Legal Skills & Research Flashcards

What is the correct citation format for a case reported in the All England Law Reports?

Answer: [Year] Volume All ER Page, e.g. [2005] 2 All ER 450

The All England Law Reports use square brackets for the year when the year is essential to find the volume, followed by the volume number, 'All ER', and the page number (e.g., [2005] 2 All ER 450).

What does 'BAILII' stand for and what is its significance for legal research?

Answer: British and Irish Legal Information Institute — a free online database of UK and Irish case law and legislation

BAILII (British and Irish Legal Information Institute) is a free, publicly accessible online database providing access to UK and Irish case law, legislation, and other legal materials — an essential free resource for legal research.

What is 'Westlaw UK' used for in legal research?

Answer: A comprehensive subscription database for finding cases, legislation, journals, and legal analysis

Westlaw UK is a leading subscription-based legal research database providing access to case law (including unreported cases), legislation, legal journals, practitioner texts, and current awareness materials.

What is the 'neutral citation' system for cases?

Answer: A standardised citation system introduced in 2001 identifying cases by court, year, and number, not requiring a law report to cite

The neutral citation system (Practice Direction [2001] 1 All ER 193) was introduced for judgments handed down from January 2001. Each judgment is given a unique identifier by the court (e.g., [2022] UKSC 15), enabling citation without reference to a printed law report.

What is 'primary' legal material?

Answer: The original sources of law themselves, including Acts of Parliament, statutory instruments, and case law

Primary legal materials are the original sources of law — statutes, statutory instruments, case law (law reports and judgments), and EU law. Secondary (or secondary) materials include textbooks, journal articles, and legal encyclopaedias that analyse the primary sources.

What is the purpose of 'Halsbury's Laws of England'?

Answer: A comprehensive encyclopaedia providing a statement of English law across all areas, kept up to date by cumulative supplements

Halsbury's Laws of England is the leading comprehensive legal encyclopaedia, providing systematic statements of English law across all subjects. It is updated by annual cumulative supplements and is available online via LexisNexis.