The Inner Temple Library is creating subject guides on various legal topics that the Library specialises in.

This particular guide covers electronic resources to which the Library has access that relate to the Caribbean and includes key law reports, cases & judgments and laws. The resources listed are subscription databases and free web sources.

The Library will supply scans, subject to the provisions of the law of copyright (the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Copyright and Rights in Performances (Research, Education, Libraries and Archives) Regulations 2014), to barrister members of all four Inns.

Charges for the document supply service are being waived during the Coronavirus situation, but the relevant form (Judicial Proceedings or Private Research) must be completed.

Enquiries may be made by email: distanceservice@innertemple.org.uk

Specific Law Reports via Subscription Databases

Bahamas Law Reports
via Lexis Library

Bermuda Law Reports
via JustisOne

Cayman Islands Law Reports
via JustisOne

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Reports
via Lexis Library

West Indian Reports
via Lexis Library

Cases and Judgments via Subscription Databases

JustisOne provides access to judgments from over 18 Caribbean jurisdictions.

Cases and Judgments via Free Websites

The Barbados Judicial System – https://www.barbadoslawcourts.gov.bb/

This site includes a Judgments section providing full text of Court of Appeal and High Court judgments (dates not readily ascertainable), as well as Rules of Court and Practice Directions

Belize Judiciary – https://www.belizejudiciary.org/

The following judgments are available – but note that coverage is incomplete for the earlier years: Supreme Court (Criminal) 1977 onwards; Supreme Court (Civil) 1972 onwards; Court of Appeal (Criminal) 1977 onwards; Court of Appeal (Civil) 1987 onwards.

Caribbean Court of Justice – https://www.ccj.org/

The site contains all judgments of the CCJ 2005 onwards.

Cayman Islands Judicial Administration – https://www.judicial.ky/

There are cases from the Cayman Islands Law Reports, 1952-2010.

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court – https://www.eccourts.org/

This website contains full-text judgments from Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Coverage starts in 1973 although it is very selective in the early years.

Jamaica – Supreme Court – https://supremecourt.gov.jm/

This site provides selected full-text judgments of Jamaica’s Supreme Court, 1996 onwards.

Government of Montserrat: Attorney General’s Chambers – http://agc.gov.ms/

Judgments are provided from 1991 onwards for High Court and Court of Appeal.

Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago – http://www.ttlawcourts.org/

“Recent Judgments” extend back to 2009. The Library databases include index/abstracts of written judgments of the Supreme Court from 1990, entries to the Trinidad and Tobago Law Reports Volume 1 (1893-1910) to Volume 16 (1955-1956), and retrospective index/abstracts of some pre-1990 judgments.

Laws via Free Websites

Antigua Barbuda Laws – http://laws.gov.ag/

The website of the Ministry of Legal Affairs contains the Revised Laws of Antigua and Barbuda, 1992 and annual laws 1993 onwards, all in PDF format. Selected Statutory Instruments 2006 onwards and Bills before Parliament are also available.

The Barbados Judicial System – https://www.barbadoslawcourts.gov.bb/

The Laws section contains Consolidated Statutes and Subsidiary Legislation of Barbados, Annual Acts 2009 onwards, and Statutory Instruments 2009 onwards.

Belize Legal Information Network Online – http://www.belizelaw.org/web/lawadmin/index2.html

This site contains the Revised Laws of Belize, published in 2000.

Cayman Islands Government – http://www.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/cighome

There is a link to the separate website of the government’s Gazette Office, where legal notices are available in the Cayman Islands Gazette 2004 onwards and Acts, Regulations and Bills in the Gazette supplement, also 2004 onwards. The Gazette Office site also contains the latest annual Consolidated Index of Laws and Subsidiary Legislation in force.

Cayman Islands Judicial Administration – https://www.judicial.ky/

“Laws adopted” provides a list of UK Statutory Instruments and of orders made locally under the authority of UK SIs.

Laws of Grenada – http://laws.gov.gd/

This provides access to a selection of Grenadian laws made freely available online by the Grenada Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Guyana – Ministry of Legal Affairs & Attorney General’s Chambers – https://mola.gov.gy/

The “Information” section of Guyana’s Ministry of Legal Affairs and Attorney General’s Chambers website provides the Laws of Guyana in PDF format, listed in chapter order.

Jamaica – Ministry of Justice – https://moj.gov.jm/

Laws can be searched via the “Laws of Jamaica” menu at the foot of the home page.

Government of Montserrat: Attorney General’s Chambers – http://agc.gov.ms/

This Montserrat government site provides the Revised Laws 2013, Acts 2013 onwards, and SROs 2013 onwards. Also included are Statutory Instruments (i.e. Orders made by the Queen in Council) currently operational in Montserrat.

Trinidad & Tobago – Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs – https://agla.gov.tt/

The revised edition of the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago is made available here on the Ministry of Legal Affairs website: see under “Online Services”. Laws (currently updated to 31 December 2016) may be viewed either via an alphabetical list or via a table of chapters which are grouped by broad subject.

Parliament: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago – http://www.ttparliament.org/

The Publications menu of the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament’s site includes Bills, 1998 session onwards; Acts, 1999 onwards; Hansard (debates for both Houses), July 1990 onwards.

Gateway & General Research Sites

CommonLII: Caribbean Law Project – http://www.commonlii.org/resources/55912.html

The Caribbean Law Project is a resource within CommonLII (the Commonwealth Legal Information Institute) providing access to legal information from all Caribbean jurisdictions. There are two main components. “Databases” contain material available via CommonLII, and “Catalog and Websearch” enables searches of Caribbean law on other websites. Coverage includes cases, legislation, treaties and other materials.

Guide to Caribbean Law Research – https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Caribbean1.html

A narrative account of Caribbean legal systems and legal research, with hypertext links to the sources mentioned, is provided here on the GlobaLex website. The author is Yemisi Dina, Head of Public Services at Osgoode Hall Law Library, York University, Toronto. This updated version was published November/December 2018.