LibGuides: UoRM Law: Websites

Subject portals

This guide cannot - and does not aim to - provide an exhaustive list of websites for researching law. To identify and access more sites of potential value, the resource listings in the specialist portals below are a good place to start, as well as any details of useful websites provided in the handbook for your specific module.

Suggestions for free websites to be listed here are invited for submission through the box at the bottom right of the page.

Access to Law
Annotated links to UK, Commonwealth and worldwide legal websites, selected for their relevance to UK legal practice by the Inner Temple Library in London.
Eagle-i
Links to quality-assessed legal information sources and sites on the Web, developed and maintained by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London.
American Society of International Law
Selection of high quality primary materials, authoritative web sites and research guides on international law on the Internet, compiled by the American Society of International Law.
Lawbore
Study, research and careers resources to support undergraduate law students at UK universities, including a link directory to key websites, blogs and online documents.
Lawlinks: Signposts
Links to freely available websites selected and recommended by the University of Kent as good starting points for legal research, arranged by legal topic.
Legal Resources in UK and Ireland
Links to online resources selected by legal IT consultant Delia Venables for their value in informing legal practitioners, law students and individuals looking for help with legal problems.
WorldLII (World Legal Information Institute)
Searchable collection of database resources and links to websites relating to primary and secondary legal sources taken from regional information institutes and nations around the world.

English and UK law

BAILII (British and Irish Legal Information Institute)
Free access to British and Irish primary legal sources, principally transcripts of court decisions.
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Details of the court process and the appointment and role of judges, plus recent judgments.
GOV.UK
Central portal to government information, including Government departments, agencies and statistics.
House of Lords
Full-text archive of all House of Lords judgments from mid-November 1996 to the end of July 2009.
Law Commission
Work of the statutory independent body keeping the law under review, including reports.
Legislation.gov.uk
Original and revised versions of legislation, together with accompanying explanatory documents.
Office for National Statistics - Crime and Justics
Data on matters relating to crime, justice and policing from the official national statistical agency.
Supreme Court
Details of the work of the final national court of appeal, including judgments from August 2009.
UK Parliament
Information on Parliamentary business and affairs, including Bills, Select Committees and debates.

European and EU law

AEI (Archive of European Integration)
Online archive for research sources on European integration, including historic EU official documents.
Court of Justice of the European Union (CURIA)
Site of the Court of Justice of the EU, including database of case reports and related documents.
ESO (European Sources Online)
Details of a wide range of information sources on EU affairs, with links to freely available items.
EUR-Lex
Official search for EU legal materials, including the Official Journal, treaties, directives and case law.
Europa
Official EU portal, giving access to institutions, policies, laws, statistics and official publications.
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
Information on the work, composition and constitution of the European Court of Human Rights.
Find-eR
Details of print and online items in EU Commission libraries (electronic access restricted to Reading subscriptions).
HUDOC
Searchable database and index of ECHR case law, including judgments and advisory opinions.
Legislative Observatory
Details and texts of ongoing and completed procedural measures in the European Parliament.

Malaysian law

Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia
Work of the Government ministry concerned with legal matters, including links to federal legislation.
Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC)
Established to ensure that the process for the nomination, appointment and promotion of Superior court judges is more transparent and comprehensive.
more...less...
Publications available at http://www.jac.gov.my/spk/en/judicial-academy/judicial-academy-report/publications/journal-of-the-malaysian-judiciary.html
Official of the Chief Registrar, Federal Court of Malaysia
Details of the court system in Malaysia, including judgments of higher courts.
Parliament of Malaysia
Information on Parliamentary business and affairs, including Bills, Committees and debates.

Foreign and international law

Audiovisual Library of International Law
UN-curated resource bank of research materials on significant legal instruments in international law.
FLARE Index to Treaties
Basic information on significant multilateral and some bilateral treaties, with access details.
International Committee of the Red Cross
Information and resources of the leading global agency concerned with international humanitarian law.
International Court of Justice
Case law, opinions and publications of the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
International Criminal Court
Information on the ongoing work of the International Criminal Court, governed by the Rome Statute.
UN Treaty Collection
Details of the status and text of treaties and international agreements deposited with the UN.
UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law)
Documents and other materials of the core UN legal body in the field of international trade law.
United Nations
News and documents of the lead body and agencies promoting global security and social progress.
WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
Information on the work of the global forum for developing an international intellectual property regime.
World Trade Organization
Documents and resources from the main institution regulating and resolving global trade matters.

General resources

Avalon Project
Multi-disciplinary historical digital archive of documents relating to the fields of law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy and government.
Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
Searchable database of full and abbreviated titles of law reports and journals from the British Isles, Commonwealth and America.
FindLaw
User-friendly access to basic US legal information, including case law and legislation, for members of the legal profession and public.
FindLaw UK
Legal guidance for members of the UK public on common topics in legal practice, including crime, personal injury and property.
JUSTIA UK Blawg Search
Directory and links to popular UK law blogs (known as "blawgs"), compiled by a US legal marketing firm.
OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities)
Manual and other instructional materials for the leading referencing scheme used in UK law schools and scholarly publishing.
SSRN (Social Science Research Network)
Leading social science online library of free full-text and abstracted scholarly research papers deposited by academics.

Legal profession and education

Advocates' Association of Sarawak
Professional body for lawyers in Sarawak.
Bar Council
Professional trade body for barristers in England and Wales.
Bar Standards Board
Regulatory details for barristers' profession in England and Wales.
Law Society
Representative body for solicitors in England and Wales.
Law Student
Free careers and study content from the producers of Westlaw UK.
Legal Services Board
Information on the oversight of lawyers in England and Wales.
Malaysian Bar
Professional body for lawyers in peninsular Malaysia.
MootingNet
Guidance and support for moot participants and organisers.
Socio-Legal Studies Association
Information on and support for academic socio-legal research.
SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority)
Regulatory details for solicitors' profession in England and Wales.

Guides and tutorials

Electronic Resource Guide (ERG)
Topical resource guides to relevant, quality, up-to-date online resources covering important areas of international law.
GlobaLex
Guides to research tools and resources on international, foreign and comparative law topics, published by the NYU School of Law.
United Nations Research Guides
Research guides to material and online resources on international law and human rights, from the UN's Dag Hammarskjöld Library.

Tips on evaluating websites

There is a huge amount of information on the Internet but its quality is variable. Follow these tips to help you evaluate what's good and what's not!

Before believing the information given on a web site, or quoting it in your essay or project, think about the following:

Authority

Who is responsible for the page/site?
Is it a reliable organisation (eg a well known university) or a subject expert?
Can you trust them?

Accuracy and reliability

Is the information correct?
Is the grammar and spelling correct?
Is it complete, or are they just giving one point of view?
Do they have their own agenda eg political organisations?
Is the information fact or opinion?

Currency

Can you tell how up-to-date it is?
Is it regularly updated?
You don't want to quote out-of-date information

Audience / relevance

Is the information of the right level to be quoted in your project? If it is aimed at the general public or school children it might not be!

Feel!

Is the site well structured and easy to navigate?
Are the links from the page up-to-date and valid?
If it is well designed and maintained then you can feel more confident about the information it provides