Frequently Asked Legal Research Questions

What are the coverage dates for databases and web sites?

Free web sites

BAILII — http://www.bailii.org — BAILII databases contain British and Irish case law. Most of the databases contain predominantly recent material, but the coverage varies and both old and new content is being added on an ongoing basis.

Court Service — http://www.courtservice.gov.uk — selected High Court judgments from 1996 onwards.

House of Lords — www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199697/ldjudgmt/ldjudgmt.htm — House of Lords judgments from November 1996 onwards.

OPSI — www.opsi.gov.uk — UK Acts 1988 onwards; Local Acts 1991 onwards; UK Statutory Instruments 1987 onwards; Draft SIs 1997 onwards. The Acts and SIs are as originally enacted and do not include amendments.

UK Statute Law Database — http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk — contains the text of UK Acts currently in force or in force as at any date from February 1991, as amended.  Also includes the full text of Statutory Instruments from 1991 onwards, as originally enacted.

Subscription-based databases

Casetrack — provides access to judgments from the following courts; Court of Appeal (Criminal & Civil Divisions) April 1996 onwards, Administrative Court April 1996 onwards, all divisions of the High Court July 1998 onwards, Employment Appeal Tribunal July 1998 onwards, and the VAT Tribunal January 2002 onwards. Also available are searchable links to House of Lords and Privy Council judgments from November 1996 onwards.

Justis — Case Law:  full text version of many law report series depending on the type of subscription.  Legislation: full text databases covering UK Statutes and SIs. The coverage of the Statutes is from Magna Carta to the present. All repealed Acts are included. Acts are presented as enacted with links to amended and amending legislation. SIs and draft SIs are covered from 1987 onwards, while the SI archive provides access to subsidiary legislation 1671 onwards.

Lawtel UK — includes: summaries of reported and unreported cases 1980 onwards, most with links to full text transcripts; summaries of Statutes 1984 onwards with links to full text 1987 onwards; Local Acts 1991 onwards; summaries of Statutory Instruments 1984 onwards with links to full text 1997 onwards.

LexisNexis Professional — UK Cases (updated daily) includes full text case reports from over 40 series of law reports including the Weekly Law Reports, All England Law Reports, and Industrial Relations Law Reports. Transcripts of cases are available of all cases from the House of Lords, Privy Council and Court of Appeal (Civil Division) 1980 onwards, of the Administrative Court 1983 onwards, and of selected cases from other divisions of the High Court. UK Legislation (updated weekly) includes full and amended text of Statutes and SIs currently in force, and of Statutes and SIs enacted but not yet in force.

LNB Legislation Direct — contains the full text of all UK Statutes and SIs, in force as amended. Also includes an "Is it in force?" function with commencement information for Statutes passed in the last 26 years.

Westlaw — case law: coverage from 1865 onwards, including full text of the ICLR’s Law Reports, Lloyd’s Law Reports and many of Sweet & Maxwell’s specialized series including the Criminal Appeal Reports, as well as access to unreported cases. Legislation: full text of consolidated Public Acts 1267 onwards and Statutory Instruments 1948 onwards, that are in force;  databases of repealed legislation 1992 onwards and of current and historical versions of Statutes and SIs.

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