Sandbox:Library:Law - Legal Encyclopedias
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What information do they provide?
- Legal encyclopedias are multi-volume sets that provide overviews of the law, in narrative form, on a full range of legal topics; the commentary provides references and footnotes to primary sources, including relevant cases and legislation.
- Standard features such as index volumes and ‘tables of contents’ at the beginning of each topic provide useful access points for researchers.
- Cross-references to related topics covered in the encyclopedia direct you to issues and areas of the law that you may not have even considered.
When to use them?
- If you are unfamiliar with a topic, or if you don’t even really know what your legal topic is, legal encyclopedias are an excellent place to begin your research.
- Canadian Legal Encyclopedias:
- In print form, the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED) is a multi-volume loose-leaf set, produced in both a Western and an Ontario version. The western version of the encyclopedia focuses on federal law and provincial law from the 4 western provinces. Use the INDEX volume to facilitate access to the topics (called Titles) covered in the main set. The titles are arranged alphabetically. Every title has a Table of Contents, Table of Cases, Table of Statutes, Table of Rules & Regulations (if applicable) and a subject index. Remember to bring your research up-to-date by checking the grey-edged (or yellow) supplements at the front of most titles.
- One strong feature of the C.E.D. is its coverage of statutes. If you need to fine out whether there is a statutory provision that affects your issue, or whether there is similar legislation in other provinces, the C.E.D. is a good resource to use. Look for the ‘Table of Statutes’ pages at the beginning of each topic (after the Table of Contents pages & Table of Cases).
- The RESEARCH GUIDE AND KEY volume provides an alphabetical listing of all of the federal and provincial statutes, rules and regulations covered in the individual titles of the encyclopedia.
- Caveats: the C.E.D. is not exhaustive; it won’t refer you to all of the law on a subject; check the currency date of the information, as some topics may be a bit dated; read the cases and statutes cited before relying on them.
- The C.E.D. (West) is available in print at KE156.2 .C362 (LC) Law Reference and online via Westlaw Canada
- Halsbury’s Laws of Canada is Canada’s newest legal encyclopedia. Introduced in 2006 by LexisNexis Canada, it is based on Halsbury’s Laws of England, an authoritative and widely-used legal encyclopedia from the U.K.
- Each Title (or topic) covered in Halsbury’s Laws of Canada is authored by a Canadian expert and has common features such as: a Table of Contents, List of Related Titles, Table of Cases, Table of Statutes, Index, and a Glossary of Definitions. The glossary identifies words and phrases defined in legislation, relevant to the title’s subject matter.
- Use the Companion Guide and Consolidated Index to facilitate access to all of the Titles covered in the main volumes.
- Once completed, the set (approximately 60 bound volumes, plus a Cumulative Supplement) will provide commentary and references to case law and statutes on a full range of Canadian legal topics.
- Halsbury’s Laws of Canada is available in print at KE180 .H34 (LC) Law Reference and online via LexisNexis Quicklaw
- In print form, the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED) is a multi-volume loose-leaf set, produced in both a Western and an Ontario version. The western version of the encyclopedia focuses on federal law and provincial law from the 4 western provinces. Use the INDEX volume to facilitate access to the topics (called Titles) covered in the main set. The titles are arranged alphabetically. Every title has a Table of Contents, Table of Cases, Table of Statutes, Table of Rules & Regulations (if applicable) and a subject index. Remember to bring your research up-to-date by checking the grey-edged (or yellow) supplements at the front of most titles.
- U.S. Encyclopedias:
- American Jurisprudence 2d, available in print at KF154 .A42 1962 (LC) Law Reference and online via via Westlaw Canada (identifier: AMJUR)
- Corpus Jurisprudence Secundum, available in print at KF154 .C67 (LC) Law Reference and online via via Westlaw Canada (identifier: CJS)
- American Law Reports (Annotated)
- KG357.A19 Law Reports and KG357.A185 Law Reports (top floor of Law Library) and online via via Westlaw Canada (identifier: ALR)
- Published in 2 current series (ALR - for general & state legal issues and ALR Federal - for issues of federal law).
- Not every research issue is covered by the set, and it is not really an encyclopedia, but are a very useful resource for doing U.S. research.
- An annotation (or memorandum of law) can be invaluable for a researcher.
- KG357.A19 Law Reports and KG357.A185 Law Reports (top floor of Law Library) and online via via Westlaw Canada
- American Jurisprudence 2d, available in print at KF154 .A42 1962 (LC) Law Reference and online via via Westlaw Canada
- U.K. Encyclopedia:
- Halsbury’s Laws of England, available online from the Law Library homepage at www.library.ubc.ca/law under the heading Commercial Databases
- International Encyclopedia:
- Encyclopedia of Public International Law (Max Planck) [ http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?isbn=0444862447 JX1226 .E5 1992 Law Reference] or Online (latest edition)
- Volume 5 provides a subject index to specific topics.
- Encyclopedia of Public International Law (Max Planck) [ http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?isbn=0444862447 JX1226 .E5 1992 Law Reference] or Online (latest edition)
