County Court
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The County Court is the workhorse of the civil justice system in England and Wales. See Courts of England and Wales for a full list of the courts.
The vast majority of civil cases are heard in the County Courts, and most major towns have one. The governing statute is the County Courts Act 1984 and procedure is governed by the Civil Procedure Rules, which are common to all all English civil law courts.
The County Court system in its present form has existed for about 150 years. The County courts generally hear matters with a financial value of £50,000 or under (US$80,000 and euro80,000).
Appeals are to the High Court of Justice or to the Court of Appeal.
County Court matters can be lodged via the internet (in some cases). Most matters are decided by a District Judge or Circuit Judge sitting alone. Civil matters in England (with minor exceptions, e.g. in some actions against the police) do not have juries.
Deputy District Judges are often part time, generally a local solicitor taking their first steps on the route to becoming a judge. Judges in the County courts are either former barristers or solicitors, whereas in the High Courts they are more likely to have formerly been a barrister.