Chapter 2: Finding the Law Flashcards
What are the three main library sources?
Literary sources, case law and legislation
What are literary sources (in the simplest sense)
books about law
What are legal encyclopedias designed to do?
provide a reasonably complete statement of the law in a concise form
In what order do you move through Halsbury’s Laws
Consolidated Index to Main Volume to Cumulative Supplement to Current Service
What is a law report?
a record of the courts’ decisions
What is the All England Law Reports Reprint?
a selection of important English cases from between 1558 and 1935
What is the ICLR?
the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting - the official (but not only) source of the Law Reports.
What are the All England Law Reports (All ER)?
an alternative source of Law Reports to those published by the ICLR
What are the most useful details for finding a case in a law report?
its name and citation (a reference to its location in the reports)
What is a law report citation usually made up of?
year, volume, report, page
If you’re looking for a case using paper resources and know only its name, where should you look?
search the Current Case Law Citators for the first named party to the case
How do you check a case is still relevant using paper resources?
check in the Current Case Law Citator
What is an Act’s name more properly called?
its short title
What is the main resource for discovering whether legislation exists on any topic?
Halsbury’s Statutes of England
What is the Current Law Statutes Annotated?
annotated explanations of particularly important statutes by specialists
