law Financial regulation Health law Immigration law Intellectual property International criminal law International human rights International slavery laws Labour Law of war Legal archaeology Legal fiction Maritime law Media law Military law Probate Estate Will and testament Product liability Public international law Space law Sports law Tax law Transport law Trust law Women in law Sources of law Charter Constitution Custom Divine right Human rights Natural and legal rights Case law Precedent Law making Ballot measure Codification Decree Edict Executive order Proclamation Legislation Delegated legislation Regulation Rulemaking Promulgation Repeal Treaty Statutory law Statute Act of Parliament Act of Congress ( US ) Legal systems Civil law Common law Chinese law Legal pluralism Religious law Canon law Hindu law Jain law Jewish law Sharia Roman law Socialist law Statutory law Xeer Yassa Legal theory Critical legal studies Comparative law Feminist Law and economics Legal formalism History Natural law International legal theory Principle of legality Rule of law Sociology Jurisprudence Adjudication Administration of justice Criminal justice Court - martial Dispute resolution Fiqh Lawsuit / Litigation Legal opinion Legal remedy Judge Justice of the peace Magistrate Judgment Judicial review Jurisdiction Jury Justice Practice of law Attorney Barrister Counsel Lawyer Legal representation Prosecutor Solicitor Question of fact Question of law Trial Trial advocacy Trier of fact Verdict Legal institutions Bureaucracy The bar The bench Civil society Court Election commission Executive Judiciary Law enforcement Legal education Law school Legislature Military Police Political party Tribunal Category Index Outline Portal United Kingdom articles History Chronology Formation Georgian era Victorian era Edwardian era First World War Interwar Second World War UK since 1945 ( social history ) By topic Economic Empire Maritime Military Geography Administrative Countries of the United Kingdom Crown dependencies Overseas territories City status Towns Former colonies Physical British Isles terminology Great Britain Coastline Geology Northern Ireland Lakes and lochs Mountains Rivers Volcanoes Resources Energy / Renewable energy Biodiesel Coal Geothermal Hydraulic frac. Hydroelectricity Marine North Sea oil Solar Wind Food Agriculture Fishing English Scottish Hunting Materials Flora Forestry Mining Politics Constitution Courts Elections Foreign relations History Human rights Intersex LGBT Transgender Judiciary Law Law enforcement Legislation Monarchy monarchs Nationality Parliament House of Commons House of Lords Political parties Government Cabinet list Civil service Departments Prime Minister list Military Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force Weapons of mass destruction Economy Banks Bank of England Budget Economic geography Manufacturing Pound ( currency ) Stock Exchanges ( London Exchange ) Taxation Telecommunications Tourism Transport British Rail Society Affordability of housing Crime Demography Drug policy Education Ethnic groups Health care Immigration Innovation Languages Poverty Food banks Prostitution Public holidays Social care Social structure Culture Art Cinema Cuisine Identity Literature Media television Music Religion Sport Symbols Theatre Countries of the United Kingdom England History social timeline Geography Politics Law Economy tourism Education Health care Culture Religion Symbols Northern Ireland History Geography Politics Assembly Executive First Minister and deputy Law Economy tourism Education Health care Culture Religion Symbols Scotland History timeline Geography Politics Parliament Government First Minister Law Economy tourism Education Health care Culture Religion Symbols Wales History Geography Welsh Government Politics Assembly First Minister Law Economy tourism Education Health care Culture Religion Symbols Outline Index Book Category Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Law_of_the_United_Kingdom&oldid=814882655 '' Categories : Law in the United Kingdom Hidden categories : CS1 Irish - language sources ( ga ) CS1 foreign language sources ( ISO 639 - 2 ) Use dmy dates from June 2017 Articles containing Irish - language text Articles containing Scottish Gaelic - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Čeština Dansk Français Македонски Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Norsk Português Svenska Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 11 December 2017, at 13 : 53. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what type of legal system is used in the uk
Answer: English law