Knowledge

Reference and support materials for case law research and legal education.

Why are cases in the Weekly Law Reports split into separate volumes in the same part?

Case Law

The explanation is historical. When launched as a series in 1953, the Weekly Law Reports (WLR) were intended to provide early publication in regular weekly parts of those cases which would eventually appear in the monthly parts of the official Law Reports (AC, Ch, QB or P/Fam volumes). WLR also contained less important cases, covering Continue reading

Case law: sometimes less is more

Case Law

Over-citation of authority The cornerstone of ICLR’s approach to reporting judicial decisions is that only the cases that make new law or change existing law merit coverage in a law report. The reasoning behind this philosophy is that cases decided purely on their facts, or through the application of principles in cases that have already Continue reading

The Past, Present and Future of the ICLR

Case Law

The following essay is taken from the The Law Reports 1865-2015 Anniversary Edition, published to mark ICLR’s 150th anniversary in 2015. (The book is available from the ICLR Bookshop.)  This collection of fifteen landmark cases has been published to mark the sesquicentenary or 150th anniversary of the founding of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting Continue reading