Insolvency & Liquidation · Jersey
Liquidation lawyers in Jersey for companies, trusts and creditors in distress
Jersey is a self-governing Crown Dependency with its own courts, its own divided profession and no general limitation statute. Whether you are a creditor, a director or a trustee, the practical questions are which court, which prescription period and who may represent you. We match you with specialists who handle that work.
- Advocates with rights of audience in every Jersey court
- Prescription periods identified claim by claim, not assumed
- Free, confidential matching answered within 24–48 hours
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Liquidation in Jersey
A separate jurisdiction, a different set of rules
Liquidation work in Jersey rarely follows the pattern you may know from England and Wales. Jersey is a self-governing Crown Dependency, its law is a mixture of Norman customary law and legislation passed by the States Assembly, and its courts are not bound by English decisions. If a company, trust or partnership is being wound up, or a creditor is pursuing recovery, the practical questions are: which Jersey court, which prescription period, and who may represent you. Our service exists to answer the third one quickly. We match clients looking for liquidation lawyers in Jersey with advocates who practise in this field, free of charge and without obligation. Tell us what you are facing and we will introduce a specialist who handles that kind of Jersey matter.
Jersey in practice
How liquidation and recovery work on the island
Jersey’s courts, profession and prescription rules all differ from those of England and Wales, and there is no general limitation statute to fall back on. These are the structural points that most often shape a liquidation, recovery or trust-related matter on the island.
A separate jurisdiction with its own courts
Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency and a legal jurisdiction separate from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Its law derives from the customary law of the Duchy of Normandy, modified by legislation passed by the States Assembly, and its courts are not bound by English decisions. The Royal Court is the principal court, sitting in formations including the Inferior Number for civil matters.
Advocates, solicitors and rights of audience
Only advocates and solicitors of the Royal Court may practise Jersey law, and both must be ordinary members of The Law Society of Jersey. Advocates have rights of audience before every court in Jersey; solicitors, called écrivains, have only limited rights of audience and instruct advocates for contested work. Most advocacy in the Royal Court and Court of Appeal is conducted by advocates.
No general limitation statute
Unlike England and Wales, Jersey has no Limitation Act imposing harmonised periods across civil claims. Prescription must be identified claim by claim from customary law, case law and individual enactments, and periods such as the ten years for contract were established by the courts. Correctly identifying the applicable period, and any standstill agreement, is a recurring issue in Jersey litigation.
Trusts, longstops and fraud
Where assets are held on trust, the Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984 sets its own prescription regime for breach of trust claims: three years from delivery of the final accounts or from the beneficiary’s first knowledge of the breach, plus an absolute 21-year longstop. There is no prescription at all where the trustee was party or privy to fraud, or where trust property is recovered from the trustee.
Court fees and the cost of proceedings
Court fees in Jersey are fixed by the Stamp Duties and Fees (Jersey) Law 1998 and applied to each division of the courts. From 28 April 2025 the first billet in the Samedi Division is £383 where the claim or the assets affected do not exceed £2 million, and £1,740 above that. Professional fees are not fixed by law or by an official scale.
Legal aid and who can apply
Civil legal aid in Jersey is means-tested and, outside criminal matters, generally available only to people living in Jersey. Applicants must satisfy residency, financial and merits tests, and the Legal Aid Office publishes current capital and income thresholds. Criminal legal aid is available for most criminal matters before the courts in Jersey.
The country data on this page is drawn from official Jersey sources – the Courts of Jersey, the Jersey Legal Information Board, the Legal Aid Office and the Laws of Jersey – consulted in 2025.
- Courts of Jersey – structure, formations and appeals
- Advocates and Solicitors (Jersey) Law 1997 – admission and rights of audience
- Jersey Legal Information Board – Limitation of Actions
- Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984 – prescription for breach of trust
- Courts of Jersey – court fees
- Legal Aid Office – civil legal aid eligibility
- Jersey employment law – unfair dismissal time limit
- Jersey discrimination law – time limit for claims
- Jersey divorce law – duration of marriage and separation grounds
- Jersey residential tenancy law – notice to end a tenancy
- Jersey Court of Appeal – time for civil appeals
- Jersey reciprocal enforcement of foreign judgments
Why it is not straightforward
Three things that catch clients out in Jersey
The island looks familiar from the outside. In practice, its courts, its profession and its timing rules operate on their own terms.
The clock is not the one you expect
Jersey has no general limitation statute, so the period that applies to a recovery or contribution claim has to be identified claim by claim. Assuming an English-style deadline can end a case before it has properly started.
Not everyone can appear in court
Jersey has a divided profession. Only advocates have rights of audience before every court; a solicitor with limited rights must instruct an advocate for contested work. Choosing the wrong representative adds cost and delay.
Fees are agreed, not fixed
Professional fees of advocates and solicitors in Jersey are not set by law or by an official scale, and firms publish their own hourly rates. Without a clear engagement letter it is easy to lose sight of what a contested matter will cost.
What you get
Specialists who work with Jersey law every day
We keep the matching simple: you describe the matter once, and we introduce a practitioner whose practice covers it.
Full rights of audience
We match you with Jersey advocates who can appear before every court on the island, including the Royal Court and the Jersey Court of Appeal, rather than practitioners restricted to advisory work.
Comfortable with mixed law
Jersey law is a blend of Norman customary law, legislation of the States Assembly and persuasive English authority. Your advocate works with that mixture as a matter of routine, not as an exception.
Prescription handled properly
The applicable period has to be traced through customary law, case law and individual enactments. We match you with practitioners who treat that analysis as the first step, not an afterthought.
One free, confidential introduction
Tell us about the matter once. We compare it with the practices of Jersey advocates who handle this kind of work and introduce you at no cost, with no obligation to instruct.
Europe-wide
Clients we help across Europe
We work with clients and their advisers across the continent who need representation in a European jurisdiction, including in Jersey and its neighbouring islands.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about liquidation in Jersey
What should I look for in liquidation lawyers in Jersey?
Look for an advocate admitted to the Jersey Bar and an ordinary member of The Law Society of Jersey, because only advocates have rights of audience before every court on the island, including the Royal Court and the Court of Appeal. Practical experience of prescription analysis and of Jersey’s mixed customary and statutory law matters just as much.
Can a Jersey solicitor represent me in contested proceedings?
Jersey has a divided profession. Advocates have rights of audience before every court in Jersey, while solicitors, known as écrivains, have only limited rights of audience and instruct advocates for contested court work. Most advocacy in the Royal Court and the Court of Appeal is conducted by advocates, so contested matters are usually argued by an advocate.
How long do I have to bring a recovery claim in Jersey?
There is no general limitation statute. Periods are found in customary law, case law and individual enactments: the default contractual period is ten years from the breach, tort claims run for three years from accrual, and breach of trust claims run for three years with a 21-year longstop, with no prescription at all in fraud and trust-property recovery cases.
Where does a Jersey case go on appeal?
Civil appeals from the Royal Court lie to the Jersey Court of Appeal, which must be appealed to within 28 days from the date the judgment or order of the court below was pronounced. From the Court of Appeal a further appeal lies, with leave, to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, the highest court of appeal for Jersey.
Is legal aid available for Jersey court proceedings?
Civil legal aid is means-tested and, other than in criminal matters, generally available only to people living in Jersey. Applicants must satisfy residency, financial and merits tests, with current capital and income thresholds published by the Legal Aid Office. Criminal legal aid is available for most criminal matters before the courts in Jersey.
Who decides the facts in the Royal Court?
Jurats sit alongside the Bailiff or Deputy Bailiff. They are lay judges appointed by an Electoral College of the States, they decide questions of fact in the Inferior Number and determine sentences in the Superior Number, and they serve in the Criminal Assize, where a jury of twelve decides on guilt.
Free matching
Tell us about your Jersey matter
Describe it in a few lines: a creditor claim, a director’s position, a trust dispute or a company being unwound. We will review what you send and introduce a Jersey advocate who handles that kind of work. The introduction is free, and you decide whether to instruct.