Research Guides: Research Guide for CJCA Student Editors: National Laws

Canadian Case Law and Legislation

Citation

For rules on citing Canadian case law, see McGill Guide Chapter 3 Jurisprudence.

Example: National Gypsum Co v Northern Sales Ltd, 1963 CanLII 96 (SCC).

For rules on citing Canadian legislation, see McGill Guide Chapter 2 Legislation.

Example: International Commercial Arbitration Act, 2017, SO 2017, c 2, sch 5.

Finding Tools

The following databases can help you locate Canadian case law and legislation. Detailed information about researching Canadian law can also be found in the Law Library's Legal Research Manual.

CanLII (Canadian Legal Information Institute)
Provides access to court judgments, tribunal decisions, statutes and regulations from all Canadian jurisdictions.
Lexis+
Access to case law, statutes, and many secondary sources
Westlaw Edge Canada
Access to case law, statutes, and many secondary sources.

Case Law and Legislation of the United States

Citation

For guidance on citing legal materials from the United States, see McGill Guide Rule 7.4 United States.

Example: Mitsubishi Motors Corp v Soler Chrysler-Plymoth, 473 US 614 (1985).

Finding Tools

The following databases can help you locate American case law and legislation. Detailed information about researching American law can also be found in the Law Library's Legal Research Manual.

Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII)
Publishes electronic versions of core materials in numerous areas of the law.
Lexis+
Access U.S. materials by changing the jurisdiction in the search bar.
United States Code
The online versions of the Code on this website are produced using the same database that is maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel and from which the Government Publishing Office (GPO) prints volumes of the United States Code.
US Reports
Contains full text reproductions of the bound volumes of the United States Reports, from cover through index, of volumes 502 et seq., including all of the opinions, orders, and other materials issued for the Court’s 1991 Term and subsequent years.
Westlaw Edge Canada - International Tab
Individual law students' accounts only.

Case Law and Legislation of the United Kingdom

Detailed information about researching UK law - including older UK cases and statutes - can be found in the Law Library's Legal Research Manual.

ICLR Online
This database includes the Law Reports, the Weekly Law Reports, Industrial Cases Reports, Business Law Reports, and the Public and Third Sector Reports.
Legislation.gov.uk
The official home of revised enacted UK legislation 1267 - present.
Westlaw Edge Canada - International Tab
Individual law students' accounts only.
Lexis+
Full text access to U.K. case law, including All ER Reprints and The Law Reports. Access UK materials by changing the jurisdiction in the search bar.

Cases and Legislation from Other Countries

Kluwer Arbitration (Queen's only)
Contains text of arbitration acts, relevant court decisions and legislation from countries around the world.
GlobaLex
Each country guide contains a detailed description of the legal system and sources of legal information for that country. Published by the Hauser Global Law School Program at NYU School of Law
WorldLII
Includes over 270 databases from 48 jurisdictions in 20 countries around the world. Databases include case-law, legislation, treaties, law reform reports, law journals, and other materials.
Library of Congress' Guides to Law
Each guide contains an annotated collection of links to free online legal materials and pertinent resources in the Library of Congress catalog, organized by jurisdiction.