The High Court has formally introduced its new Business and Property Division, bringing specialist courts dealing with complex business and property disputes under a single divisional structure.
What has changed in the High Court structure?
The Business and Property Division (BPD) came into effect on 1 October 2026. It brings together specialist courts that were previously spread across the Chancery Division and the King’s Bench Division.
The Judiciary said the change creates a single, coherent division for business and property litigation. The BPD will sit alongside the King’s Bench Division and the Family Division, together forming the three divisions of the High Court.
The restructuring does not change the wider structure or work of the King’s Bench Division. Instead, it creates a dedicated divisional framework for the specialist business and property jurisdictions.
Why was the Business and Property Division created?
The change is intended to make the organisation of business and property litigation clearer for court users and to strengthen the identity of the specialist jurisdictions dealing with complex commercial and property disputes.
The Judiciary said these courts handle high-value, complex and frequently international disputes and play an important role in the UK’s legal services sector and wider economy.
The new structure is also intended to support more flexible judicial deployment. It simplifies governance and leadership arrangements by bringing the relevant specialist courts together within one division.
“The creation of the BPD aims to strengthen the reputation of the Business and Property Courts through the creation of a single, coherent division.”
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
What changes for business and property courts?
The underlying specialist jurisdictions continue to perform their existing functions, but they now operate within the new Business and Property Division. The transition also introduces updated administrative and filing arrangements.
| Area | New position | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| High Court structure | Business and Property Division | Business and property specialist courts are brought together within a single High Court division. |
| Leadership | President of the Business and Property Division | The new divisional leadership structure replaces the role of the Chancellor of the High Court. |
| Judicial deployment | Greater flexibility | The unified division is intended to support more flexible deployment of judges across its specialist jurisdictions. |
| Governance | Simplified arrangements | The new division provides a single divisional governance framework for the relevant business and property courts. |
The specialist courts continue to include jurisdictions such as the Commercial Court, Technology and Construction Court, Patents Court and other business and property lists operating within the High Court.
What happens to existing cases and case numbers?
The transition does not require existing case numbers to change. The Business and Property Division Practice Note confirms that existing cases are being updated administratively to reflect the new nomenclature.
The CE-File “Court” and “Case Category” fields were scheduled to be updated to reflect the BPD structure on Monday 5 October 2026. Existing cases in the relevant system were to be updated automatically, while case numbers remain unchanged.
The Practice Note also set out temporary arrangements for filings during the transition period. CE-File was scheduled to be unavailable from 18:00 on Friday 2 October until 06:00 on Monday 5 October, with directions provided through the CE-File website for documents that needed to be filed during that period.
- Business and Property Division formally comes into effect.
- Existing transition arrangements continue, with CE-File scheduled to close from 18:00.
- CE-File “Court” and “Case Category” fields are updated to reflect the Business and Property Division nomenclature.
How will BPD judgments be cited?
The Practice Note also introduces the new neutral citation format for judgments handed down in the Business and Property Division.
In general, BPD judgments will use the format [20XX] EWHC XXXX (BP). The Practice Note identifies specific exceptions, including the Admiralty Court and the Commercial Court, which retain their established citation abbreviations.
The Commercial Court, including the Circuit Commercial Court, will continue to use the (Comm) abbreviation, while the Admiralty Court will use (Admlty).
Documents created in proceedings within the BPD should also reflect the new divisional structure. The Practice Note provides the general format as:
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
General format set out in the Business and Property Division Practice Note
BUSINESS AND PROPERTY DIVISION
The relevant court, list or sub-list can then be identified, together with the venue where appropriate.
What does the new structure mean for solicitors?
For solicitors and other court users, the immediate practical change is the need to use the new Business and Property Division nomenclature when preparing documents and making new filings.
Lawyers dealing with existing proceedings should also be aware that the administrative fields used by CE-File may now display the new BPD structure, even though existing case numbers remain unchanged.
The new neutral citation arrangements will also become important when referring to judgments issued within the division. Practitioners should therefore check the relevant court or list before preparing formal references to a judgment.
More broadly, the restructuring gives the High Court’s business and property jurisdictions a single divisional identity while retaining the specialist courts and lists through which the litigation is conducted.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Business and Property Division come into effect?
The Business and Property Division came into effect on 1 October 2026.
Which High Court divisions now operate under the new structure?
The Business and Property Division sits alongside the King’s Bench Division and Family Division as one of the High Court’s three divisions.
Will existing case numbers change?
No. The BPD Practice Note confirms that existing case numbers will not change as a result of the restructuring.
How will Business and Property Division judgments be cited?
The general neutral citation format is [20XX] EWHC XXXX (BP), subject to specified exceptions for individual specialist courts.
Does the change alter the work of the King’s Bench Division?
No. The Judiciary has stated that the changes do not affect the wider structure or work of the King’s Bench Division.
What happens to CE-File?
The CE-File “Court” and “Case Category” fields are being updated to reflect the new Business and Property Division nomenclature. The transition arrangements also provided for a temporary CE-File closure between 18:00 on 2 October and 06:00 on 5 October 2026.