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.
Edward Buckland TEP
Bedell Trust Company, St Helier,
Jersey
Tony Fulton TEP
Carey Olsen, St Helier, Jersey
Rosemary Marr TEP
Consultant, St Clement, Jersey
Steven Meiklejohn TEP
Ogier, St Helier, Jersey
Naomi Rive TEP
Appleby, St Helier, Jersey