Judiciary of Montecara
The judiciary of Montecara comprises a system of politically independent courts overseen by professional judges. It is divided into three streams: civil (private) law, criminal (public) law, and administrative law.
Montecara is a civil law jurisdiction.
Civil law courts
Tribunals
Under Montecaran law, tribunals (tribùni) are quasi-judicial bodies which are outside the formal court system. There are two such tribunals in the civil law stream: the Popular Tribunal (Tribùn popolà) and the Labor Tribunal (Tribùn sindicà).
The Popular Tribunal consists of panels of three lay judges sitting without a professional judge. They are assisted by a professional notary who is always present in the hearing room and available to answer questions regarding the law. They settle private disputes over property and obligations amounting to no more than Ł15,000. Hearings are legally not trials and parties must represent themselves without the aid of a lawyer. Appeals may be filed within thirty days of a decision and are in most circumstances granted by the appellate court, the Common Court, as a matter of course.