The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) is an independent public body established in 2000 as part of a transitional phase in the reform of the House of Lords (as set out in the 1999 white paper, ‘Modernising Parliament, Reforming the House of Lords’, Cm 4183). It recommends people for appointment to non-party-political life peerages and also vets nominations (including nominations by political parties) for life peerages.
Online tutorial provided for students at University of Oxford, Faculty of Law taking the Legal Research & Mooting Skills Programme and made freely available on Faculty of Law web page. The tutorial is organised into three sections providing an introduction to the different types of legal materials, electronic resources and printed resources for legal research. There is guidance on how UK and EU law reports and legislation are prepared, produced and published, information on citing legal references and a link to OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities).
Intellectual property law blog by Jane Lambert, an English barrister and arbitrator. Discusses recent cases and other developments in UK and European IP law. Updates are available by RSS feed, via Twitter or by email.
Lawdit is a UK solicitors’ firm specialising in internet and telecommunications law. Its website has a Reading Room with news items, short articles and case commentary on the subjects of IT, telecommunications and related areas of law.
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), part of the Bank of England, regulates banks and other financial services providers, in order to control financial risk and ensure that enough capital is held by each institution. It is one of two successors to the Financial Services Authority, the other being the Financial Conduct Authority. The PRA webpages provide consultation papers, policy statements and other publications.There is a link to the PRA Handbook, which contains regulations and guidance for regulated bodies.
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is a non-profit-making company that compensates victims of uninsured and untraced drivers in the UK. Its website makes available the agreements between the MIB and the Department of Transport regarding these compensation claims. It also provides a database of car insurance data, the Motor Insurance Database. Forms, guidance, news and other resources are also available.
The Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) regulates patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys in the UK. Its website explains its work, provides general guidance and publishes case documentation, including decisions of the Disciplinary Board. Also available are news items, consultation documents, a list of bodies registered with IPReg, a register of patent attorneys and a register of trademark attorneys.
Immigration blog by barristers from Garden Court Chambers (London, UK). Provides information and commentary about recent developments in English and European immigration and asylum law. A monthly podcast, based on the blog posts, is also available. CPD training is offered to practitioners, via a paid subscription.
A BAILII database, providing all decisions of the UK Supreme Court from October 2009 (when it replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the UK's highest court) onwards. The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) is a collaborative service aiming to deliver free access to primary legal materials for the UK and of Ireland.
The Constitution Society is an independent foundation, run by academic and practising lawyers, which seeks to encourage debate between academics, legislators, academics and the public about proposed constitutional reforms. It also provides administrative and clerical support for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the British Constitution (APPG). The Society’s website makes available its published papers, together with a collection of video interviews on constitutional matters with policy-makers and academics. The site also gives details of Constitution Society events.
