Collection of links to general reference websites selected by staff from the British Library. The categories include, among other things, Abbreviations, Quotations, Bookselling/Publishing, Signs/Symbols, Copyright, Theses/ Dissertations, Biography and Universities/Colleges. Most, but not all, of the resources are free of charge.
Directory of more than 750,000 abbreviations and acronymns, mainly from the fields of computing, government, the armed forces, computing, telecommunications, business and finance. Founded by US-based IT consultant and software developer Mike Molloy, the directory is global in scope. Legal researchers may find it useful for political, governmental, education and other non-law abbreviations (for legal abbreviations, see the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations).
Website of the Department of Justice & Constitutional Development, South Africa. Provides a detailed description of the individual South African courts and their position in the court hierarchy with a link to the court’s own site if available. A section on legislation gives access to Acts and Regulations relating to the work of the department which have been passed since 1994. There are additional sections relating to Bills, Draft regulations, Rules and Practice directions. The 1996 South African Constitution is also available (updated to 16th amendment, 2010).
The Maritime Law Association was established in 1974 with the aim to “promote the study, research, administration and advancement” of maritime laws and their unification with those of road, rail and aviation. Details are given of the aims and objectives of the organisation and its past achievements. Full text access is given to a selection of maritime legislation to which the organisation may have contributed and also to a selection of judgments, both reported and unreported which have been provided by members (the latter is not a comprehensive collection).
Website of the South African Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court. The South African Labour Court has the same status as a high court. Further appeals can be made to the Labour Appeal Court. Links are available to the texts of relevant statutes, regulations and also to the practice directions of both courts. Access is given to full text judgments from 1996. A separate RSS feed allows users to check on the most recent decisions and news from the court.
Established by the South Asia Institute of the Department of Law at Heidelberg University, this unofficial project provides English translations of select acts and ordinances of Bangladesh, declared in the years 1985 to 1995. Contains full translations, suitable for research purposes only, of over 150 pieces of legislation and the name and number in English of many more.
The General Medical Council (GMC) registers doctors to practise medicine in the UK. The ‘Registration and licensing’ section of the website allows users to search the List of Registered Medical Practitioners, a list of general practitioners eligible to work for the UK health service. It includes any publicly available fitness to practise history since 20 October 2005. There is a separate search facility for recent fitness to practise decisions. The ‘About us’ section provides links to relevant legislation, including a consolidated version with amendments of the Medical Act 1983.
Portal providing open access to primary and secondary legal materials for Ethiopia, including laws, court decisions, articles, contact guidance and news. The service gives free access to selected codes and laws, some in English, some in Amharic. It also provides decisions of the Supreme Court of Cassation, in Amharic only, and the Constitution (and related instruments) in English and Amharic.
The Société Québécoise d'Information Juridique, SOQUIJ, produces a range of priced publications and products aimed at law schools and the legal profession. But its website also includes content freely available to everyone, “services aux citoyens” and “ressources pour tous”. Court decisions from the Cour du Québec and from other Quebec courts and tribunals are online, as well as decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada and federal courts. Decisions date from 2000 mainly, and are mostly in French with some decisions translated into English.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (formerly known as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference) was founded in 1969, and exists to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world. International agreements are available on its website under Conventions, on the topics of international relations, trade, investments, civil aviation and telecommunications. A list of OIC member states, which have signed / ratified agreements on economic, commercial and technical cooperation, is published. The OIC website is available in English, Arabic and French versions.
