Commercial Court

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The Commercial Court is a sub-division of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice, the major civil court in England. It is based in the Royal Courts of Justice (an imposing Victorian Gothic palace in central London).

The High Court is split into three divisions. The Family Division deals with divorce, children and medical treatment. The Chancery Division deals with land, mortgages, trusts, estates, probate, bankruptcy, intellectual property and company matters. The Queen's Bench Division deals with a wide range of contract law and personal injury/general negligence cases, but also has special responsibility as a supervisory court of lessor courts, tribunals and governmental authority. The Commercial Court is a specialist subsection of the Queen’s Bench Division.

The business of the Commercial Court is defined by the Civil Procedure Rules as:

"any claim arising out of the transactions of trade and commerce and includes any claim relating to -

(a) a business document or contract;
(b) the export or import of goods;
(c) the carriage of goods by land, sea, air or pipeline;
(d) the exploitation of oil and gas reserves or other natural resources;
(e) insurance and re-insurance;
(f) banking and financial services;
(g) the operation of markets and exchanges;
(h) the purchase and sale of commodities;
(i) the construction of ships;
(j) business agency; and
(k) arbitration."