The ICLR was set up in 1865 by members of the legal profession with the object of
"preparation and publication, in a convenient form, at a moderate price,
and under gratuitous professional control, of [The Law] Reports of Judicial
Decisions of the Superior and Appellate Courts in England"
(Memorandum and Articles of Association, 1870)
The main publications of the ICLR (the Weekly Law Reports, the Law Reports and the Indiustrial Cases reports)
are not published online by ICLR but are provided online by Justis and also by Westlaw UK.
The following free Services (really "taster" services) are provided on their site, however.
Weekly Law Reports
WLR daily (previously called Daily Law Notes) contains summarised reports of cases heard at
- House of Lords and Privy Council
- Court of Appeal - Criminal and Civil Divisions
- Chancery Division
- Queen's Bench Division
- Family Division
- Court of Justice of the European Communities
The site contains case summaries written by the reporters (all barristers and solicitors)
on the day that judgment is handed down. The summarised report of the case is then
available on the site within the next 24 hours. Not all cases will be covered - a case must
introduce a new principle or a new rule,
materially modify an existing principle or rule, settle a point upon which the law is
doubtful or be peculiarly instructive for some reason.
There is also a monthly index but, once they have been reported in WLR, the free summary seems to be withdrawn.
Industrial Cases Reports Express
The ICLR also provide a free
facility called "Industrial Cases Reports Express". This provides previews of the Industrial Cases
Reports before they are available in printed form. The Express service takes the form of summaries
giving the ratio of the decision and these will be updated as soon as headnotes become available. The reports
cover employment law, discrimination, competition and associated topics.
The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting
postmaster@iclr.co.uk or 020 72426471.
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