United Kingdom

General Council of The Bar

The Bar Council is the professional body representing barristers in England and Wales. The site provides information about the role of the Bar Council, the work of its various committees and copies of its annual reports. There is background information about barristers and their work, circuits, the Inns of Court and specialist bar associations. Details are given of the services the Bar Council provides for barristers, rules and guidance and a link to the online Bar Directory. Guidance is available for people instructing a barrister and shopping for legal services.

Legal 500

Online versions of Legalease's directories to the legal profession: Legal 500, Asia Pacific Legal 500 and the US Legal 500 and the Europe, Middle East and Africa Legal 500. The site lists legal practitioners and firms from all over the world, searchable by country and region. Overviews of the legal market in each country are given along with legal news and law firm news. There are articles on different specialisations within commercial law written by legal practitioners.

HM Land Registry

The Land Registry is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government. Its main purpose is to register title to land in England and Wales and to record dealings once the land is registered. The website provides a searchable register of title deeds, downloadable data, a collection of land registration practice guides, reports, forms, house price data and other information.

Law Society of Scotland

The Law Society of Scotland is the governing body for Scottish solicitors. The site provides information on what the Society does, the Scottish court system, famous Scottish lawyers and cases and a general history of Scots law. There is a directory of law firms and individual solicitors in Scotland along with a directory of the Society's Accredited Specialists. There is information aimed at members dealing with client care, legal aid, international relations and money laundering. A selection of forms is available to download.

British and Irish Association of Law Librarians

The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) was formed in 1969 to represent the interests of legal information professionals and others involved in law librarianship. The website has background information about the aims and history of the organisation, membership information and details of events, conferences and courses. There is also careers information relating to legal information work and a 'Job Board'.

Legal Action Group

The Legal Action Group (LAG) is a legal education charity providing support to lawyers and campaigning for improvements in the law and the administration of justice. Its website gives details of LAG publications, courses and campaigns. Contents and editorials from the Group's magazine, 'Legal Action', are also available, along with indexes back to 2000. The site provides guides to a range of legal topics and links to external resources. Subjects covered include community care, crime, employment, human rights, legal aid and welfare benefits.

Crown Prosecution Service

Website of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) the "Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales." The site contains background information about the CPS including its history and role. There are pages aimed at victims of crime, contact details of local offices and press releases. The site also gives legal guidance for prosecutors and caseworkers covering the various types of offences, witnesses, case preparation, appeals, trial issues and sentencing.

Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS), University of Portsmouth

The Institute of Criminal Justice Studies of the University of Portsmouth is a multi-disciplinary unit providing higher education programmes and conducting research in criminal justice, criminology and police studies. The site includes information about the Institute, staff, courses and research degrees. A bibliography of Institute publications, going back to 2001, can be browsed by date.

Law Commission for England and Wales

Website of the Law Commission, an independent body created by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law under review and recommend reforms. Details of the laws currently being reviewed by the Commission are available, and responses are encouraged to current consultations and recent reports. Reports, consultation papers and other publications going back to 1996 are available on the site; earlier Law Commission reports are available on other sites and links to these are provided.

Bills before Parliament

Detailed information about public bills currently before the UK Parliament, on the Parliament website. Bills are presented in full, together with information about their progress through the legislative procedure in both Houses. This includes details of amendments, explanatory notes, debates, proceedings and transcripts of evidence and other related documents.

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