Ask Us Law, Legal History Guide

Legal Encyclopedias

Legal Encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias contain narrative summaries of the law supported by references to case law and statutes. They are often the best place to start to gain a general understanding of the law in a particular area.

There are two main legal encyclopedias in law: the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED) and Halsbury's Laws of Canada (Halsbury's). CED covers federal, western, and Ontario jurisdictions, and Halsbury's covers all provincial and federal jurisdictions. Both are available in print in the Law Library in the reference section on the first floor. Electronically, CED is available in Westlaw Edge, while Halsbury's is available in Lexis+.

However, if you're researching legal history, you may want to consult older volumes of legal encyclopedias. The following encyclopedias may be helpful (note: items shown as LAW-SREF are in the superseded reference section on the third floor, and LAW-RBROOM materials are on the first floor in the Rare Books Room):

• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (Western)
  • Covers federal and Western Canadian jurisdictions
  • Years covered: 1919–1925; 1956–1969; 1979–1991
  • Located in superseded reference, stack 364
• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (Ontario)
  • Covers federal and Ontario jurisdictions
  • Years covered: 1926–1933; 1949–2007
  • Located in superseded reference, stack 364
• Corpus Juris/Corpus Juris Secundum (American)
  • Years covered: 1914–1935; 1936–1993
  • Located in superseded reference, stack 366
• American Jurisprudence (2d)
  • Years covered: 1994–2003
  • Located in superseded reference, stack 366
• Halsbury's Laws of England
  • Years covered: 1931–1949; 1952–1964
  • Located in superseded reference, stacks 363–364

Books

Books

To search for books at UNB Libraries, use UNB WorldCat. UNB WorldCat contains records of materials held at the Harriet Irving, Science and Forestry, Engineering, Hans W. Klohn, and Law libraries.

Items shown as LAW-RESERVE may be requested at the circulation desk on the first floor of the Law Library. Bring the book's call number with you to the desk. Items shown as LAW-STACKS are on the second floor, and LAW-REF materials are on the first floor in the reference section.

You can find law-related eBooks in the following databases:

• Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises, 1800–1926
• HeinOnline (includes several legal classics)
• LLMC-Digital (includes historical treatises)
• Early English Books Online (has some early English law-related books)
• Eighteenth Century Collections Online (some older law-related books available)
• Internet Archive   (includes historical legal texts from Canada and other countries)

For more eBook databases and vendors, visit the UNB Libraries eBooks collection.

Journal Articles & Databases

Journal Articles & Databases

If you already know the journal title, year, volume number and page number for an article, you may be able to access it electronically by searching for the journal's title in the UNB e-journals database. If we have the journal electronically or in print, it will be listed. You can also look up the journal title in UNB WorldCat.

Keep in mind that it can be best to start with an index rather than a full-text database. An index is essentially a list of articles by topic. Sometimes the article will be available full-text, but often you'll just be given a citation that you can use to track it down somewhere else.

Indexes

• Index to Canadian Legal Literature
  • Available via Lexis+ (non-law UNB/STU use the campus-wide version of Quicklaw)
  • Available via Westlaw Edge (law students only)
• Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (covers 1908–1981)
• Index to Legal Periodical Literature (via HeinOnline; covers 1888–1939)
• Index to Canadian Legal Periodical Literature (aka: Scott Index; page is in French)
  • Also available in print (covers 1961–2006)
• Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (covers 1960–2006)
  • Available in print only

Full-text databases

• Lexis+ (non-law students use the campus-wide version of Quicklaw)
  • Click Law Reviews & Journals
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click Articles and Newsletters
• HeinOnline
  • Click Law Journal Library
  • Search or browse topics, including Legal History
• HeinOnline: Legal Classics
  • includes books and materials from as far back the the 1700s
• LegalTrac (index and full-text database covering 1980–present)

Case Law

Case Law

Canada

• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Non-law students: use the campus-wide version of Quicklaw
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
• CanLII  
  • Has many older cases; check their database coverage to see what's available
• HeinOnline: Canada Supreme Court Reports (1876–present)
• LLMC-Digital
  • Full-text historical materials from common law countries, including cases and legislation
• Internet Archive  
  • Includes historical legislation, case law, and texts from Canada and other countries

United Kingdom

• BAILII: United Kingdom and Commonwealth Case Law
  • Includes historical decisions from UK courts and tribunals
• CommonLII: UK Courts & Case-Law 
  • Includes the full-text of the English Reports 1220–1873
• HeinOnline: English Reports, Full Reprint (1220–1867)
• JustisOne
  • Includes all UK statutes dating back to 1235, UK statutory instruments back to 1671, and full-text of reported and unreported civil and criminal judgments from England and Wales
• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Non-law students: use the campus-wide version of Quicklaw
  • Change jurisdiction in search box to UK. Coverage varies.
• LLMC-Digital
  • Full-text historical materials from common law countries, including cases and legislation
• The Proceedings of the Old Bailey   (London's Central Criminal Court, 1674–1913)
• Internet Archive
  • Includes historical legislation, case law, and texts
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click International tab, then United Kingdom (under Other International Materials). Coverage varies by court.

United States

• HeinOnline: Early American Case Law
  • Includes the entire Federal Cases 30-book series (1894–1897) and the Trinity Series, which includes American Decisions, American Reports, and American State Reports
• HeinOnline: US Supreme Court Library
  • Includes US Reports (1754–2013) as well as preliminary prints, slip opinions, and books and periodicals related to the US Supreme Court
• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Non-law students: use the campus-wide version of Quicklaw
  • Change jurisdiction in search box to US. Coverage varies by court.
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click International tab, then US Cases. Coverage varies by court.

Cases Digests

Along with searching the databases mentioned above, you should use a case digest to find case law. A case digest service indexes cases by topic, and each topic is broken down into several subtopics. With a case digest, you might find ten, twenty, or hundreds of cases on your research topic, saving you hours of time.

If you're researching legal history, you may want to consult older volumes of case digests. The following digests may be helpful (note: items shown as LAW-SREF are in the superseded reference section on the third floor, and LAW-RBROOM materials are on the first floor in the Rare Books Room):

• The Canadian Abridgment
  • Years covered: 1935–1946; 1966–; 1975–1986
  • Located in superseded reference, stack 365
• Mew's Digest of English Cases / The Digest of English Case Law (UK)
  • Years covered: 1557–1910; 1925–1950
  • Located in superseded reference, stack 364
• The Digest (UK)
  • Years covered: 1981–2001
  • Located in first-floor reference, stack 101
• American Digest (West Key Number System)
  • Years covered: 1658–1896; 1897–1906; 1907–1916 (all available via LLMC-Digital)

Legislation & Government Documents

Legislation & Government Documents

Canada

• CanLII
  • Has many older statutes; check their database coverage to see what's available
• HeinOnline: Canadian Annual Statutes (1792–)
• HeinOnline: Revised Statutes of Canada (1886–1985)
• Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources (via Canadiana Online)
  • Includes all debates, journals, and committee documentation of the Senate and the House of Commons from 1867 until coverage at parl.ca begins.
  • Historical sessional papers are also available from 1867–1901
• Library and Archives Canada: Collection Search
  • Click Advanced Search then select a source from the Databases menu
  • Includes the Canada Gazette 1841–1997, historical Orders in Council (1 July 1867–1924), and more
• LLMC-Digital
  • Full-text historical materials from common law countries, including cases and legislation
• Canadiana Online: Government Publications
  • Includes a selection of pre-Confederation official government publications produced by colonial legislatures, such as acts, legislative debates, legislative journals, and sessional papers
• Internet Archive
  • Includes historical legislation, case law, and texts
• HeinOnline: Session Laws
  • A comprehensive collection of federal legislation from Australia (1901–), Bahamas (1968–1996), Canada (1792–), and the United States (1789–), and US state session laws from colonial times to the present

United Kingdom

• HeinOnline: Statutes of the Realm (1235–1713)
• LLMC-Digital (full-text historical materials from common law countries, including cases and legislation)
• Parliament Rolls of Medieval England (PROME)
  • Contains full text and translation of the meetings of the English parliaments from Edward I to Henry VII, covering 1275–1504
• Legislation.gov.uk  (1267–)
• Internet Archive
  • Includes historical legislation, case law, and texts
• The Statutes Project
  • Select historical English (13th–20th centuries), Scottish, and Irish statutes

United States

• Congress.gov
  • Public laws and congressional bills from 103rd Congress forward, House and Senate reports from 104th Congress forward, the Congressional Record from 104th Congress forward, and bill status and summary information from 93rd Congress forward
• HeinOnline: Session Laws
  • A comprehensive collection of federal legislation from Australia (1901–), Bahamas (1968–1996), Canada (1792–), and the United States (1789–), and US state session laws from colonial times to the present
• Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation
  • Records and acts of Congress from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention through the 43rd Congress, including the first three volumes of the Congressional Record, 1873–75
• GovInfo
  • Full-text access to bills beginning with the 103rd Congress, the Congressional Record from 1873–present, selected House and Senate hearings from the 99th Congress forward, and more

Other Jurisdictions 

• CommonLII
  • Includes historical legislation and case law for several common law countries. Coverage varies.
• HeinOnline: World Constitutions Illustrated
  • The world's current constitutions in their original languages and English translations
• HeinOnline: Session Laws
  • Comprehensive collection of federal legislation from Australia (1901–), Bahamas (1968–1996), Canada (1792–), and the United States (1789–), and US state session laws from colonial times to the present
• Internet Archive
  • Includes historical legislation, case law, and texts from many jurisdictions