Thelaw of Jersey has been influenced by several different legal traditions, in particularNorman customary law,English common law and modernFrench civil law.[1] TheBailiwick of Jersey is a separatejurisdiction from that of the United Kingdom, and is also distinct from that of the otherChannel Islands such asGuernsey, although they do share some historical developments. Jersey'slegal system is 'mixed' or 'pluralistic', and sources of law are in French and English languages, although since the 1950s the mainworking language of the legal system is English.
Jersey's legislature, theStates Assembly makeslegislation affecting most areas of activity.[2]
The highest form of legislation made by the States is "Laws".[3] If a proposed Law is likely to be controversial, the general desirability of having new legislation on the topic may be debated before the law is drafted.
The procedure for making laws is set out in the Standing Orders of the States of Jersey.[4][5] Once the Law is in draft from, it starts the legislative process as a 'draft Law' which may be introduced to the States by aminister, any States member, ascrutiny panel or the Comité desConnétables.
The law is then submitted via theLieutenant Governor's office for transmission to London, whereofficials in theMinistry of Justice examine the law. In 2010, theHouse of Commons Justice Committee was highly critical of the UK Government's approach, finding that "The islands are more than adequately advised by their own law officers and parliamentary counsel. It seems a strange use of Ministry of Justice resources ... to engage in a kind of legislative oversight which does not restrict itself to the constitutional grounds for scrutiny".[7] This process may take several months. In an unusual move in 2011, campaigners against a law that sought to reduce the number of senators in the States petitioned the Privy Council to advise the Queen to refuseroyal assent.[8] Once official scrutiny is complete in London, the law is formally presented to His Majesty for royal assent at a meeting of thePrivy Council, usually held at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.
After a Law receives royal assent, the final step is for it be registered with theRoyal Court of Jersey. At this point it is "passed". The Law may specify that it can be brought into force at a date decided by the relevant Jersey minister, or the States Assembly may adopt a "Commencement Act". There may be a considerable delay between a law being passed and it becoming legally effective if, for example, civil servants need to be trained, computer systems put in place or money found to pay for the new scheme.
Laws adopted and passed are published in print inRecueil des Lois de Jersey and online by the Jersey Legal Information Board on the Jersey Law website.[9]
In Jersey, there are other types of legislation in addition to laws.[10]
The principal source for decisions on Jersey law are decisions of the Royal Court, which has a reputation for sound judgement.[11]
Jersey law also draws from cases in other jurisdictions, particularlyEngland and Wales. In criminal law, English law is drawn upon and its continuation[clarification needed] seems to be inevitable, although in some key areas such as sentencing, Jersey has taken a distinct path from England and Wales. However, in land and succession law, English law is of little relevance. The Normancoutume is too far removed from English law for English law to be a useful tool. In contract law, English cases are cited and often followed. In trust law, English cases are a persuasive force over decision making. In tort law, English law has largely won out over French law in its influence in tort law's development in the island. However, Jersey law does sometimes decline to follow decisions of the English legal system, for example in the case of The Siskina in the House of Lords.[11]
Custom holds a significant position within the legal system of Jersey. It is regarded as the foundation of Jersey law and has been described as 'the product of generally accepted usage and practice'.[12] Many rules of customary law have crystallised to such an extent (through repeated acknowledgment by theRoyal Court and in the way people conduct their affairs) that everyone accepts them as binding without discussion. Examples of such rules include the boundaries of theparishes, the existence of the office ofBailiff and various rules relating to possession of land and inheritance.[13]
Customary law has no formal, authoritative backing; it relies on 'the general consensus of opinion within the community'.[12] This differs fromEnglish common law, in which judicial statements of a judge in a senior court establish binding laws simply because they are stated by a judge.[12] The texts of legal 'commentators' and the case law of Jersey courts provide discussions of many customary law rules. However, where these do not adequately address a specific situation, Jersey courts examine factual evidence to work out the 'generally accepted usage and practice'.[13]
The customary law of theDuchy of Normandy is particularly influential as a source of law in Jersey, even though Jersey ceased to part of Normandy in 1204. Norman law developed in two main epochs – the "Ancienne coutume" (1199–1538) and the "Coutume reformée" (1538–1804).
The northern and western regions ofmedieval Europe "were a patchwork of territorial areas in which the main source of law was customs, usages and practices which had become relatively fixed and settled".[14] Norman law was based on oral tradition and repeated practices infeudal society.[15] The earliest known written account of the Ancienne coutume of Normandy is the "Très-ancienne coutume", first set down inLatin manuscript around 1199 to 1223. It was translated into French, probably in about 1230.[16][17] It is thought to be the work of scholars or court officials, designed to be a manual for legal practitioners.[18] A modern edition was compiled from various sources in 1903 by Professor E. J. Tardiff.[19]
Of more importance to Jersey law is "Le Grand Coutume de Normandie" written in the period 1245–1258, originally in Latin manuscript (Summa de Legibus).[20] The first printed version dates to 1438. It sets out the law and practice of Normandy in the form of 125 articles. It is probable that the original compiler "was an individual legal practitioner or scholar, rather than it being in any sense an official work".[21]
When in 1309Edward II of England sent Justices to Jersey, the people of Jersey were "asked by what law they claimed to be governed, the law of England, of Normandy, or by some special customs of their own? They answered 'By the law of Normandy, and referred the Justices to theSumma of Malcael [the Jersey name for the Grand Coutumier], where the Norman laws are well embodied' ... But they added, and this a clause that caused much trouble later, 'except that we have certain customs used in this island from time immemorial'".[22]
In the 16th century, two commentaries on the Grand Coutumier, written in Normandy, have been influential in Jersey law.Guillaume Rouillé of Alençon [fr] (also known as Le Rouillé) was the author ofLe Grant Coustumier du pays & duché de Normendie : tres utile & profitable a tous practiciens (1534; 1539). He also produced commentary on the neighbouring province ofMaine (pictured).
Guillaume Terrien'sCommentaires du droit civil, tant public que privé, observé au pays et Duché de Normandie was first published in 1574. Dawes explains: "Terrien's own work comprised the selecting of texts from theGrand Coutumier, putting them into an order which suited his scheme (even to the point of cutting and pasting quite disparate texts) and then commenting on the resulting amalgam. To this commentary a further author added notes headed 'Additio', more often than not in Latin".[23]
Two modern versions of the text of the Grand Coutumier have been produced. The first was byJurat William Laurence de Gruchy entitledL'Ancienne Coutume de Normandie: Réimpression, éditée avec de légères annotations (1881), based on Le Rouillé's 1539 edition, using a double-column format setting out the Latin and French texts side by side.[24] In 2009, an English translation of the Latin text by J. A. Everard was published.[25]
The second period in the development of Norman custom was theCoutume reformée (the reformed custom), in force between 1583 and 1804.
The reformed custom was a result of a 1453 directive ofCharles VII of France. He ordered the 'redaction' of all customary laws in France, which meant they were to be set out systematically and approved under royal authority. TheDuchy of Normandy was the final region to comply with this order, but eventually, a new text was prepared, which received royal approval fromHenry III in 1585. In 1804, customary law was abolished in France with the introduction of uniformcodes of civil and criminal law across the whole of France.
There are two reasons why the Coutume reformée might be thought to have little relevance toJersey: it was created 380 years after Jersey had ceased to be part of theDuchy of Normandy, and it was a text sanctioned by the King of France. Nonetheless, Jersey lawyers and courts have made frequent references to theCoutume reformée and, by virtue of its assimilation into Jersey law over the centuries, it is regarded as a source of the island's law.[26]
Commentators on the Coutume reformée include:
As well as relying on commentaries produced in France, Jersey has an indigenous legal literature on custom. In the 17th century,Jean Poingdestre (1609–1691) andPhilippe Le Geyt (1635–1716) wrote several works. Some chapters ofC. S. Le Gros' 20th-century work,Traité du Droit Coutumier d l'Ile de Jersey also remain relevant.[32]
Many rules of customary law have been amended or abolished by legislation in the later 19th and 20th centuries. Examples of this include:
Some fields of Jersey, such as negligence and administrative law, are heavily influenced byEnglish common law. In other branches of law, notably contract, Jersey courts may have regard toFrench civil law.[33][34]
The Human Rights (Jersey) Law 2000,[35] based closely on the United Kingdom'sHuman Rights Act 1998, requires Jersey courts so far as possible to interpret legislation so that it is compatible with rights and freedoms guaranteed by theEuropean Convention on Human Rights. Jersey public authorities are required to act in conformity with Convention rights. Jersey courts have power to make a 'declaration of incompatibility' if they decide that a Law violates one of the ECHR rights. The first such declaration was granted by the Jersey Court of Appeal in April 2024.[36]
In 2022, the States Assembly adopted the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022.[37] This 'indirectly' incorporates rights from theConvention on the Rights of the Child. It requires public office-holders to consider children's rights when they develop policies, laws and practices which impact children and young people.[38]
During the 20th century, the main working language of the Jersey legal system changed from French to English.[39] Before the 1930s, almost all legislation passed by the States Assembly was in French. Since then, French is used only where new legislation makes amendments to legislation originally drafted in French.[40]
The conveyancing of immoveable property was carried out using contracts drafted in French until October 2006,[41] after which contracts were required to be in English.[42] Several Frenchwords and expressions used in Jersey differ fromStandard French.
The Jersey legal system does not follow the strict rules ofbinding precedent that exist in common law jurisdictions, such asEngland and Wales,[43] or in Guernsey, the other jurisdiction based on Norman customary law.[44] TheRoyal Court is not bound by its own previous decisions on a point of law but it will generally follow them unless persuaded that the earlier decision was wrongly decided. A similar approach is taken by theCourt of Appeal. All Jersey courts are, however, bound by points of law decided by theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council in previous Jersey appeals to that court.
During the 19th and 20th centuries a series of improvements to the system of writing and reporting judgments was put in place. In 1885, theRoyal Court began to publish theTables des Décisions de la Cour Royal de Jersey – a subject index to decided cases, prepared by theGreffier.[45]
In 1950,Charles Thomas Le QuesneKC returned to Jersey from practice at theEnglish Bar and was appointedLieutenant Bailiff. Up to this point, theRoyal Court's judgments were in the French style ofjugements motivés,[citation needed] written in French by theGreffier rather than the judge, and expressing the reasons for the court's decision only very briefly. Le Quesne changed the language of judgments to English and adopted thecommon law style of judgments, where the judge gives detailed reasons for accepting or rejecting the rival submissions made at trial bycounsel.[46] Between 1950 and 1984, the Royal Court published its and the Court of Appeal judgments in a series oflaw reports known as theJersey Judgments (eleven volumes in total). From 1984, judgments have been published a new series oflaw reports known as theJersey Law Reports.[47]
In 2004, the Jersey Legal Information Board (JLIB) was set up to promote "accessibility of the written law and legal processes to the public and of an integrated and efficient legal system, through the use of information technology and by other means".[48] Judgments of the Royal Court and Court of Appeal are published online onwww.jerseylaw.je, with open access to "unreported" judgments as part of theFree Access to Law Movement.
The head of thejudiciary in Jersey is theBailiff. The Bailiff's functions may be exercised by theDeputy Bailiff.
As well as performing the judicial functions of achief justice, the Bailiff is the President (presiding officer) of theStates Assembly, civic head of the island, 'guardian of the constitution', president of the Licensing Assembly and, under customary law, must give permission for public entertainments.[49]
The posts of Bailiff andDeputy Bailiff are Crown appointments, formally made byHis Majesty the King, onadvice of the UK government'sSecretary of State for Justice.
An appointment process has developed in recent years, without a legislative basis, for vacancies for theDeputy Bailiff, Attorney General for Jersey and Solicitor General for Jersey. This involves advertising for candidates and the preparation of a shortlist by a selection panel consisting of the Bailiff (in the chair), the seniorJurat and the chairman of theJersey Appointments Commission. A process of consultation is then carried out, including the Jurats, theStates Consultative Panel (which includes theChief Minister), a number of elected members of the States Assembly, senior lawyers (theBâtonnier, the President of the Law Society, the former President of theLaw Society of Jersey and the President of theChambre des Ecrivains), the other Crown Officers and the localCommissioners of theRoyal Court. All candidates on the shortlist are then interviewed by the selection panel. A single name is then sent by the Lieutenant Governor to the Secretary of State for Justice.[50]
This process has not been used for appointment to the office of Bailiff on the basis that "The Secretary of State has accepted that the position of Deputy Bailiff is a training ground for the position of Bailiff, and that, therefore, all things being equal, you would expect to move up, assuming of course that you have performed to everyone's satisfaction".[51]
As well as the Bailiff and Deputy Bailiff, the Royal Court is composed of 12 or moreJurats. Some may be designated as 'Lieutenant Bailiffs'. Until 1948, the Jurats were judges of law as well as fact.[44] Jurats hold office until aged 72.[52]Jurats are elected by secret ballot of anelectoral college consisting of the Bailiff, the Jurats, theConnétables, the elected members of the States Assembly, advocates and solicitors of the Royal Court.[53]
Commissioners of the Royal Court are appointed by the Bailiff for the hearing of a specified cause or matter or a specified term.[54]
The Bailiff appoints theMagistrate and the Assistant Magistrate (who hold full-time salaried posts) and part-time Relief Magistrates (legal practitioners who carry out duties on a daily fee-paid basis).[55] It is now normal for the Bailiff to convene a panel to advise on salaried appointments.[56]
The judges of the Court of Appeal comprise the Bailiff and Deputy Bailiff (though they rarely sit), the Bailiff of Guernsey, and severalKing's Counsel or other senior legal practitioners from theUnited Kingdom, theChannel Islands or the Isle of Man.[57][58] Currently, there are 11judges of the Court of Appeal, including the Bailiff ofGuernsey.[59][60]
All judges in Jersey are bound by acode of conduct promulgated by theJersey Judicial Association in 2007. This requires judges to 'uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and perform their duties with competence, diligence and dedication'.[61]
The Bailiff, Deputy Bailiff and members of theJersey Court of Appeal 'hold office during good behaviour'.[62] Whereas senior judges in England and Wales who are appointed by Crown may only be removed from office with the consent of both Houses of Parliament,[63] the United KingdomSecretary of State for Justice may dismiss a Jersey judge appointed by the Crown without the agreementStates Assembly. This happened in 1992, when the then Deputy BailiffVernon Tomes was dismissed from office by theHome Secretary (the UK minister who at the time was responsible for theCrown Dependencies), at the request of the Bailiff, on grounds of his delays in producing written judgments.[64]
Jurats hold office up to the age of 72 years. A Jurat who 'in the opinion of the Court, is permanently unable, through physical or mental incapacity, or for any other reason, efficiently to carry out the duties of the office, may be called upon by the Court to resign'. A Jurat who refuses to resign may be removed from office by Order of His Majesty in Council on the petition of the Superior Number (the Bailiff and five or more Jurats) of theRoyal Court.[65]
The Bailiff may if he 'thinks fit, terminate the appointment of a Commissioner on the ground of incapacity or misbehaviour'.[54]
The Magistrates, who are also appointed by the Bailiff not the Crown, may not be removed from office 'except by virtue of an Order of Her Majesty in Council'.[66] In June 2008, the Chief Minister informed theStates Assembly that the Magistrate-Designate, Ian Christmas, has 'agreed not to sit as a judge following a discussion with the former Bailiff as a result of a criminal investigation into an allegedfraud'.[67][68] Mr Christmas was subsequently convicted of one count of fraud and sentenced to fifteen months in prison.[69] It has been reported that the Bailiff's Office has asked the United KingdomMinistry of Justice to arrange for a UK judge to undertake a disciplinary investigation.[70][71][72]
All courts in Jersey are required underArticle 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights to be 'independent and impartial'.[73]
In 2000, theEuropean Court of Human Rights held inMcGonnell v United Kingdom[74] that there was a breach of Article 6 inGuernsey where the Bailiff or Deputy Bailiff sat as President of theStates of Guernsey when proposed legislation was being debated and then subsequently sat as a judge of theRoyal Court of Guernsey in a case where that legislation was relevant. The Court, noting that there was no suggestion that the Bailiff 'was subjectively biased', stated that the 'mere fact' that this happened was capable of casting doubt on the Bailiff's impartiality.
A Bailiff and Deputy Bailiff in Jersey is able to avoid aMcGonnell situation simply by not sitting in theRoyal Court in cases concerned with legislation that was debated when he presided in theStates. In 2009, the then Bailiff, MrMichael Birt conceded that 'we probably need to improve our systems to be very compliant withMcGonnell and that one probably ought to keep a running list of those statutes where I have presided so at least I could invite the parties to consider whether they wanted to object or not'.[75]
In the 2009 review chaired byLord Carswell, set up by theStates Assembly, a legal opinion was commissioned fromRabinder Singh QC in which he expressed the view that 'there is no reason in law why the present constitutional arrangements in respect of the Bailiff should be altered. However, the trend suggests that the tide of history is in favour of reform and that the legal position will be different in 10 years time'.[76] Lord Carswell concluded that Mr Singh's opinion 'provides an additional reason why the Bailiff should cease to be the President of the States'.[77]
TheStates of Jersey have not accepted this aspect of the Carswell report. Many prominent islanders do not believe that any change is necessary or desirable.[78]
The Jersey legal profession has three types of Jersey-qualified lawyers:[79]
The Law Society of Jersey[81] is the professional body responsible for professional conduct of Advocates and Solicitors. Notaries are regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury through theDean of the Arches, referred to as theMaster of the Faculties, who is normally an EnglishKC.[82]
Some law firms focus on legal practice relating to Jersey'sfinance industry, the largest being:Appleby; Bedell Cristin;Carey Olsen;Mourant Ozannes; andOgier, all of which are regarded as part of the "offshore magic circle". Smaller firms and sole practitioners also provide a wide range of legal services.[83] Several law firms now have offices in both Jersey andGuernsey but the legal professions of the two islands are separate, as they are separate from those in England, Wales and Scotland. Most notaries in Jersey are employed by, or are partners in, local firms of Jersey advocates or solicitors, although some are in English solicitors firms or practising purely as notaries, independent of the general legal profession. There is a local Jersey Notaries Society.
The process of qualifying as a Jersey lawyer is regulated by the Advocates and Solicitors (Jersey) Law 1997[79] and is similar for both advocates and solicitors. Since 2009, candidates for theJersey law examinations are required to enrol on the Jersey Law Course run by the Institute of Law, Jersey.[84]
They are required to take five compulsory papers:
In addition, candidates must take one of three option papers:
The admission of lawyers as notaries in Jersey is governed by an order of theMaster of the Faculties. It is necessary to show that a prospective notary has been in actual practise in Jersey as a Jersey-qualified Advocate or Solicitor for a period of 5 years and is required to pass an examination in notarial practice. The Master does however retain a discretion to admit those who are not so qualified "...in appropriate circumstances".[85]
The Law Officers of the Crown are responsible for criminal prosecution work and for providing legal advice to the Crown, ministers and other members of theStates Assembly. The Attorney General and his deputy, the Solicitor General, are non-voting members of the States Assembly.[86]
Under the Access to Justice (Jersey) Law 2019, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs must consult and then publish a legal aid scheme.[87] A new legal aid system started in April 2022.[88]
TheJudicial Greffier is responsible for administering the scheme, but has delegated its operation to the Law Society of Jersey, which runs it through an entity called Legal Aid Jersey.[89]
The Jersey Law Commission was established by theStates Assembly in 1996 to keep Jerseylaw under review and bring forward proposals for law reform.[90]
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