High Court

The High Court of Justice as a higher court has its main center in London and branch registries throughout England and Wales. The High Court deals with more complicated civil matters, trying cases involving amounts above £50,000, unless they are so straightforward as not to merit trial in that forum. Its jurisdiction covers mainly civil and some criminal cases, though it also deals with appeals with tribunals and from magistrates’ courts in both civil and criminal matters. It is divided into three divisions, which specialise in specific matters:

• The Queen's Bench Division, which consists of the Lord Chief Justice and 29 other judges and deals with disputes relating to contract and ton cases and claims for the recovery of land and property. Maritime and general commercial matters are the responsibility of the Division's Admiralty and Commercial courts, respectively.

• the Chancery Division, which consists of the Lord Chancellor and seven judges, deals with company law: commercial, financial and succession matters such as individual or corporate insolvency, bankruptcy, trusts, disputes in the running of companies, in intellectual properly matters; the interpretation of trust and contested wills and some other general matters.

• the Family Division, which has a President and seven other judges, is with family law affecting the family and domestic issues such as marriage, divorce, family property, adoption of children and uncontested wills.

In the event of overlapping jurisdiction between the High Court, the county courts and the magistrates' courts, cases of exceptional importance, complexity or financial substance are reserved or transferred for trial to the High Court.

Text-study

I. Learn the following words.

two-tiered – двухъярусный

claim – иск, претензия

circuit – округ

to preside – председательствовать

registrar – чиновник-регистратор

tenant – владелец недвижимости

complaint – жалоба

registry – регистрация, регистрационная запись

to merit – заслужить, быть достойным

tort – нарушение, дающее основание предъявить иск

recovery – возмещение

insolvency – банкротство, несостоятельность

to run – управлять

will – завещание

to overlap – частично не совпадать

II. Answer the following questions.

1. What does the jurisdiction of county courts cover?

2. What role do the county courts have?

3. Is the civil court structure three-tiered?

4. Where does the High Court have its main center?

5. Is the High Court divided into three or five divisions? Enumerate these divisions.

6. When are cases of exceptional importance transferred to the High Court?

III. Find in the text the words corresponding to the following definitions.

1. an argument or disagreement, especially an official one;

2. being unable to pay debts;

3. a legal arrangement in which a person or organization controls property or money for the benefit of another person or organization;

4. to cover partly by going over its edge;

5. a person who pays rent for the use of land or a building;

6. to pursue a particular line of study, work, or the like;

7. to deal with or direct attention to.