KembaraXtra - Legal Terms - Sittings

Sittings are the four principal periods of the legal year during which the Senior Courts of England and Wales conduct the full range of judicial business. Introduced by the Judicature Act 1873, the system of sittings replaced the older system of legal terms while preserving much of the traditional structure of the judicial calendar. The four sittings are known as Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter, and Trinity, names that reflect the historical ecclesiastical calendar upon which the English legal year was originally based.

During each sitting, the courts hear trials, appeals, applications, and other judicial proceedings across all major areas of law. The arrangement enables the courts to organize judicial business efficiently while providing designated periods, known as vacations, during which the ordinary volume of court work is reduced. Urgent matters may nevertheless continue to be heard during vacation periods where justice requires immediate judicial intervention.

The dates of the sittings for the Court of Appeal and the High Court are prescribed by Practice Directions issued under the Civil Procedure Rules, particularly those relating to Part 39 governing hearings. These dates ensure consistency in the scheduling of court business and assist judges, practitioners, litigants, and court administrators in planning the progression of litigation throughout the legal year.

Although the historical names remain in use, the practical significance of the sittings has diminished somewhat as modern case management emphasizes continuous judicial administration throughout the year. Courts now operate far more flexibly than under the historical term system, with judges hearing cases throughout much of the calendar year subject to vacation arrangements and judicial availability.

The concept nevertheless retains procedural importance in certain contexts. References to Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter, and Trinity sittings continue to appear in procedural rules, legal practice directions, historical judgments, and academic commentary. Understanding these periods therefore remains valuable when interpreting procedural authorities and historical legal materials.

The sittings of the Senior Courts thus provide the traditional framework within which judicial business is organized. Although modern court administration has become increasingly flexible, the four sittings continue to form part of the constitutional and procedural structure of the English legal system.