Many practitioners will appreciate that Jersey is a
self-governing Crown Dependency, with constitutional rights of
self-government and judicial independence – we have our own
government, legislation and currency (as is also the case in
Guernsey – which is not covered in this article). In Jersey,
only locally qualified advocates are entitled to appear before the
Royal Court of Jersey, which deals with all family law cases.
Despite the heavy influence of French law in the islands, the
approach of the Royal Court to family law matters closely follows
that adopted in the courts of England and Wales, as Jersey
legislation is largely based on the various family law acts passed
in the United Kingdom.
