Law Reports - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition law-reports

Definition :

Law Reports. Reports of judgments of courts on points of law, published for the purpose of being used as precedents (see (REPORTS). Prior to 1865, these reports were all executed and published as mere private speculations, one reporter or pair of reporters being usually, though not always, accredited by the chief judge of each Court. For an account of these reporters and their works, see Handbook of English Law Reports, by Master Fox. In 1865 'The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales' began to publish monthly the reports called The Law Reports. These, though perhaps the best known, have no monopoly-for contemporaneous monthly reports are published under the name of The Law Journal, and contemporaneous weekly reports under the names of The Law Times Reports, The Solicitors' Journal and Weekly Reporter and All England Reports, and The Times Law Reports. All reports made by members of the Bar and published on their responsibility may be cited in argument. For abbreviations, see tables in, e.g., Mews's Digest.

The Scottish reports (civil cases) from 1907 onwards are known as 'Session Cases' and are published annually. They are cited thus, e.g.: '1934 S.L. 121.' House of Lords cases thus: 1934 SC (HL) 33.' The reports prior to 1907 are in five series, referred to by the names of the editors-Shaw, Dunlop, Macpherson, Rettie, and Fraser. They are cited by the number of the volume in the series, and the initial of the editor, thus: '12 R. 121.'

Cases are also reported in The Scots Law Times (S.L.T.).