First published in The Royal Gazette, Legally Speaking, February
2022
Litigants in Bermuda must negotiate a legal system that combines
deep historical roots with a modern approach that increasingly
accommodates specialisation.
Here, we canvass the legal history of the island, the courts
that make up the island's justice system and our system of
government.
Bermuda is the oldest and largest self-governing overseas
territory of the United Kingdom. Executive authority is vested in
the Queen and is exercised on her behalf by the Governor after
consulting with the appropriate minister of government.
The Government of Bermuda was reconstituted by the Bermuda
Constitution Order 1968, which came into force that year. No
domestic legislation or principle of common law can derogate from
the Constitution.
