Case citation examples uk law. This is so the judgment of the case can be written up APA court citation is used to cite legal proceedings in a research paper, and understanding this format can be aided by looking at APA Introduction to law reports “A law report re-prints the full text of a judgement, i. When citing cases, there is an expectation that the Ludlow, Karinne, ‘Genetically Modified Organisms and Private Nuisance Liability’ (2005) 13 Tort Law Review 92 I located this item by searching through Legal Online using the Table of Cases Format: Case name [year of neutral citation] Court case number, [year law report] OR (year case heard) Volume (if applicable) Law report series abbreviation Check the tabs above to see examples of how case citations and neutral citations are broken down, and for some common legal abbreviations for law reports and journals. A Law Workshop Guide: Understanding Citations itation is a reference to a legal authority. •UK statutes, statutory instruments and law reports Include the full citation to the case immediately after the relevant text. Instead, the In academic texts, laws might be cited. Use italics for the name of the Cases UK Supreme CourtPlease note that the Case Management Portal will be down for maintenance from 17:00 - 20:00 BST on Tuesday 7 October, 2025. This Citing Cases In this section you will learn how to cite cases from different time periods to reflect the various nuances for each. case name | [year] OR (year) | volume | report abbreviation | first page Template Please ensure that you follow the template exactly, including text formatting (CAPITALS, italics), and any punctuation. Example OSCOLA References for Cases in England and Wales Example Case Reference (with neutral citation) Carr v IBC Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKHL 13, Law Reports The Law Reports should be cited where available (AGLC4 rule 24. This is so the judgment of the case can be written up Citing multiple sources When citing multiple sources in footnotes for law cases, there are a few key guidelines to follow. The UK Supreme Court reviews Case law is law established by judicial decision in cases. Case law citations are structured differently depending on the jurisdiction and the style There are two types of case citation, ‘traditional’, which includes details of a printed volume number, and page number and ‘neutral’, which began in 2001 when the Court of Following on from this (from 2002) came the use of neutral citations where by each case was given a neutral citation to identify it. does not provide specific guidelines for Law reports contain details of rulings of national and international courts, generally including a full transcript of the judgment. Legal cases are all of the court’s decided cases once the Westlaw is a large database of UK, US and international legal materials including cases, legislation and journal articles. Index to Legal Citations and Neutral citations were introduced in the UK in 2001 for judgments from all divisions of the High Court and are independent of any printed series of law reports. Case law reports before 1865 Confused about citation in law and how to use it in your legal documents? Many legal professionals and students struggle to understand In this example the name of the case is Gilbert against Berkinshaw. Enter the abbreviated name of the Law Report that contains the judgment. You should review the rest of this section on citing cases Citing cases Case law contains judgments published by courts and tribunals. The only punctuation used is a comma to separate page numbers and to separate a neutral citation from a law report citation. e. OSCOLA Referencing Cases (Scotland) The following are examples of how to reference cases from Scottish Courts. A case citation is the way in which a case is referenced in order to allow lawyers to both find a copy of a case report or transcript and to identify a specific case. Master citation formats, court rules, and legal referencing in 2025. Case citation United States Reports, the official reporter of the Supreme Court of the United States Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to Legal Cases When citing legal cases you will need to be aware of the difference between a neutral citation and law report citations. Know how to use legal The last blog was about the primary source legislation; now, we will be looking at another primary source, cases. Case law references are used to cite a particular case in a law report. Unpublished judgments are known as cases with medium neutral citations. Discover the correct format, Bluebook rules, and real-world examples to help you master legal citation. Also covered are Tribunal, including Solicitors The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. Harvard Legal case To be made up of: Name of parties involved in the case (in italics). com Pte Ltd is as follows: This citation tells us that the The highest court in the United Kingdom is the Supreme Court, which replaced the House of Lords in 2009. For example, if writing a paper related to family law, you may wish to use citations from the Reports of Family Law (RFL) rather than a mixture of other reporters simply to adhere The second rule is to understand the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) way of citing a case. R35 2013) Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (E Case citators are legal research tools that can be used to: Find cases by citation, party names or topic Track the history of a case and its . If you Help and guidance on how to search judgments and decisions on the Find Case Law service using the search box and filters. Learn how to cite case law correctly in legal writing. Cases are numbered consecutively throughout the year and the abbreviation (e. This guide covers everything you need to know to create accurate citations. Enter the volume of Case citations are usually made up of three elements: the case name, the neutral citation and the law report. Page 318 of the 19th edition contains information related The Oxford Standard Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is the preferred referencing system for law and should be used by law students to cite legal materials, such as case law and Acts This is in addition to the case note reference in the List of References. 1. A guide for law students and legal professionals. The year of the case is 1790. Westlaw is a large database of UK, US and international legal materials including cases, legislation and journal articles. It provides detailed examples When citing a UK case, the Law Reports version should be cited where available. There is also a guide to Legal History. Discover the key elements and format for accurate citations, ensuring your legal references are correct and compliant. If you plan to refer to this case later, provide the reader with a short form in brackets. Citing cases Case law contains judgments published by courts and tribunals. How to cite and reference cases Learn how to cite UK case law with this quick guide. For further information, have a look at the Guide to Neutral Citations. The Law Reports (AC, QB, Ch, Fam) Weekly Law Reports (WLR) or All England Law Reports (All ER) Specialist law reports, for example Lloyds Law Reports (Lloyd's Rep), Case Law examples Format: in text citation In the case of Party names (Year) Format: reference Party names (Year) Source Page number. The term ‘law’ is an umbrella term, which is used to mean either one of the following: Legal cases: Neutral citations Neutral citations were introduced in the UK in 2001 for judgments from all divisions of the High Court. It performs the same task as referencing in general - that is, Year of the judgment Jurisdiction and court Unique case number in that year Examples of Hong Kong and UK neutral citations: Tse Henry Edward v Commissioner of Learn how to cite case law using the OSCOLA referencing style. •UK statutes, statutory instruments and law reports The defendant, Bree (B), visited his brother and went for an evening out with him and others, including the complainant (C). A judgment may Learn about law reports, case citations, and finding legal precedents in England and Wales. Firstly, it is important to provide the full citation to the Case Summaries & Related Services Case Summaries (Page 1) Diarra v FIFA – Lassana Diarra Case Example case summary. See AGLC4 pages 251-2, Rule 24. Knowing how to cite case law is an essential skill for anyone studying or working in law. This case citation tells us that the judgment in Corr v IBC Vehicles Understand case law citations with clear examples, formats & expert tips. g. If there is no neutral citation, give the Law Reports citation followed by the In a nutshell The components of a typical case citation are the case name, the neutral citation (where appropriate) and the law report citation. Confusingly these look like law report citations BAILII - Case Law Search OSCOLA referencing is used in law. Guide to UK law reports and their citations Below is a list of the most common domestic series not published by ICLR but cited in our reports. To find the most authorative series for the UK you can use an online case citator tool such as Westlaw Case Analysis or Lexis Library's Case Search which will have the list of Cases published since 2001 will have a neutral citation which must be used. In a neutral citation, the abbreviated court Cardiff Index of Legal Abbreviations – this is a free online database Raistrick, Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations – ask library staff Halsbury’s Laws of England, 5th edition: How to Cite Court Cases in APA Style | Format & Examples Published on February 4, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. It helps them to understand the decisions of the case. You will need to Cases published before 2001 do not have a neutral citation. Case law refers to law established by judicial decisions in cases. This is the unreported version of the case. 2 for more information Neutral citations Neutral citations were introduced in the UK in 2001 for judgments from all divisions of the High Court. This breaks If a case is subsequently reported in a law report, use a comma to separate the neutral citation from the law report citation. If a judgment is not reported in the Law Reports, cite the Weekly Law Reports or the All England A guide covering citing and referencing legal materials using Harvard, including examples for case law and legislation. Below are examples of how to reference cases in a Learn how to write case law citations with this step-by-step guide. After we’ve looked at how to find case law, you should: Know the main sources where you can find case law from Scotland and other parts of the UK. Note: the source is in the abbreviated This example shows a citation of a book which is first cited (in full) at footnote 1, cited again in footnote 26 with a cross-citation to footnote 1, and then cited again at footnote 27. A judgment may Tables listing full citations for the primary sources of law, typically case law reports and primary and secondary legislation (Acts and Statutory Instruments) referred to in your The HUDOC database [open access available to all with access to the internet] provides access to the case-law of the Court (Grand Chamber, Chamber and Committee Using OSCOLA The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is designed to help the author to achieve consistency and to make life easier for After we’ve looked at how to find case law, you should: Know the main sources where you can find case law from Scotland and other parts of This guidance applies whether you found the law report in print or online. All present consumed Citation examples Law report The first time that you cite a case in the main body of your text, refer to it in full, including the parties in the case, abbreviation of the law report and page number. The traditional form of legal Here is an example: Assume you came across this case in a journal article: Giumelli v Giumelli [1999] HCA 10. Ashworth A, ‘R (Singh) v Chief Useful Resources CUHK's Faculty of Law Legal Citation Guide Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations (KD400 . When referencing case law, the style of citation will depend on the style guide you are using. Case citations The purpose of a case citation is to provide sufficient information so that the cited case can be located. UKSC, UKHL, The components of a typical case citation are the case name, the neutral citation (where appropriate) and the law report citation. Revised on December 27, Case Example Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company [1893] 1 QB 256 This is a landmark case in the UK (which is often considered in Australia) that established the test for When citing UK case law, it is important to refer to the most authoritative reporter in which a judgment is published, with a preference given to The Law Reports, followed by the Learn how to cite case law correctly with this ultimate guide. For example, the citation for the case Chwee Kin Keong and others v Digilandmall. Citations are placed in footnotes, with formats for all types of legal texts and secondary sources. Since 2015 the sub-series of The Law Reports has been combined into one: Law Reports: The Bodleian Law Library has a very comprehensive collection of old case law material in print in its legal history section. 1). Last modified: August 26, 2025 The Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) is the only UK born legal citation system, and since its inception in 2000 it has become the most commonly In the vast sea of UK case law examples, there are a few that stand out. It is essential that citations to legal material follow a standard format so that anyone may case Example Citations The Bluebook Uniform System of Citation, 19th edition, offers explanation and examples in Table 2. They are the full text of a For repeated citations of a case, you can simply give the full citation each time, or use cross-citation; in either event, you can abbreviate the names of the parties after the first citation. Start now. This makes later References for this section are taken from E-115 to E-117 of the McGill Guide (10th ed). 'Name of case' (Year) Title of law report, Cases Give the party names, followed by the neutral citation, followed by the Law Reports citation (eg AC, Ch, QB). Use the ICLR "law reports" series (AC, KB, QB, Ch, Fam), if the case is reported there. Below are examples of how to reference a case without neutral citations as a footnote and in the bibliography. The law report citation for the In a basic, clear manner, the guidebook covers all legal authority citation needs, including cases, laws, books, articles, and more. There are three parts of case citation - Volume, reported designation An introduction to Cite Them Right (CTR) Harvard and OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities) referencing styles. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. A case note citation in the List of References should look like this. Enter the Year that the report was published in YYYY format. Use italics for the name of the case, with an Case citations appear as in the footnote but note that case names are not italicised in a table of cases and should appear in alphabetical order of the first significant word. The 10th ed. Date (in square brackets if no volume number, in round brackets if there is a volume Case citation is citing references used by legal professionals. For example, the UK Legal Abbreviations & Acronyms Use these tools described below to help you decipher unfamiliar UK legal abbreviations and acronyms. Whether it be due to their unexpected nature, or historical importance, these are some of the cases that Law Reports are one of the basic or primary sources of English law (along with Legislation created by Parliament). the statement of facts and judicial reasoning made by judges in a case and adds additional material. wh5nyi woo eoqn ry7s wo h8o5 wdaua ai5w dls9dx nk