An electrosurgical system includes an instrument with an end effector (4) including a pair of opposing first and second jaw members (5 & 6), movable between open and closed positions. First and second electrodes (9, 17) are located on the first and second jaw members, while a third electrode (10) is also located on the first jaw member (6). The system includes first and second connections (19, 20) by which the electrodes can be connected to the output of an electrosurgical generator. The first electrode (9) is connected to the first connection (19), the second electrode (17) is connected to the second connection (20), and the third electrode (10) is connected to the first connection (19) via a capacitor (24). The third electrode (10) is more prominent than the first electrode (9) such that as the jaw members are moved to their closed position, the third electrode (10) contacts the second electrode (17) before the first electrode (9) contacts the second electrode (17).
