Neutral citation – the practice of giving each judgment of a court a reference number or citation – has been in use in the senior courts of England and Wales since 2001. The beginning of January 2016 saw the introduction of a new system of neutral citation for English ecclesiastical courts. The practice direction bringing this practice into force is reproduced below and is preceded by an introductory essay by the Dean of Arches and Auditor.

This article is written by Rebecca Herle who is the Head of Sales and Marketing at the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England & Wales (ICLR). Her article draws on material delivered by two of her colleagues at the ICLR, namely Daniel Hoadley's recent plenary session at the BIALL Conference 2014 called, ‘The Curious Case of the Judgment Enhancers’ and Paul Magrath's article published by Infolaw.co.uk, entitled ‘The Future of Law Reporting’. It also refers in part to Lord Neuberger's speech for the first annual BAILII Lecture (in 2012) entitled ‘No Judgment – No Justice’, and reflects upon the position of the ICLR in the legal profession today. From the birth of the ICLR in 1865 to the present day the article provides a brief history, and then explores the current day issues, of this charitable publisher in its surrounding legal environment. She also offers a glimpse into what the future might hold.

This article by Caroline Shenton, Clerk of the Records at the Parliamentary Archives, describes the rich legacy of records relating to the judicial function of the House of Lords from the sixteenth century to 2009, when the new Supreme Court was established.

The index has been a key feature of the International Law Reports (ILR) since their inception in 1919. Apart from the individual volume indexes there have been five consolidated versions, each helping, by bringing related material together, to cast the jurisprudence in a new light. A sixth consolidation is in progress, running from Volumes 1–150. Maureen McGlashan, the indexer, describes the principles underlying the ILR indexing process and asks whether, with the Reports now available online at Justis, the index is any longer necessary. She also considers the role of the ancillary apparatus such as the Tables of Cases and Treaties.

This paper by Lesley Dingle, Squire Law Library, University of Cambridge was presented at the BIALL Seminar held on 3 March 2009. It covers the major sources, both paper and electronic, of international law.

This survey of United States law sources, by Hester Swift, Foreign and International Law Librarian, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, is based on a presentation delivered at the BIALL Foreign and International Law Seminar on 3 March 2009.

This article by Stig Marthinsen describes the background to the establishment of the Caselex database and outlines how it is being currently developed and the plans for its future.

In a paper presented at the 39th Annual BIALL Conference held in Dublin in June 2008, Janine Miller described the development of CanLII by Canadian law societies from its earliest incarnation to the huge free legal resource that it now comprises.

This paper is based on the presentation given by Heather Semple of the Northern Ireland Law Society to the 39th Annual BIALL Conference held in Dublin in June 2008 and covers the historical and constitutional background to the country. The paper then considers sources of legislation and case law and provides helpful tips on how to undertake research within the complicated and difficult system of legislative publishing.

This article by Joe Kennedy of Baker & McKenzie. Wong & Leow in Singapore outlines the legal system in Singapore; explains the legislative process; discusses case reporting and gives guidance on how to find legal materials in both hard copy and online sources and both free and for fee.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper by Uma Narayan is to provide an insight into how to use Indian legal materials for research purposes. The following subjects are covered: the evolution of the Indian legal system; systems and procedures in enacting laws in Parliament; Indian legal information sources - both government and private - as well as print and electronic sources and how to understand the method of publication of legislation.

This article by Charlotte Pache sets out the background of, and framework for, the legal system in Hong Kong. It outlines the structure of the courts and the legal profession, and details the practice for obtaining transcripts and judgments. It also provides a survey of law reporting and online resources for further information on case law and statute.