By Lucy Cox Reference/Foreign and International Law Librarian Rutgers University School of Law - Camden
This guide focuses on primary sources and basic research aids. Some of the material listed is no longer updated, but is included for its research value. To find many other items dealing with various aspects of English law in the law library, use the computerized library catalog and search for title, keyword, subject or author. A subject search includes a topic word and England or/and Great Britain. For example, “criminal law—England”; “real property—Great Britain.” ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Laws of England. 4th ed. KD310.H34 5th floor.Multi-volume set. Provides an overview of all aspects of English law. Gives citations to laws and cases.. Last update in Law Library February 2002. Useful for research purposes, rather than most current information. LAWS
Statutes of England and Wales. 4th ed. KD135.H3G74 1984 5th floor. 50-volume set lists statutes arranged by subject. Generous finding aids and updating material.
Is it in Force? KD135.H I8 5th floor. Annual publication gives dates of entrance into force, date of royal assent.
Statutes of the Realm Microfiche. Cabinet A. 5th Floor.Compilation of oldest statutes, from 1225 to 1713. Includes indexes.
The Statutes at Large from Magna Charta to the Thirteenth Year of the Reign of King George the Third, inclusive. KD130 1225 5th floor. 18 volume set. Also in Microfiche, 5th floor. Cabinet A.
Statutes of the United Kingdome of Great Britain and Ireland. KD 130 1801 Covers 1802-1864. Electronic Sources for Legislation
The UK Statute Law Database (SLD) (http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/) Official revised edition of the primary legislation of the United Kingdom. Includes Alphabetical and Chronological Indexes. Shows how legislation has changed over time, as well as how legislation will be affected by amendments not yet in force.
Office for Public Sector Information (OPSI) (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation) This was formerly Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO). Includes Acts of Parliament and Statutory Instruments from 1988. Also contains legislation for Northern Ireland and Scotland.
(British and Irish Legal Information Institute) http://www.bailii.org/ Contains texts of Acts since 1988, Statutory Instruments since 2002.
Lexis (Restricted to Rutgers-Camden Law School faculty, students and authorized personnel). Lexis Database for Statutes is Library: ENGGEN; File: STAT. Contains current Public General Acts of England and Wales including statutes enacted but not yet in force. Covers statutes from year 1267. Includes Acts found in Halsbury's Statutes of England and Wales. The ENGGEN library contains Statutory Instruments in the SI file, and a combined STAT and SI file, STATIS. CASES
Semi-Official Reporters Until 1865, case reporting was done by private reporters, in publications known as nominative reporters, after the name of the reporter. In 1865, the Incorpotated Council of Law Reporting systematized the reporting of cases.
Law Reports This set consists of 4 series:
Appeal Cases KD275.5 5th floor
Chancery KD276.3 5th floor
Queen's Bench KD277.7 5th floor
Family KD279.4 5TH floor
Law Reports are kept up to date by paper supplements. (Family and Chancery reports appear in same issue in paper supplements, but are bound separately).
Index to the Law Reports KD285.L39 5th floor The Index contains sections on “Cases Judicially Considered” and “Statutes Judicially Considered”.
Weekly Law Reports KD282.W44 This set is more current than the Law Reports. Eventually, cases from Weekly Law Reports are put into paper supplements to Law Reports. A pink paper index comes out three times a year.
Other Case Reporters
All England Law Reports. KD288.A645th floor This big set is very useful for research because it provides headnotes and provides cross-references to other works such as Halsbury's Laws of England.
English Reports KD270 1220 .E58 5th floor. This 176-volume set contains cases from 1220 to 1865 which were originally found in over 200 series of nominative reports. Index volumes are vols. 177 and 178. Star paged to old reports. There is a "Table of English Reports" affixed to the end of Stack 516 which lists nominate reports in alphabetical order and shows where they are found in English Reports.
Revised Reports KD270.1785 .R48 5th floor 149 volume set covers cases from 1789-1866. Includes some decisions not found in English Reports.
Law Journal Reports KD288.A22 5th floor Library holds 1822-1949.
Law Times Reports KD288.A34 5th floor Covers cases 1859-1947.
The Times Law Reports KD288.A5 5th floor Covers cases 1884-1952.
SPECIALIZED SUBJECT REPORTERS
Criminal Appeals Cases KD7865.A2 C7 5th floor Library holds holds 1909-1992.
Lloyd's Law Reports KD1815.A2 L57 1995 5th floor Library has 1919-2001. Covers maritime cases.
ELECTRONIC SOURCES FOR CASE LAW
House of LordsCases (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldjudgmt.htm) Cases decided from November 1996.
Lexis (Restricted to Rutgers-Camden Law School Faculty, students and authorized personnel). Lexis Database is Library: ENGGEN;File: CASES. Many cases from 1558 to present from the standard reporters. Beginning of coverage for some reporters is 1945; All England Law Reports coverage begins with 1936. The beginning date for the semi-oficial Law Reports in File ICLR is 1865.
(Restricted to Rutgers-Camden Law School Faculty, students and authorized personnel). Westlaw Database is UK-RPTS-ALL; contains decisions from 1865. DIGESTS
The Digest: Annotated British, Commonwealth and European Cases. KD296.E5 5th floor. This big set summarizes many reported cases. Summaries are followed by annotations showing how cases have been treated in later cases. If you know the name of a case, begin by using the appropriate index volume, called Consolidated Table of Cases. The index volume gives reference to the subject volume in the Digest where case if found. The subject volume has a table of contents which then leads to the summary of the case and shows subsequent treatment of the case in the annotations at the end of the summary. Follow up by looking in the annual Cumulative Supplement volumes. The Digest has not been updated since 2001, so it should be used for research purposes rather than for current information.
ABBREVIATIONS
, D. Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations KD400.R35 1993 REF. BOOKS ON HOW TO DO ENGLISH LEGAL RESEARCH
Jean Dane and Philip A. Thomas, How to Use a Law Library KD392.D36 1996 5th floor
Guy Holborn, Butterworths Legal Research Guide KD392.H65 1993 5th floor
LC 2/07