On February 11, 2026, a delegation of King&Capital Law Firm lawyers went to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (UKSC) to listen to court cases, observe the actual operation of judicial trials in the UK from a close distance, and intuitively feel the process of the local judicial hearings and the characteristics of practice.
The UK Supreme Court (UKSC) is located in Parliament Square, Westminster, London, and is the final appellate court for all civil cases and all criminal cases in the UK except Scotland. Its core work is dominated by hearing appeals and exercising its appellate jurisdiction, with a limited original jurisdiction in a few matters, such as dealing with advisory cases from the devolved legislatures of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. As the highest court of appeal independent of Parliament, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is responsible for deciding questions of law of public importance, and its decisions are relevant to many aspects of social life and have a significant impact on local judicial practice.
Hearings at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom are open to the public. After passing through a meticulous security check at the main entrance, spectators are free to enter and exit the courtroom without having to undergo identity checks.
The trial scene observed by the delegation showed distinctive practical characteristics, which differed significantly from the traditional perception of the judicial trial scene. There were no elaborate judicial ceremonies at the trial, and the five justices were all dressed in formal attire for the trial, without robes; the lawyers were also dressed in formal attire, without wig sets, and the simplicity of their attire allowed the focus of the trial to be more centered on the case itself and the discussion of the law. The trial adopted a round-table mode, the judge and the lawyers sat around the table, desktop level, seats, etc., the trial process is more like a professional legal seminar: lawyers orderly evidence, published representation, the judge in the process of listening to timely interruptions, around the case of the core controversial point of the problem, the two sides on the application of the law, the facts of the case to carry out rational discourse and professional exchanges, the entire trial process in a rigorous and orderly way! The entire trial process was rigorous and orderly, focusing on the full expression of views and professional discussion.
During the hearing, the delegation saw that the courtroom was in good order, and the listeners consciously obeyed the courtroom discipline and kept their cell phones on silent, so as to jointly maintain the smooth progress of the trial.
This visit to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to observe the trial was an important part of the King&Capital Law Firm delegation's legal exchange trip to the United Kingdom. Previously, the delegation has carried out in-depth academic exchanges with experts and scholars from Oxford University Law School, and conducted professional discussions on comparative law, differences between British case law and Chinese statutory law system. This trial observation allowed the delegation to move from theoretical research to practical observation, combining the theoretical knowledge of the legal system previously learned with the actual judicial trial scene, forming a complete chain of cognition from theory to practice.
Due to the differences in history, culture and legal tradition of different countries, each country has formed its own unique judicial system and trial mode, and the experience of listening to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom enabled the delegation to have a more realistic feeling of the judicial practice of the common law system. In the future, King&Capital Law Firm will continue to strengthen the exchange and study of Chinese and foreign legal culture and practice, absorb the practical experience of different legal systems, and continuously improve the ability of professional legal services, so as to provide more professional and comprehensive support for the handling of various legal affairs.
