Guernsey
Customary law is a leading source
Guernsey is part of, or a territory of, the British Crown (a Crown Dependency).
In these places local custom and tradition are listed first among the sources of law, though state law (civil or common law) usually sits alongside them. Customary law matters in many other countries too, especially in family, land and local-community matters.
A full profile of Guernsey’s legal system is planned. For now, this page shows where Guernsey sits on the map.
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Guernsey as: Customary. 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.
Other countries in the same family
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Guernsey, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
