1. The courts in the UK are a mechanism to resolve disputes, and to interpret the law.
2. Many of the basic principles of UK law have arisen out of statutes passed by the legislature.
3. All of the courts and tribunals fall, more or less, into a fairly well-defined hierarchy, starting with the Supreme Court at the top.
4. The UK has four legal systems (i.e., England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland).
5. While the courts in Northern Ireland may have the same names and structure as the courts in England and Wales, they are governed by different laws.
6. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom assumed jurisdiction as the highest and final court of appeal in 2006.
7. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2003, the Supreme Court took over functions previously from the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.
8. The Supreme Court hears appeals of all type of civil cases and all criminal cases.
