Civil appeals to the County Court and the High Court

Copyright © 2025 LexisNexis

For detail of the structure and hierarchy of civil courts in England and Wales, see: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary—Structure of Courts and Tribunals System.

CPR provisions

Civil appeals to the County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal are generally governed by Part 52 of the CPR. General guidance on civil appeals can be found in Civil appeals: general and preliminary considerations—overview.

Starting an appeal in the County Court or the High Court

In addition to the general provisions for starting an appeal contained in CPR PD 52A, an appellant appealing to the County Court or the High Court must also comply with the provisions in CPR PD 52B. These include, among other things, specific requirements in relation to filing and serving the appellant's notice and extending time in which to file.

For more detail see Practice Note: Starting an appeal in the County Court or the High Court.

Responding to an appellant's notice

Generally, the respondent only needs to take action in an appeal once notified that the appellant has, or does not need,

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Existing user? Sign-in TAKE A FREE TRIAL
Powered by Lexis+®
Latest Dispute Resolution News

Standards of candour in closed hearings, and corporate witness statements (Attorney General v BBC; R (‘Beth’) v IPT)

Public Law analysis: In reviewing the conduct of MI5 in two sets of High Court proceedings, the court considered the serious implications of the provision of false information in the context of closed proceedings. The court provided an overview of the limited circumstances which justify departure from the principle of open justice pursuant to section 6 of the Justice and Security Act 2013 (‘JSA 2013), acknowledging that the appointment of special advocates mitigates rather than extinguishing the inherent unfairness that arises. In this case, the special advocates, the High Court, and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (‘IPT’) were all misled on a key issue and had made decisions relying upon this misinformation. The court recognised that the safeguards in closed material proceedings are reliant on the high standards of candour of MI5 and expressed the need for a prompt and effective investigation when there is evidence of a departure from this high standard. The importance of compliance with CPR 32 PD, para 18.2, which applies to government departments as well as corporate entities, was also considered (para [173]). Written by Alexandra Scott, barrister at Mountford Chambers.

Minutes of the OPR Committee meeting—9 June 2025

Dispute Resolution analysis: The minutes of the Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC) meeting of 9 June 2025 (conducted in a hybrid format at The Rolls Building, Royal Courts of Justice, and via video conference) cover a number of issues including event planning, consultation documents, development of the pre-action model, and drafting of rules relating to property and possession.

Justice Committee publishes report on the work of the County Court

The House of Commons Justice Committee has published a report, examining the state of the County Court in England and Wales. The Committee found the County Court to be in a state of dysfunction, describing it as the neglected ‘Cinderella service’ of the justice system. The report identifies that average waiting times for small claims cases now exceed 50 weeks, a trend that predates the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and has been exacerbated by increased demand, staffing challenges, and a rise in litigants-in-person. These delays stem from long-standing issues that the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) have failed to resolve.

No default secrecy for judges’ criticism of bench applicants

Law360, London: The Court of Appeal ruled on 17 July 2025 that sitting judges can continue to give feedback about applicants for judicial office but told the Judicial Appointments Commission it must weigh whether to disclose negative feedback to candidates in each case.

View Dispute Resolution by content type :  
News
Practice notes
Precedents
Q&As

Popular documents

Civil appeals—leapfrog appeals procedure

Civil appeals—leapfrog appeals procedureLeapfrog appealA leapfrog appeal is an appeal that is heard by a higher appellate court than would usually do so. For appeals that would ordinarily take place in the County Court or High Court, the destination of a leapfrog appeal is the Court of Appeal. For

Responding to an appellant's notice—the written statement and respondent's notice

Responding to an appellant's notice—the written statement and respondent's noticeThis Practice Note gives guidance on what a respondent should do if served with an appellant’s notice of appeal in the County Court, the High Court or the Court of Appeal under Part 52 of the CPR. It looks at filing a

Grounds of appeal—appealing a finding of fact

Grounds of appeal—appealing a finding of factWhen will the court allow an appeal against a finding of fact?The appeal court will only allow an appeal where the decision of the lower court was:•wrong, or•unjust because of a serious procedural or other irregularity in the proceedings in the lower

Appeals to the Court of Appeal—bundles

Appeals to the Court of Appeal—bundlesScope of this Practice NoteThis Practice Note contains guidance to the provisions contained within CPR 52 and CPR PD 52C. They apply to appeals to the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal. They do not apply to appeals in detailed assessment proceedings against
Civil appeals—leapfrog appeals procedure

Civil appeals—leapfrog appeals procedure

Civil appeals—leapfrog appeals procedureLeapfrog appealA leapfrog appeal is an appeal that is heard by a higher appellate court than would usually do so. For appeals that would ordinarily take place in the County Court or High Court, the destination of a leapfrog appeal is the Court of Appeal. For

Responding to an appellant's notice—the written statement and respondent's notice

Responding to an appellant's notice—the written statement and respondent's notice

Responding to an appellant's notice—the written statement and respondent's noticeThis Practice Note gives guidance on what a respondent should do if served with an appellant’s notice of appeal in the County Court, the High Court or the Court of Appeal under Part 52 of the CPR. It looks at filing a

Grounds of appeal—appealing a finding of fact

Grounds of appeal—appealing a finding of fact

Grounds of appeal—appealing a finding of factWhen will the court allow an appeal against a finding of fact?The appeal court will only allow an appeal where the decision of the lower court was:•wrong, or•unjust because of a serious procedural or other irregularity in the proceedings in the lower

Appeals to the Court of Appeal—bundles

Appeals to the Court of Appeal—bundles

Appeals to the Court of Appeal—bundlesScope of this Practice NoteThis Practice Note contains guidance to the provisions contained within CPR 52 and CPR PD 52C. They apply to appeals to the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal. They do not apply to appeals in detailed assessment proceedings against