Arbitration · Guernsey
Find an arbitration lawyer in Guernsey
Guernsey has its own legislature, its own courts and its own Advocates. Tell us about your dispute and we will match you with a Guernsey Advocate whose practice covers arbitration and Bailiwick litigation.
- Advocates of the Royal Court with rights of audience across the Bailiwick
- Clear guidance on prescription, which extinguishes the right of action in Guernsey
- Free matching, usually answered within 24–48 hours
Free matching · No obligation to instruct · Response usually within 24–48 hours
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The Guernsey position
Why a Guernsey dispute needs Guernsey knowledge
Guernsey is not part of the United Kingdom. It is a Crown Dependency with its own legislature, its own courts and a mixed body of law in which Norman customary law sits beneath more than a century of English-style statute and common law. Banking, funds, trusts and private client work dominate the economy, so commercial, trust and company disputes are a large part of Bailiwick practice, and arbitration is one route parties use to resolve them outside the ordinary court process. If your contract, your trust or your investment structure has a Guernsey connection, you need an arbitration lawyer in Guernsey who understands prescription, the formations of the Royal Court and the way Advocates bill and recover costs. Tell us what has happened and we will match you with a Guernsey Advocate whose practice covers arbitration and the underlying dispute, at no cost to you.
Guernsey in practice
How dispute resolution works in the Bailiwick of Guernsey
Guernsey, Alderney and Sark form one Bailiwick, legislated for by the States of Deliberation, but each has its own first-instance court and Advocates are admitted to practise throughout. The detail below explains who may act for you, where disputes are heard and which clocks are running.
A fused profession: Advocates, not solicitors and barristers
In Guernsey a single practitioner does what solicitors and barristers do in England: the Advocate instructs, prepares and appears. Advocates of the Royal Court have full rights of audience, are admitted by the Full Court, take their oath in French and wear a toque rather than a wig. All Advocates belong to the Guernsey Bar, a statutory body corporate created by the Guernsey Bar (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2007.
A mixed legal system with its own reasoning
Guernsey’s private law grew out of the Norman customary law of the Duchy of Normandy, historically recorded and argued in French, onto which English common law and English-style statute law have been grafted for well over a century. Guernsey legislation is drafted in English, and English case law is persuasive but not binding. Your dispute is therefore read on Guernsey’s own terms.
Where Bailiwick disputes are heard
First instance lies in the Magistrate’s Court for debt and damages up to GBP 10,000, and in the Royal Court, whose Ordinary Court exercises general civil jurisdiction over commercial, trust, company, insolvency, property and public law matters. In civil cases Jurats are the judges of fact, while the judge alone decides law, procedure and costs. Appeals lie to the Guernsey Court of Appeal and ultimately to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
Prescription extinguishes the right, not merely the remedy
Guernsey has no direct equivalent of the English law of limitation. It applies prescription, which extinguishes the right of action itself and is a matter of substantive law rather than procedure. Contractual and tort claims generally prescribe after six years, personal injury and breach of trust claims after three. Proceedings are commenced, and prescription interrupted, by handing a summons to HM Sergeant for service on the defendant.
Costs, funding and what a successful party recovers
Advocates bill by hourly rates, and Guernsey’s Costs and Fees Rules fix the recoverable rates at GBP 351 per hour for Advocates and GBP 235.17 for associates from 1 January 2026. Those rates sit below what is often charged, so a successful party typically recovers around 60 to 70 per cent of its actual spend. Costs follow the event, but contingency and damages-based agreements are prohibited, while third-party litigation funding is permitted.
Legal aid and the Green Form scheme
The Guernsey Legal Aid Service, administered by the States of Guernsey, provides free or reduced-cost advice and representation to individuals who cannot otherwise afford an Advocate; it is not available to companies or groups. Applicants must pass a financial means test and a merits test, and a certificate covers costs only from the day it is issued. A Green Form allows up to two hours of initial advice, free or with a contribution.
Key time limits — Litigation & Dispute Resolution
| Matter | Deadline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Contractual claims (breach of contract) | 6 years from the accrual of the cause of action | Prescription in Guernsey extinguishes the right of action itself, not merely the remedy, and is substantive rather than procedural. |
| Tort claims (including negligence and defamation) | 6 years from the date the cause of action accrued | The starting point is the accrual of the cause of action rather than the claimant’s discovery of the damage. |
| Personal injury and death claims (negligence) | 3 years from accrual or from the claimant’s date of knowledge | A shorter period applies than for other negligence claims, with knowledge of the injury capable of starting time. |
| Breach of trust claims | 3 years from the date the claimant first had knowledge of the breach | Trust litigation is a significant part of Bailiwick practice, and knowledge of the breach is the trigger. |
| Civil appeals to the Guernsey Court of Appeal | 28 days to serve notice; 7 days to set down; up to 4 months to lodge the case | An appeal from the Ordinary Court generally lies as of right, subject to leave where the order is interlocutory. |
| Enforcement of judgments (prescription and saisie) | 6 years for judgments after trial or by consent; 3 years for default judgments | Enforcement against Guernsey land follows the customary procedure of saisie before the Royal Court sitting en Plaids d’Heritage. |
The country data on this page is drawn from official Guernsey sources, the Royal Court and the Guernsey Bar, together with published practice guides, verified in 2026.
- Appleby — The Legal and Court System in Guernsey
- The Guernsey Bar
- Royal Court of Guernsey — Advocates of the Royal Court
- Collas Crill — Prescription explained
- Bedell Cristin — How Guernsey’s prescription rules differ from English limitation
- Royal Court of Guernsey — Matrimonial Causes
- Royal Court of Guernsey — Evictions
- Royal Court of Guernsey — Legal Aid
Common situations
What clients bring to us on Guernsey matters
Three situations we see repeatedly when a dispute has a Bailiwick connection.
Your contract says Guernsey law
You have a Guernsey-law contract and no clear idea which court, which procedure or which time limit applies. Prescription works differently from limitation in England, and the clock may already be running against you.
You cannot easily instruct a Guernsey Advocate
Advocacy in Guernsey is a fused profession and only Advocates of the Royal Court are admitted to practise Bailiwick law. Finding one with genuine arbitration experience, from outside the island, is not straightforward.
Costs feel impossible to predict
Guernsey fixes recoverable hourly rates, but Advocates bill above them and contingency fees are prohibited. Without clear advice on costs following the event, budgeting for a dispute feels like guesswork.
How we help
Matching built around the Guernsey legal system
We are not a law firm. We are a free matching service that puts you in front of the right practitioner.
Matched on subject matter
We look at the nature of your dispute, whether commercial, trust, company, property or employment, and match you with a Guernsey Advocate whose practice actually covers it.
One profession, no confusion
In the Bailiwick a single Advocate instructs, prepares and appears. You are matched directly with a practitioner holding full rights of audience in the Guernsey courts.
Costs explained before you commit
Your first conversation covers how Advocates bill, the recoverable rates fixed by Guernsey’s Costs and Fees Rules, and the practical effect of costs following the event.
A short, focused first contact
We ask only what is needed to route your enquiry properly, then pass it to the right practice. There is no charge to be matched and no obligation to instruct.
Cross-border matters
Guernsey disputes often involve another jurisdiction
Because Guernsey is a financial services centre, disputes frequently involve parties, assets or advisers elsewhere. We can also match you with practitioners in these jurisdictions.
Questions
Arbitration and Guernsey disputes: frequently asked questions
How do I find an arbitration lawyer in Guernsey?
Describe the dispute, the parties and the governing law, and we match you with an Advocate of the Royal Court whose practice covers arbitration and the underlying subject matter, whether that is a commercial contract, a trust or a company matter. Matching is free, and you decide whether to instruct.
Who is allowed to practise Guernsey law?
Only Advocates of the Royal Court hold full rights of audience in the Bailiwick. Non-advocate lawyers may work on Guernsey law while employed or supervised by a firm of Advocates, but they must not hold themselves out as Advocates and must state the jurisdiction in which they are qualified.
What time limits apply to a Guernsey dispute?
Guernsey applies prescription rather than limitation, and prescription extinguishes the right of action itself. Contractual and tort claims generally prescribe six years from accrual, personal injury and breach of trust claims three years, and unfair dismissal complaints must reach the EEOS within three months of termination.
How much does a Guernsey dispute cost?
Advocates charge hourly, and Guernsey’s Costs and Fees Rules fix the recoverable rates at GBP 351 per hour for Advocates and GBP 235.17 for associates from 1 January 2026. Costs usually follow the event, but because those rates sit below what is charged, recovery commonly runs at around 60 to 70 per cent.
Does the Royal Court sit with a jury?
No. In civil matters the Royal Court sits with a judge and, where facts are in issue, at least two Jurats, usually three. Jurats are permanent elected lay members of the court, 16 in number, who decide the facts and must follow the judge’s directions on law and procedure. The judge alone decides law and costs.
Can I get legal aid for a Guernsey dispute?
Possibly. The Guernsey Legal Aid Service, administered by the States of Guernsey, provides free or reduced-cost advice and representation to individuals who cannot otherwise afford an Advocate, subject to a means test and a merits test. Companies and groups of people are excluded, and a certificate covers costs only from its date of issue.
Next step
Tell us about your Guernsey dispute
Set out what has happened, where the parties are and which law governs. We will match you with a Guernsey Advocate who handles arbitration and Bailiwick litigation, free of charge and with no obligation to instruct.