Modern law reports aim to provide accurate full text records of judicial decisions and reasoning in cases that have legal value as precedents. They are dominated by cases from the higher courts and very rarely feature cases settled in the lower courts and tribunals.
The Law Reports offers authoritative, full text reports. The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting has published this series since 1865. Prior to this, a number of 'nominate' law reports published accounts of varying quality.
We have transcripts of judgments for UK intellectual property cases, Privy Council appeal cases, selected Court of Appeal (Civil) cases. A selection of judgment transcripts are also available on legal databases. We currently have limited access to these databases, please ask a member of our team for further information.
In our collections of books and journals and national news you'll also find:
legal and news reporting
case summaries and notes
academic and practical commentary on legal cases.
Information is available on the following websites:
The Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations deciphers law report citations
British and Irish Legal Information Institute provides the text of most decisions from UK courts and tribunals. It also offers judgments from leading cases.
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has judgments and related information.
The Supreme Court provides video of recent hearings from decided cases, judgments, summaries, and news alerts.
Scottish Courts and Tribunals gives details of cases heard by the High Court of Justiciary, Scotland's supreme criminal court.
The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting and Inner Temple Library have case summaries and current awareness services.
Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) gives essential information about modern law report series.
The Commonwealth Legal Information Institute (Commonlii) provides access to the English Reports. These includes most of the pre-1865 'nominate' reports.
We can provide access to the following law reports in the Social Sciences Reading Room, however some of them may need to be requested from the issue desk:
The Law Reports
The Weekly Law Reports
the All England Law Reports
Scots Law Times
Session Cases
Northern Ireland Law Reports
Here is a list of further titles housed in our collection:
Law journal (1822–34) and Law journal reports (1835–1936)
The Legal Observer (1830–46), Legal Observer, Digest, and journal of Jurisprudence (1846–53), Legal Observer and Solicitors’ Journal (1853–6)
The Jurist (1837–67)
The Law Times (1843–1965)
Times Law Reports (1855–1950)
The Solicitors' Journal & Reporter (1857–74), Solicitors' Journal (1874–1906), Solicitors' Journal and Weekly Reporter (1906–27), The Solicitors' Journal (1928–)
The Law Times Reports (1859–69)
The Law Journal (1866–1965)
Current Law (1947–date), Case Citators, Monthly Digests, Yearbooks
The Court of Appeal transcripts 1951-1980: the microfiche edition
The New Law Journal (1965–date).
The Social Sciences Reading Room also has printed reference sources such as law report indexes, case citators and Halsbury’s Laws of England.
We also have news coverage of legal cases in the Newsroom.
Online Sources in London Public Libraries will give information on London libraries that provide access to online law resources
Many universities have law collections, but access for non-members may be restricted. You will need to enquire at each institution
The Law Society Library, the libraries of the Inns of Court, and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies serve academic lawyers and legal professionals. They apply admission criteria you'll need to enquire with each library about access
Transcripts of judicial proceedings in England and Wales: a guide to sources will help you locate and purchase transcripts that are unavailable online. The Ministry of Justice also provides a transcript request order form and useful guidance notes
The Registry Trust Ltd gives information about individual County Court and High Court Judgments and other publicly accessible records relating to court orders and fines. You have to pay to search these records.