CIVIL COURTS

Small Claims Court

• claims up to £10000 (£1000 in personal injury)
• Heard by a District Judge
• Use of legal representation is discouraged

Fast Track

• claims from £10,000 to £25,000
• Heard by a Circuit Judge in the County Court, formal court setting
• 30-50 weeks for case to be heard, 1 day trial

Multi Track

• claims from £25,000 upwards
• Heard by a Circuit Judge (HC Judge in rare cases)
• 1-2 years for case to be heard

FAIRNESS - everyone is treated equally as the judge is impartial and professional

PROCESS - the proceedings are conducted by legal professionals to ensure everyone gets the same access to justice

ENFORCEMENT - decisions are legally binding and have a strict enforcement procedure

FUNDING - people may be eligible for legal aid to ensure equal access to justice

EXPENSES - taking a case to court can be extremely expensive, they can often cost more than the amount claimed for

DELAYS - there are many preliminary stages and many cases, and as a result the system is backlogged up to 2 years or more

PROCESS- the court procedure is very complicated and as not everyone will choose to use legal representation, they may struggle to understand, leading to unequal access to justice.

Once a decision has been reached, claimants or defendants still have the chance to appeal. The appeal case will be heard by a judge more superior than those before them.

DISTRICT JUDGE

CIRCUIT JUDGE

HIGH COURT

LORD JUSTICE OF APPEAL

SUPREME LORD JUSTICE