Denmark

• The Constitution of 1953, the highest law
• Acts of Parliament (the Folketing), which are the main source of law
• European Union law, which takes priority in its area
• Decisions of the Supreme Court, which carry great weight in practice

• The Supreme Court (Højesteret) at the top
• Two high courts (Østre and Vestre Landsret), and a Maritime and Commercial Court
• City courts (byretter) as the first instance for most cases

A master's degree in law, then about three years of practical work in a law firm or similar, with a licence from the Danish authorities and membership of the Bar and Law Society.

• There is no big Civil Code; the law is spread over many statutes.
• The Supreme Court is cautious about striking down laws, and did so for the first time only in 1999.
• Lay judges sit alongside professional judges in many cases.
• Danish law is close to Swedish and Norwegian law, so the Nordic countries often share legislation.

Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Netherlands

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Denmark as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• The Danish Courts
• Danish Law Information (Retsinformation)

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.