Jamaica
Common law
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Jamaica is a common-law country that inherited English law. Its Constitution of 1962 was updated in 2011 by a Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. The final appeal still goes to the Privy Council in London, although there is a long-running debate about moving to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 1962, including the Charter of Rights of 2011
- Acts of Parliament, many inherited from England
- English common law and equity, and Jamaican case law
- Decisions of the Privy Council, which bind Jamaican courts
The main courts
- The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the final court of appeal
- The Court of Appeal
- The Supreme Court (the main trial court), parish courts and specialised courts
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree, then the Legal Education Certificate at the Norman Manley Law School and admission as an attorney-at-law.
What may surprise you
- The last court of appeal sits in London, and Jamaica's own supreme court is a trial court.
- Several Caribbean states have moved to the Caribbean Court of Justice, but Jamaica has not.
- The legal profession is united in the title attorney-at-law.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Jamaica as: Common 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.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
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 Jamaica, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
