Litigation Lawyers in Cyprus

What are the types of Courts?

Since July 2023 the higher courts are the Supreme Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, above the first-instance courts.

• The Supreme Court is a result of joining the Supreme Constitutional Court and the High Court in 1964. The Courts that are subordinate are: the District Court, the Assize Courts, the Family Courts, the Labor Courts, the Rent Control Courts and the Military Court. The Supreme Court has 7 judges, the Supreme Constitutional Court 9 and the Court of Appeal 16, all in Nicosia.
• Each districts of Cyprus – Nicosia, Famagusta, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Kyrenia have one district court.
• There are four assize courts in Cyprus located in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. These courts have 3 judges and no jury. The judges of the Assize Courts are named by the Supreme Courts and are also part of the District Courts.
• The Family courts are based on 3 judges, in hearing cases of divorce or only one judge in other cases. There are 3 Family Courts in Cyprus.
• The Rent Control Courts are ruled by a President and is counseled by to lay members, appointed by landlords associations and the tenants.
• The Industrial Disputes Tribunal is formed by one Judge and two consultants named on the recommendation of the employer or employee union.
• The Military Court is formed by a President and two officers of the Army with consultative role.

Our litigation lawyers in Cyprus can give you more details on this matter.

What are the responsibilities of the Courts in Cyprus?

The Supreme Court is the highest instance in Cyprus and has many jurisdictions.

All the decisions taken in the lower courts may be appealed to the Court of Appeal (since 1 July 2023), with a further appeal to the Supreme Court in limited cases. The Appeal is based on the evidences already heard at the lower courts and the Judges may re-open a trial or maintain, change or cancel a former decision.

The constitutionality of laws may be challenged before the Supreme Constitutional Court. The President may contest a law enacted by the House of Representatives based on the incompatibility with the Cypriot Constitution.

Electoral petitions are heard by the Supreme Constitutional Court. Admiralty cases, formerly heard by the Supreme Court first by a single judge and then by the full bench, were transferred by Law 69(I)/2022 to a separate Admiralty Court. The recourses issued against acts, decisions or failures of any authorities or persons in administrative or executive acts are heard by the Administrative Court (since 2016).

The District courts have jurisdiction over the civil and criminal cases. The criminal cases can be heard by a district court only if it doesn’t involve more than 5 years of imprisonment. The civil cases mustn’t include trials that fall under other courts jurisdictions: family court, rent control court or military court.

The assize courts are judging criminal cases that involve a period of detention higher than 5 years.

The Family Courts decides in cases of divorces in Cyprus, custody of children, property provisions and other family related issues. There is a special tribunal for parties that have another religion than the Greek Orthodox and it’s called the Family Court for Religious Groups located in Nicosia.

The Rent Control Courts are involved in disputes regarding rent adjustments, evictions and any other matter related to this sector.

The Industrial Disputes Tribunal adjudicates employment disputes (e.g. unfair dismissal, redundancy) between the employer and the employee.

The Military Court are involved in cases where the military personnel are involved. It must have the structure of a District Court if the defendant has the rank of Colonel or higher.

For more details on each Court please contact our litigation lawyers in Cyprus.

What are the responsibilities of the Arbitrary Court in Cyprus?

Cyprus Arbitration is often used in settlement of cases where the parties don’t want to be a part of a judicial trial. Usually the Arbitration clause is stipulated in the contract signed by parties and viewed by a lawyer, if not, the involved parties may agree to have their dispute settled in front of the Cyprus Arbitration.

Any dispute can be settled in front of the Arbitrary Court such as employment complaints, property and construction problems, companies and customers. The Arbitration procedure is less expensive and time consuming than a process in a judicial Court.

How long does Litigation in Cyprus take?

The duration of litigation in Cyprus cannot be determined. Each case has its own particularities and aspects that must be considered before taking a final decision.

Also, any decision taken by the first-instance courts can be challenged before the Court of Appeal, this causing the increase of the waiting period. Normally, even a simple contested case usually takes more than a year, even if there are no complications related to it.

Our Cypriot litigation lawyers are here to advise in various litigation cases and also provide representation before the courts of Cyprus.