The Commercial Court was established in 1895, when the Judges of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court of England & Wales introduced a special “Commercial List”. This was a long-overdue response to complaints from the business world that commercial litigation was slow and expensive, and that Judges often knew nothing about commercial law or business practices. Key to the reform was that commercial cases would be tried by specialist Judges, who would also supervise all of the interlocutory stages of each case. The Court was an instant success, as the first Commercial Judge, Sir James Mathew, demonstrated that an experienced Judge adopting flexible procedures could resolve complex commercial cases quickly and cheaply.

The modern Commercial Court retains its original form as a part of what is now the King’s Bench Division. It also preserves the principle that commercial cases should be managed and tried by Judges with extensive experience of commercial litigation, applying flexible procedures to minimise delay and costs. The Court’s outstanding success and international reputation are reflected in the growth of business since 1895. Then, there were three Commercial Judges, and the Court’s work could usually be managed by just one of them at a time. Now, there are normally around fifteen Commercial Judges, and about half of them sit in the Court at any time. Today’s Court is also supported by the work of the Circuit Commercial Courts.