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Courts of Scotland

Scotland keeps its own courts, separate from England and Wales. The civil and criminal courts are different chains, and the final civil appeals go to the UK Supreme Court, while final criminal appeals stay in Scotland.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

UK Supreme CourtFinal court for civil appeals from Scotland; in criminal cases only on devolution or human-rights questions

Civil courts

Court of Session: Inner HouseThe appeal court of the Court of Session
Court of Session: Outer HouseFirst-instance court for major cases
Sheriff Appeal Court
Sheriff CourtsMost civil cases begin here

Criminal courts

High Court of JusticiarySits as the appeal court and as the trial court for the most serious crimes
Sheriff CourtsSerious cases before a jury, and summary cases without one
Justice of the Peace CourtsMinor offences
Appeals travel up the arrows. Boxes with a heavier border are the top court of each track.

Worth knowing

  • A Scottish criminal jury has fifteen members and can reach a verdict of guilty, not guilty or not proven.
  • The Scottish Land Court and tribunals handle specialised disputes.
  • Scots law is a mixed system with its own rules and terms.

Compare Scotland with another country →

Sources

Other systems

African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam

TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.