Legal System

The legal system in the British Virgin Islands, not surprisingly, has its foundations in the British Legal System and English Common Law. Generally speaking common law, as opposed to civil or socialist law, is a type of legal system where legislation is continually evolving. Courts refine and create laws on a case-by-case basis. When resolving a legal dispute, in the ideal world, a common law court looks to precedents set by other courts. What this means is that when a court is resolving a dispute, it must look to see if a similar dispute was resolved in the past. If one has, then the present day court is obligated to following the same reasoning used in the prior case; this principle is called stare decisis. On the other hand, if the dispute is totally unique, the court may resolve the matter itself using general guidelines. This new decision then becomes the precedent to which all future cases are bound. Over the years, the precedents created by past decisions coalesce into a complicated set of rules that apply to a wide array of case; this collection of rules is known as “common law”. Of course, common law systems are much more complex in practice, nevertheless the principle of stare decisis as described above, is the foundation of all common law systems.

The court system consists of a Magistrates Court, a High Court and a Circuit Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court with final appeal to the Privy Council in England.

Latest news

• Emptied escrow scandal spreads - Myrtle Beach Sun News

  
  Google News - The British Virgin Islands
  17-February-2008

  Emptied escrow scandal spreadsMyrtle Beach Sun News, SC - 17 hours agoThe most recent escrow accounts were for a marina along the Intracoastal Waterway and the Diamond Cay condominium project in the British Virgin Islands. ...

  [full story]

• College Financial Aid Help - WMBB-TV

  
  Google News - Panama
  17-February-2008

  College Financial Aid HelpWMBB-TV, FL - 19 hours agoBy Tuquyen Mach Panama City, FL -- The cost of a college education keeps going up, so the folks at Gulf Coast Community College are seeking to help students ...

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• ONLINE POKER NETWORK TROUBLES CONTINUE - Online-Casinos.com

  
  Google News - The British Virgin Islands
  16-February-2008

  ONLINE POKER NETWORK TROUBLES CONTINUEOnline-Casinos.com, Denmark - 12 hours agoCintaly Holdings Corporation is understood to be based out of the British Virgin Islands, but with the UK telephone number +44 800-011-2643. ...

  [full story]

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