My Subject: Law and Legal Resources: Understanding Case Law

Understanding a Case Citation

Individual cases are arranged collectively in series of Law Reports.To locate a case, you need to be able to understand the citation.

Here is a sample Citation: Fisher v Bell [1960] 3 WLR 919

The different parts of the Citation are explained below.

Here are some resources that may help you understand legal abbreviations and terminologies:

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
Lists over 7,000 abbreviations for about 4,000 legal publications from both the British isles and the Commonwealth. Covers mainly legal journals and reports though other types of material may be included. Can be searched via title or abbreviation.
Halsbury's Laws of England
This is available electronically on Lexis Library

AccessToLaw
This information is produced by the Inner Temple Library. Legal resources are arranged by jurisdiction and subject areas with links to UK government departments and the legal profession also listed.

These websites, compiled by our Law Librarian in Hendon, provide a good starting point for your legal research.

EISIL
Developed by the American Society of International Law (ASIL). Priority is to provide access to high quality, in-depth information on international law on the internet (including primary materials, research guides and authoritative websites). Updated regularly.
Lawlinks
Links to websites maintained by the University of Kent, orginally compiled by Sarah Carter. Provides information on UK Government, European and International Law as well as the legal profession and education.
Law Bore
City University's law portal. Pages are jam-packed with useful content to get you deep into your subject. Click on the 'Lady Justice' graphic on separate pages for a potted description of different topic areas.
Law Commission
British Society of Criminology
Extremely useful site for students studying Child and Family Law, Criminal and Civil Justice.
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Extremely useful site for students studying Child and Family Law, Criminal and Civil Justice.
Old Bailey Online
UK Parliament
OPSI (Office of Public Sector Information)
Competition Appeal Tribunal
Legal Week