The United Kingdom (UK), full name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is composed of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The UK is a constitutional monarchy (although today the authority of the monarch is largely symbolic) and a parliamentary democracy; full legislative authority on all legal issues in all areas are vested in the UK Parliament.
In 1998, the UK Parliament began the process of devolution by transferring limited legislative powers to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Accomplished via a set of official Acts for each country, the ability of each legislative body to pass laws depends on the powers specifically devolved to them. Basic guidance on devolved topics for Wales can be found here. The devolved powers of Northern Ireland can be found here. Current devolved competencies for Scotland can be found here. After the referendum for Scottish independence in September 2014, the status of devolution in Scotland is evolving, and the Scotland Act 2016 is still pending full implementation. Although England currently has no individual governance, it is a topic of interest (PDF download) in the wake of these constitutional changes. While we strive to keep this information up to date, because these institutions are still evolving, please check the official UK Government website for the most current information on these matters.
In addition to these domestic changes, the UK is also affected by its current (at least as of this writing) membership in the European Union (EU) and its pending "Brexit" from the EU. The UK is also a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (officially the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms). Any discussion of UK law must necessarily include reference to these bodies and their court systems: the Court of Justice of the European Union (also known as the European Court of Justice) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR, a body of the Convention).
The UK has no written constitution, but instead its constitution is considered to be made up of statutes, treaties, and cases. The concept of judicial review is also in a state of flux. For a full overview of current constitutional issues in the UK, see Erin F. Delany, Judiciary Rising: Constitutional Change in the United Kingdom, 108 Nw. U. L. Rev. 543 (2014).
The Europa World Year Book (2017): This title is a basic encyclopedia that covers a wide variety of information. It has a chapter with a basic overview of the UK and current issues. JN 1 .E85 (Reference)
Daniel Greenberg, Stroud’s Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases (8th ed. 2012): This is a valuable source for definitions specific to British legal research. It is the British equivalent of Black's Law Dictionary. KD 313.S77 2012 (Reference)
Peter Clinch, Using a Law Library: A Student’s Guide to Legal Research Skills (2nd ed. 2001): Although UK law has changed quite a bit since this book was written , it still remains a useful tool for legal research methods on the UK. Some of the websites listed have since been advanced and improved, and it includes detailed descriptions of finding print sources of primary law, secondary laws, cases, commentaries, and other legal materials for each jurisdiction. KD 392 .C55 2001 (Reference)
Halsbury's Laws of England (4th ed. 2013): This is the major encyclopedia on English and Welsh law. It is a starting point for research and the best up-to-date source for all subject areas of English law. It is arranged generally by subject; a guide to researching in Halsbury’s can be found here (PDF download). KD 310.H32
The most popular online legal research resources, like Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, and HeinOnline - all have at least some UK resources, and some are more useful than others for the particular type of UK research you need to do. Westlaw is often mentioned in this guide because it contains official versions of case decisions - see the section in this guide on Case Law. For information on using Westlaw and HeinOnline to research journal articles and other secondary sources, see the section in this guide on Secondary Sources.
Here are a few quick notes on how you may want to use each database. For information on coverage and research help with these databases, contact a reference librarian or your product representative.
Students and faculty have individuals logins for all of these databases, except for HeinOnline which can be accessed through the Law Library's Online Resources page.
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