English Legal Sources Available through BLS Library: Cases

BAILII is a particularly useful free source of recent cases from England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Europe.  It also provides decisions of many tribunals.

• Tip: Read this summary describing the scope of case law available through BAILII.
• Tip: View BAILII's databases (organized by jurisdiction and material type).   
• Includes a Case Law Search template searchable by cite, case name, keywords and court/tribunal.
• Provides Case Lists (A-Z case name indexes).

Reporters published by The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales:

The Law Reports (1865-) and Weekly Law Reports (1953-) are available in ICLR.4 subscription database.  In BLS Library's SARA catalog record, click: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION - ICLR.  (Campus/BLS residence use or implement proxy instructions.) 

The Law Reports

• "Are the official series of Reports cited in the High Court and Court of Appeal."  [Quote is from a previously maintained ICLR web page.]

• Include significant decisions of: the current Supreme Court of the UK (and former House of Lords); the Court of Appeal; and the High Court.

• Include arguments of counsel.                                                            

Current series of The Law Reports:                                                                            

• The Law Reports. Appeal Cases  Abbr. as A.C. 

• The Law Reports. Chancery Division  Abbr. as Ch.

• The Law Reports. Family Division  Abbr. as Fam.

• The Law Reports. Queen’s Bench Division  Abbr. as Q.B.                           

There are also many privately published reports, such as the general All England Law Reports (1936-) and the subject-specific Family Law Reports.  See box below: Databases that Include Cases from Other Sources.

Westlaw: United Kingdom Cases

Path to access Westlaw UK: https://lawschool.westlaw.com > log in with your Westlaw username/password > click link at top of screen: Westlaw, TWEN, Practical Law... > in pull-down menu, select: Westlaw UK Edge (which directs researchers to: Westlaw Edge UK).  See this helpful Westlaw UK User Guide: About Cases Content.

• But note: The Law Reports series published by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales is not available to BLS patrons in Westlaw UK.  BLS patrons can access The Law Reports (1865-) and Weekly Law Reports (1953-) in ICLR.4 subscription database.  (In BLS Library's SARA catalog record, click: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION - ICLR.  (Campus/BLS residence use or implement proxy instructions.)     
• Westlaw UK includes tab: Cases
  • Westlaw UK provides: Cases Search template.
  • Westlaw UK provides: Courts (to search for decisions by court).

Path: Lexis+ for Law School > tab: Go to Lexis+ > Explore Content: tab: International > United Kingdom > All United Kingdom Cases

• Includes reporters now published by LNUK, such as All England Law Reports (1936-, Abbr. as All E.R.) and subject-oriented reporters (examples: Butterworths Company Law Cases (1983-), Butterworths Human Rights Cases (1996-), Family Law Reports (1980-), and Simon's Tax Cases (1973-)). 
• Also provides unreported cases (1980-).

Bloomberg Law > under Popular Links, click: All Legal Content > click: Select Sources by Global Jurisdiction > click pull-down arrow next to: Europe > click pull-down arrow next to: United Kingdom.  Provides: [London Gazette] Corporate Insolvency Filings and Court Filings ["for selected Appellate & High Courts, District Registries and Tribunals"] (England & Wales).

English Reports (scope: primarily 1571-1865, CommonLII database lists full scope as: 1220-1873).  Coverage varies by court, based on when a court came into existence.  Reprints nominate reports.  Abbr. as E.R.

English Reports as available in HeinOnline & LLMC.  In BLS Library's SARA catalog record, click: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION - (HEIN) or ACCESS ONLINE VERSION - (LLMC).  (Campus/BLS residence use or implement proxy server instructions.)

• Tip: HeinOnline provides a chart of nominate reports in English Reports and their reporter abbreviations.  (Campus/BLS residence use or implement proxy server instructions.) 
• Tip: HeinOnline provides English Reports Case Locator (searchable by case name, E.R. citation, nominative citation and keywords).  (Campus/BLS residence use or implement proxy server instructions.) 

English Reports as available in Westlaw > United Kingdom > English Reports (Westlaw scope note states: "Selected coverage begins in 1220").  (Enter your Westlaw username/password.)

CommonLII provides a free English Reports database.

Reference work that evaluates the quality of nominate reports:     

• John William Wallace, The Reporters: Arranged and Characterized with Incidental Remarks (4^th ed., 1882)  (Campus/BLS residence use or implement proxy server instructions.)

Year Books (1268-1535)

David J. Seipp, compiler, Legal History: The Year Books      

• Indexes and summarizes law reports published in the Year Books.  Links to selected texts.  

BLS Library catalog searches:   

This SARA catalog search yields all BLS Library holdings of the Year Books Series published by the Selden Society.

Use the search below if you are seeking a year book from a specific sovereign's reign. 

Keyword search: year books [sovereign’s name] 

Example: keyword search: year books henry vi

J.H. Baker & S.F.C. Milsom, Sources of English Legal History: Private Law to 1750 (1986)

• One-volume work that includes the English language text of some old, key cases. 

https://lawschool.westlaw.com > click link at top of screen: Westlaw, TWEN, Practical Law... > in pull-down menu, select: Westlaw UK Edge (which directs researchers to: Westlaw Edge UK).

• Westlaw UK Cases pull-down menu includes option: Cite & Print.  Enter multiple cites separated by semi-colons or enter multiple cites on separate lines.

Westlaw UK: Cases Search template

• Enter parties, citation or words in case text.

ICLR.4 includes The Law Reports/Weekly Law Reports + provides a case citator.

• Tip: In ICLR4, retrieve a case and look for: Subsequent consideration (later cases that "significantly considered or affected" a hearing(s) of the case) + [later] Cases citing.

Westlaw provides United Kingdom Case Law Locator.   

https://lawschool.westlaw.com > click link at top of screen: Westlaw, TWEN, Practical Law... > in pull-down menu, select: Westlaw UK Edge > tab: Cases

• Tip: In Westlaw UK, retrieve a case and look for: Case Analysis (includes Appellate History & Related Cases) + Case Analytics (includes a Precedent Map & [Judicial] Treatment).

Free LawCite (supported by BIALII and other members of the Free Access to Law Movement) provides an automatically generated case & legal journal citator.  See: Law Cite Overview.       

• Tip: Retrieve a case and look for Matching Cases + Matching Law Journal Articles.      

Civil Procedure:

GOV.UK, CPR Rules & Practice Directions 

Westlaw UK includes:The White Book 2023 (= "the CPR and associated commentary")

Criminal Procedure:

GOV.UK, Criminal Procedure Rules and Practice Directions 2020 (site states: last updated Nov 6, 2023 and provides an option to view all updates)

• Tip: Also provides a link to Criminal Procedure Rules 2020 as published at Legislation.gov.uk. This site provides option to view: "Latest available (Revised)" or "Original (As made)."

Westlaw UK includes: Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice, 2024 ed.

Westlaw UK: Provides searchable Supreme Court, Queen's Bench Division, and Chancery Division Dockets (= docket information). 

• Tip: See link: Court Contacts (which includes links to courts) to find more information.