Courts.ie - High Court divisions and offices

High Court divisions and offices

Central Criminal Court
Central Office of the High Court
Office of the Examiner of the High Court
Office of Wards of Court
Office of the Legal Costs Adjudicators

Commercial Court

The Commercial Court deals with all types of business dispute including breach of contract, tort, property, trust and probate, IT disputes, judicial review, corporate mergers, global restructuring, insurance portfolio transfers, International Swaps and Derivatives or other investment disputes, and intellectual property disputes. The Court will soon have a specialist sub-list called the Intellectual Property and Technology List with specialist judges from the Commercial Court. There are also related specialist lists dealing with Competition cases, Arbitration matters, Strategic Infrastructure Developments, Intellectual Property and Technology, and Insolvency.

Proceedings dealt with by the Commercial Court must have a commercial dimension and generally must have a value of not less than €1,000,000.

Updated practice direction

The President of the High Court hereby issues Practice Direction HC122 in accordance with s.11(12) and (13) of the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (opens in a new tab) , with effect from Monday 2 October 2023.

Please see the full text of the practice direction: HC122 – Commercial Court List (opens in a new tab) .

This practice direction supersedes all previous practice directions in relation to the Commercial List and in particular HC93, HC113 and HC85. It is issued in accordance with the general authority of the President of the High Court and section 11(12) and (13) of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (opens in a new tab) , insofar as it relates to remote hearings.

The Commercial Court process

Proceedings are issued in the Central Office.
The parties (or one party) apply for entry into the Commercial Court.
If entry is granted, the entry application is usually treated as the initial directions hearing. Directions may be agreed or ruled upon by the Court.
Another directions hearing takes place when pleadings are closed or nearly closed. The judge will normally allocate a hearing date and make strict directions up to that date. In urgent cases, a hearing date may be fixed at the initial directions hearing.
The matter is listed for mention at the callover the week before its hearing date to confirm readiness and compliance.
Trial date: the case has an assigned judge to hear it on the trial date.

The Court sets out the steps to be taken in respect of pleadings, discovery and exchange of witness statements and the dates by which these steps should be completed.

Directions and compliance

As the efficient trial of commercial cases is central, directions must be strictly observed. Each party must name an individual solicitor to give an undertaking to the Court that directions will be complied with. Any change to directions must be sought by application to the Court (it cannot be agreed between the parties).

The judge will normally encourage, and take reasonable steps to facilitate, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), in particular mediation. Trials are heard by a panel of judges specifically allocated to the Commercial List, all with extensive commercial and trial expertise.

Rules, fees and further information

Rules of the Commercial Court: Order 63A of the Rules of the Superior Courts (opens in a new tab)
Fees (entry fee currently €5,000): Superior Courts Fees Order (opens in a new tab)
Calendar/listing: High Court Legal Diary (opens in a new tab)
Decisions: Judgments (opens in a new tab)

Go to Commercial Court

Planning and Environment Court

Information on the Planning and Environment Court (a High Court division).

Go to Planning and Environment Court

Central Criminal Court

The High Court exercising its criminal jurisdiction is known as the Central Criminal Court. It consists of a judge or judges of the High Court. The court sits at such time and in such places as the President of the High Court may direct and tries criminal cases which are outside the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court.

The court mainly hears murder and rape trials and since the Competition Act, 2002 also criminal trials under that Act. Cork and Dublin have continuous Central Criminal Court sittings throughout each legal term. The Court will also sit in other Courthouses around the Country from time to time.

Normally trials are conducted by a single judge sitting with a jury of twelve people but the President of the High Court may direct two or more judges to sit together for the purpose of a particular trial.

An appeal against conviction or sentence by the Central Criminal Court may be taken to the Court of Appeal.

Go to Central Criminal Court