Law Internet Resources

United Kingdom Law

• Legislation
• Court and Tribunal decisions, law reports etc
• Key National Bodies
• Links to Other United Kingdom Sites (Pathfinders, Directories etc)

Legislation

• Bills and Explanatory Notes (House of Commons and House of Lords)
  An archive of Bills which did not become acts is also available from 2002. For old Explanatory Notes see the entry for Acts below
  • Parliamentary Library Research Papers on Bills and current issues
• Statute Law Database
  This database contains the official revised edition of the primary legislation of the United Kingdom, including versions of Acts and Statutory Instruments as in force from 1991. It includes Acts of Parliament from 1267 which are still in force. NB Acts are very slow to be updated with their amendments
• Acts of Parliament
  These are texts of numbered Acts from 1988, together with Explanatory Notes (1999+). Selected acts from 1837 - 1987 are also included
• Statutory Instruments (Regulations)
  These are texts of numbered Statutory Instruments from 1987.
• British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII)
  Legislation from UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Eire (mainly recent numbered Acts from the mid 1980s only; no reprints, except for Northern Ireland)
• The Electronic Parliament: resources for tracking U.K. legislation (Stephen Young)
  Comprehensive overview of the legislative process with links to documents
• Swarbrick & Co have extracts from various current acts and treaties
• History of the United Kingdom: Primary Documents
  Legislative texts back to 1066 and beyond
• Internet Medieval Sourcebook: Medieval Legal History
  Texts of Anglo Saxon, Norman laws etc
• English Medieval Legal Documents AD 600 - AD 1535
  At the moment this has more citations than links
• Historic acts published on various websites include:
  • Acts 1628-1701
  • Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793 30 George III c 13
  • Australian Colonies Waste Lands Act 1842 5 & 6 Vic c 36
  • Australian Constitutions Act 1842 5 & 6 Vic c 76
  • Waste Lands Australia Act 1846 9 & 10 Vic c 104
  • Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865 28 & 29 Vic c 63
  • Imperial Repeal of Colonial Waste Lands Act 1855 18 & 19 Vic 56
  • Colonial Boundaries Act 1895 58 & 59 Vic c.34
    • See also:
    • Documenting a Democracy for early UK acts relating to Australian colonial government; and
    • UK Parliament links to various collections of early acts
      

Court and Tribunal decisions, law reports etc

• British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII)
• House of Lords judgments
• High Court and Court of Appeal judgments
• Privy Council Office. Judicial Committee. Judgments
  The official site of the Privy Council. Contains decisions mainly from 1999 with a small number back to 1914
• CaseSearch
  Subject and name index to UK cases. Available through Lexis Nexis AU to Parliamentary network computers only
• The Law Index
  An index of UK case law from 1992 to the present day prepared by Swarbrick and Co and available through Lawindexpro
• Index and paraphrase of Year Book reports 1268-1535
  Full text and translations of early English law reports (From Boston University)
• Abbreviations of Law Reports
  • Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
  • Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
    IALS Library Guide no. 7: selected legal abbreviations

Key National Bodies

• British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII)
  Aims to be a comprehensive site for UK, Scottish, Northern Ireland and Irish case law and legislation
• British Legal History: Selected Links on the Web
• Directgov
  Links to government departments and agencies
• Home Office
  Administers criminal justice, immigration, prisons, police etc
• Law Commission of England and Wales
  The major law reform body for England and Wales
• Ministry of Justice (formerly Department for Constitutional Affairs [2003-2007] and Lord Chancellors Dept [to 2003])
• Parliament
  • Parliamentary Library Research Papers on Bills and current issues
  • Links to collections of various Parliamentary documents eg Hansard, Journals etc Note: some sets are still incomplete despite the coverage given in this list
  • Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
    Separate from the Parliament website, this has information on current & draft legislation
• Society for Computers and the Law
  Information technology issues as well as legal resources on the Internet
• Treasury Solicitor's Department
  The UK equivalent of the Australian Government Solicitor
• United Kingdom Official Publications Online
  Includes Command Papers and House of Commons Papers etc from 2005, and a few earlier ones.
  
  See also Halsburys Laws of England
  An encyclopedia of English law. Available through Lexis Nexis AU to Parliamentary network computers only

Links to Other United Kingdom Sites (Pathfinders, Directories etc)

• A Guide to the UK legal system (S. Carter)
  Excellent research guide to UK law on the Internet
  
• via AUSTLII
• via Lancaster University
• via Social Science Information Gateway: Law Gateway
• via Swarbrick & Co.
• via University of Kent at Canterbury

Comments to: Roy.Jordan@aph.gov.au
Last reviewed 12 January, 2009 by the Parliamentary Library Web Manager
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