1. Introduction

a. History and background

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold in 1066, the Channel Islands, including Jersey, were part of his Norman possessions. When he gained the throne of England, Jersey thereby became a possession of the English Crown. That continued to be the case despite the loss by King John of the remainder of Normandy in the year 1204. It has remained loyal to the English Crown (as distinct from the English Parliament) ever since. Nowadays Jersey is described as a ‘peculiar’ of the Crown, or a Crown Dependency. It is part of the British Isles (although not part of the United Kingdom), but by charter and constitutional convention it has autonomy over its own domestic affairs, including taxation. It is party to a written protocol with the European Union (EU) but is not part of the EU. Its currency is the British pound (GBP).

b. Legal system

Jersey customary law is derived from Norman law. While criminal law was originally influenced by Norman law, it now draws primarily on English law. Although some areas of commercial law, such as the law of contract, are much influenced by Norman and French principles, English and Commonwealth cases are also regarded as useful and persuasive authority. In matters of property and succession, Jersey law is very different from English law. In relation to financial regulation and matters relating to the pursuit of international crime, Jersey law consists predominantly of statutory law, usually based on equivalent legislation in the UK.