There are about 230 County Courts so that most major towns will have a court. The courts can try nearly all civil cases. The main types of cases are:

• All contract and tort claims

• All cases for the recovery of land

• Disputes over partnerships, trusts, and inheritance up to a value of £30,000.

For a fact, several local courts have the authority to consider cases of divorce, bankruptcies, low-level disputes for instances of admiralty and issues under the Race Relations Act 1976. Remember that the Crimes and Courts Bill 2012 calls for the creation of a new Family Court. All family matters currently dealt with in the County Court will be eventually transferred to this new court.

The County Court can try small claims, fast-track, and multi-track cases, and its workload is much greater than the High Court. In 2011 just over 1.5 million cases were started in the County Courts, including small claims.

In light of the vast overall amount of allegations produced, only a relatively limited percentage of lawsuits ultimately go to court. Just 15,941 fast-track or multi-track lawsuits were heard in County Courts in 2011. In addition, there were 36,719 cases dealt with by the small claims track.

Cases will nearly all be considered in the general court, and representatives of the public are allowed to attend. The entire process is more structured, and often witnesses and suspects may be served, typically by a judge, though often without a prosecutor. The winner of the case could assert damages, including the costs of legal counsel. All of which renders the lawsuit even more costly in the Circuit Court than in the case of civil claims. John Baldwin's study showed that 40% of people in the local County Court deemed it to be a 'inappropriate and unnecessarily wasteful form of settling' a conflict.

The Government Consultation Paper, Settling Cases in the County Court (2011), indicated that the expense of a lawsuit was always greater than the sum reported for lower-level lawsuits.

Cases are tried by Circuit Courts, but it is scarcely necessary for a panel of eight to meet with a defendant.
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