Effective from 1 October 2026, the Business and Property Division of the High Court replaces the Chancery Division, bringing together the existing Business and Property Courts structure within a formal High Court Division.
The key changes are:
- The Chancery Division is renamed the Business and Property Division.
- The head of the Division now holds the title President of the Business and Property Division, replacing Chancellor of the High Court.
- Several specialist courts transfer from the King's Bench Division to the new Division, including:
- Commercial Court
- Admiralty Court
- Circuit Commercial Courts
- Technology and Construction Court (at High Court level)
The reforms are implemented principally by the Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2026 (SI 2026/817), together with the associated 196th Practice Direction.
These changes take effect from 1 October 2026 and will be of interest to practitioners across the business, property, commercial and construction sectors.