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3 useful resources every Law student should know about

Lisa Hawksworth is the University's Law Librarian who supports students studying Law by offering one to one support with using specialist subject-specific resources, finding information for your dissertation or assignment, and referencing the sources you use.

Lisa has written a guide to some of the most useful resources that every Law student should know about, and why and how you can use them to support your studies. 

1. Lexis Library and Westlaw UK

You get two for one with the first choice, as these two resources do the same job! Familiar to many of you already, Lexis Library and Westlaw UK are legal research services containing primary and secondary sources: law reports, legislation, journal articles, eBooks, current awareness services, commentary and news. They are excellent starting points for any legal research – but remember that neither service is comprehensive, you need to use both.

You need to know about Westlaw UK and Lexis Library because…

• They contain the primary legal sources you need for your work and are updated regularly, so you’ll never be using old law

• They have cross-referencing and visualisation tools to help you see connections between cases, understand case histories and compare versions of legislation
• They are key resources used in legal practice, so if that’s where your career aspirations lie you can get a head start by learning how these services work.

2. The Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations

The Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations enables you to decipher the journal and law report abbreviations you see in legal texts.

You need to know about the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations because…

• Legal abbreviations can be confusing – regardless of your level of study!
• The Index provides the abbreviations you need to construct footnotes for your coursework
• Understanding legal references and citations enables you to use legal sources appropriately in your work, developing your academic integrity and information fluency skills.

3. Halsbury’s Laws of England and Wales

Halsbury’s Laws of England and Wales is a legal encyclopaedia covering every proposition of English law.

You need to know about Halsbury’s Laws of England and Wales because…

• Halsbury’s is arranged by subject, so you can easily search by keyword to find an area of law
• Halsbury’s links you to key cases and legislation (in Lexis Library) related to your point of law, providing authoritative evidence for your arguments
• Halsbury’s links to relevant journal articles and commentary (in Lexis Library) to help you develop your understanding of a legal topic.

All of these resources are available from the Law Library guide. Take a closer look to find out more and if you have any questions, contact the Law Librarian Lisa.Hawksworth@liverpool.ac.uk