Mediation · Guernsey
Find your mediation lawyer in Guernsey
Guernsey is a Crown Dependency with its own legislature, its own courts and its own body of law, so a dispute here follows Guernsey procedure rather than English procedure. Tell us what has happened and we match you, free of charge, with an Advocate or mediator who handles this type of matter. You decide whether to instruct.
- Free matching with an Advocate or mediator who works in Guernsey
- Practitioners familiar with prescription, the Royal Court and Bailiwick costs rules
- No obligation, and a typical first reply within 24–48 hours
Free matching · No obligation · Typical first reply in 24–48 hours
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Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
Before you instruct
What a mediation lawyer in Guernsey actually does for you
Mediation in Guernsey sits inside a legal system that is genuinely its own: a Crown Dependency with its own legislature and courts, and a private law built on Norman customary law with English common law grafted on top. English case law is persuasive but not binding, and English limitation has no direct equivalent — Guernsey applies prescription, which extinguishes the right of action rather than merely barring the remedy. That makes timing and procedure worth understanding before positions harden. If you are searching for a mediation lawyer in Guernsey, we take your details, the nature of the dispute and the outcome you want, then match you free of charge with an Advocate or mediator who handles this kind of matter. There is no obligation and no cost to be matched.
Guernsey in practice
How disputes and settlement work in Guernsey
Guernsey is a Crown Dependency and not part of the United Kingdom: the States of Deliberation legislates for the Bailiwick, which also comprises Alderney and Sark, each with its own first-instance courts. Its private law is Norman customary law historically recorded and argued in French, with English common law and English-style statute grafted on. That inheritance shapes what any negotiated or mediated settlement needs to cover.
A mixed legal system, not English law
Guernsey has its own courts and its own body of law, and English case law is persuasive but not binding on them. The core of its private law is Norman customary law, with English common law and statute grafted on for well over a century. Guernsey legislation is drafted in English, but court documents, office names and procedures remain French.
Prescription, not limitation
The English law of limitation finds no direct equivalent in Guernsey. Guernsey applies prescription, which does not merely bar the remedy but extinguishes the right of action, and it is treated as substantive law rather than procedure. In practice this means the periods below are not simply procedural hurdles: letting one expire can end the claim itself.
Who may act for you
Advocacy in Guernsey is a fused profession: an Advocate of the Royal Court performs the roles that solicitors and barristers perform in England, acting as both instructing lawyer and court advocate. Admission is by the Royal Court, and every Advocate is a member of the Guernsey Bar by operation of the 2007 Law. Non-advocates may practise Guernsey law only while employed or supervised by a firm of Advocates.
Costs and what can be recovered
Advocates bill by hourly rates, and the recoverable rate is fixed by Guernsey’s Costs and Fees Rules at GBP 351 per hour for Advocates with effect from 1 January 2026, rising annually with inflation. Because that sits well below what firms actually charge, a successful party typically recovers roughly 60% to 70% of its real legal spend. Costs normally follow the event.
Legal aid and the Green Form
The Guernsey Legal Aid Service, administered by the States, provides free or reduced-cost advice and representation to individuals who pass a financial means test and a legal merits test. Family disputes, care proceedings brought by the States and personal injury or medical negligence claims are commonly covered. A Green Form can fund up to two hours of advice; a certificate covers costs only from the day it is issued.
Where a settlement is recorded and enforced
Substantial civil matters go to the Ordinary Court of the Royal Court, where the judge decides law, procedure and costs and the Jurats decide the facts. Smaller debt and damages claims go to the Magistrate’s Court. Enforcement of money judgments is handled by HM Sheriff, while enforcement against land follows the customary procedure known as saisie, before the Court sitting en Plaids d’Heritage.
Key time limits — Litigation & Dispute Resolution
| Matter | Time limit in Guernsey | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Contractual claims (breach of contract) | 6 years from the accrual of the cause of action | Prescription runs from the date of the breach itself, not from the date you discover the loss. |
| Tort claims, including negligence and defamation | 6 years from the date the cause of action accrued | The same six-year period covers most torts, defamation included. |
| Personal injury and death claims (negligence) | 3 years from accrual or from the claimant’s date of knowledge | A materially shorter period than other negligence claims, and knowledge can move the start date. |
| Breach of trust claims | 3 years from the date the claimant first had knowledge of the breach | Trust disputes are a significant part of Guernsey practice, given the island’s fiduciary industry. |
| Civil appeals to the Guernsey Court of Appeal | 28 days from pronouncement to serve notice; the appeal set down within 7 days; up to 4 months to lodge the case | Leave may be required where the order or judgment appealed is interlocutory. |
| Enforcement of judgments | 6 years to enforce a judgment after trial or entered by consent; 3 years for a default judgment | Enforcement against land in Guernsey follows the customary saisie procedure. |
Country data is drawn from official Guernsey sources (the Royal Court of Guernsey, the Guernsey Bar and the States of Guernsey) together with published practitioner guides, with court fees and recoverable rates stated as in force from 1 January 2026.
- Appleby — The Legal and Court System in Guernsey
- The Guernsey Bar
- Advocates of the Royal Court — Guernsey Royal Court
- Collas Crill — Guernsey prescription explained
- Chambers Practice Guide — Defamation and Reputation Management 2026, Guernsey
- Ferbrache & Farrell — Prescription and limitation: when should you bring a claim?
- Bedell Cristin — Time limits: how Guernsey’s prescription rules differ from English limitation
- Bedell Cristin — Claims against estates in Guernsey
- EEOS — Requirements of employment
- Guernsey Royal Court — Matrimonial Causes
- Guernsey Royal Court — Evictions
- States of Guernsey — Rent control guidance
- Guernsey Royal Court — Court of Appeal procedural guidance
- Guernsey Royal Court — Legal aid
Why people hesitate
The three things that make a Guernsey dispute feel unpredictable
Most people arrive assuming Guernsey works like England. It does not, and the differences show up early.
The clock is not the English one
Guernsey applies prescription rather than limitation, and it can extinguish your right of action entirely rather than simply barring the remedy. Assuming the familiar English six-year rule governs your matter is a common and expensive mistake.
Costs that are hard to forecast
Advocates bill hourly, the recoverable rate is capped well below what firms charge, and a successful party typically recovers around 60% to 70% of its actual spend. Knowing where you stand before a hearing begins matters more than the headline rate.
Two legal traditions on one small island
Norman customary law, English-style statute, a fused legal profession and French court terminology mean the route through a Guernsey dispute is rarely obvious from the outside. Early, jurisdiction-specific guidance is worth having.
How we help
Matched with the right practitioner, at no cost to you
We are not a law firm. We identify the practitioners who actually handle your type of matter in Guernsey and put you in touch.
Specialists in Guernsey procedure
We match you with Advocates of the Royal Court and mediators who work with Guernsey’s mixed law, its prescription rules and its court structure as part of their daily practice.
Free, no-obligation matching
Describe your dispute once. We compare it against the practitioners on our panel and connect you with those who genuinely handle this category of matter in the Bailiwick.
Clarity on cost before you commit
You can ask about hourly rates, the recoverable rate caps and how costs orders work in Guernsey before deciding whether to instruct anyone.
One route from mediation to court
Negotiated settlement, mediation and, where it becomes necessary, proceedings in the Ordinary Court or the Magistrate’s Court: the same practitioner can usually take the matter through.
Also available in
Other European jurisdictions we cover
The same free matching service operates across these jurisdictions, each with its own procedural rules and its own panel of specialists.
Questions and answers
Mediation in Guernsey: what clients ask us first
Do I need a mediation lawyer in Guernsey before I can try mediation?
No. Mediation is a voluntary process, and you can approach it before instructing anyone. That said, Guernsey’s prescription periods, costs regime and court structure are unusual enough that early advice is genuinely useful. We match you free of charge with a practitioner who handles mediation in this jurisdiction, and you decide whether to instruct.
Who is allowed to represent me in Guernsey?
Advocacy in Guernsey is a fused profession. Advocates of the Royal Court act both as instructing lawyer and as court advocate, they are admitted by the Full Court and they are officers of the Court. A person qualified elsewhere may practise Guernsey law while employed or supervised by a firm of Advocates, but must not hold themselves out as an Advocate.
How long do I have to start a claim in Guernsey?
It depends on the subject matter. Contract and most tort claims prescribe after six years, personal injury claims after three years, and breach of trust claims three years from the date you first had knowledge of the breach. Unfair dismissal complaints must reach the EEOS within three months. Because prescription extinguishes the right itself, it is unwise to wait.
Which Guernsey court will hear my case if mediation does not settle it?
Debt and damages claims up to GBP 10,000 go to the Magistrate’s Court. More substantial civil matters go to the Ordinary Court of the Royal Court, where the judge decides law, procedure and costs while the Jurats decide the facts. Divorce and matrimonial causes are heard by the Matrimonial Causes Division.
What does representation cost in Guernsey, and what can I recover?
Advocates bill by hourly rates, and the recoverable rate is fixed by the Costs and Fees Rules at GBP 351 per hour for Advocates from 1 January 2026. Because that is below what firms actually charge, a successful party typically recovers around 60% to 70% of its real spend. Costs normally follow the event.
Can legal aid cover a family or personal injury dispute in Guernsey?
The States of Guernsey Legal Aid Service provides free or reduced-cost advice and representation to individuals who pass a means test and a merits test. Family disputes, care proceedings brought by the States and personal injury or medical negligence claims are commonly covered. A Green Form can fund up to two hours of advice, and a certificate covers costs only from the day it is issued.
Next step
Tell us about your Guernsey dispute
Describe the situation in your own words and we will match you with an Advocate or mediator who handles this type of matter in Guernsey. The matching is free, there is no obligation to instruct, and you keep control of every decision that follows.