''Halsbury's Laws of England'' is an encyclopaedia of the law in England and Wales. It has an alphabetised title scheme for the areas of law, drawing on authorities including Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom, Measures of the Welsh Assembly, UK

case law Case law, also used interchangeably with common law, is a law that is based on precedents, that is the judicial decisions from previous cases, rather than law based on constitutions, statutes, or regulations. Case law uses the detailed facts of ...

and

European law European Union law is a system of Supranational union, supranational Law, laws operating within the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It has grown over time since the 1952 founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, to promote ...

. It is written by or in consultation with experts in the relevant field. ''Halsbury's Laws'' has an annual and monthly updating service. The encyclopaedia and updates are available in both hard copy and online, with some content available for free online.

History

In 1907 Stanley Shaw Bond, editor at

Butterworths LexisNexis is an American data analytics company headquartered in New York, New York. Its products are various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper search, ...

, began a project to produce a complete statement of the law of

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

that was authoritative, comprehensive and up-to-date. Bond tracked down the former

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

, The Earl of Halsbury, on holiday in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Traditionally, the role of editor-in-chief of ''Halsbury's Laws'' is held by a former Lord Chancellor, and the current incumbent is

Lord Mackay of Clashfern James Peter Hymers Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern (born 2 July 1927) is a British lawyer. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Lord Advocate, and Lord Chancellor (1987–1997). He was formerly an active member of the House of Lords, ...

. In 2007, ''Halsbury's Laws'' celebrated its centenary with an evening of seminars led by Lord Mackay of Clashfern and professor

Richard Susskind Richard Eric Susskind (born 28 March 1961) is a British author, speaker, and independent adviser to international professional firms and national governments. He is the IT adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, holds professo ...

, and the publication of a collection of centenary essays.

First edition

The first edition was published in 31 volumes from 1907 to 1917.John S James and Leslie F Maxwell. ''

A Legal Bibliography of the British Commonwealth of Nations ''A Legal Bibliography of the British Commonwealth of Nations'', formerly ''Sweet & Maxwell's Legal Bibliography'', is a bibliography of law published in London by Sweet & Maxwell. First Edition The First Edition is called ''Sweet and Maxwell's ...

''. Second Edition. Sweet & Maxwell. 1957. Volume 2. Page 152. Since then, new editions have been launched at intervals of about 20 to 30 years. Volume 1 was published in 1907. Its articles run from

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

to bankers and banking. The volume deals with action,

admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that s ...

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, aliens, allotments,

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a ...

arbitration Arbitration is a formal method of dispute resolution involving a third party neutral who makes a binding decision. The third party neutral (the 'arbitrator', 'arbiter' or 'arbitral tribunal') renders the decision in the form of an 'arbitrati ...

auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...

bailment Bailment is a legal relationship in common law, where the owner of personal property ("chattel") transfers physical possession of that property to another, who holds the property for a certain purpose, but retains ownership. The owner who sur ...

and bankers and banking. Volume 2 was published in 1908. Its articles run from

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

bills of exchange A negotiable instrument is a document guaranteeing the payment of a specific amount of money, either on demand, or at a set time, whose payer is usually named on the document. More specifically, it is a document contemplated by or consisting of a ...

. It contains but four treatises, upon bankruptcy and

insolvency In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet i ...

(335 pages),

barristers A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

(67 pages),

bastardy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

(28 pages) and bills of exchange,

promissory notes A promissory note, sometimes referred to as a note payable, is a legal instrument (more particularly, a financing instrument and a debt instrument), in which one party (the ''maker'' or ''issuer'') promises in writing to pay a determinate sum of ...

and negotiable instruments (124 pages). Volume 5 (companies) is devoted entirely to company law, and forms a treatise of 768 pages on that subject. After a general consideration of the nature and domicile of companies, the work considers briefly the history of company legislation. Then follows an elaborate treatise on the Companies Act 1908. Special companies, like banking, insurance and public service companies, are considered; as well as chartered companies, the

livery companies A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...

of the City of London, quasi-corporations, and illegal companies; and a few pages are devoted to foreign companies. The reviewer in the ''Harvard Law Review'' thought the table of cases cited must contain at least five thousand cases. He said the importance of this treatise was at once apparent; and that to the commercial lawyer in the Eastern cities of the United States it would be exceedingly useful. The articles in volume 11 run from descent to ecclesiastical law. It contains a short article on descent and distribution; a discussion of discovery, inspection and interrogatories, under the English practice; an elaborate article on distress; an article on easements and profits, which the ''Harvard Law Review'' said was the most interesting article in the volume to an American lawyer; and an elaborate disquisition on ecclesiastical law. The articles in volume 12 run from education to electric lighting and power. The ''Harvard Law Review'' said that the articles on education and elections had comparatively little value to the American bar, but the hundred pages devoted to electric lighting and power were useful. Volume 20 was published in 1911. Its articles run from markets to misrepresentation. It contains articles on markets and fairs (59 pages), master and servant (221 pages), medicine and pharmacy (82 pages), the Metropolis (106 pages), mines, minerals and quarries (156 pages) and misrepresentation and fraud (110 pages). According to the ''

Harvard Law Review The ''Harvard Law Review'' is a law review published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the ''Harvard Law Review''s 2015 impact factor of 4.979 placed the journal first out of ...

'', the article on master and servant was of constant interest to an American lawyer; and that on misrepresentation and fraud, from the master hand of G. Spencer Bower, was a valuable treatise in itself. Volume 21 was published in 1912. Its articles run from mistake to partition. It contains articles on mistake (34 pages), money and money lending (29 pages), mortgage (283 pages), negligence (134 pages), notaries (9 pages), nuisance (72 pages), Parliament (197 pages) and partition (59 pages). The ''Harvard Law Review'' said that the standard set by the preceding volumes appeared to be maintained and that the series, up to this volume, was a collection of very admirable treatises on English law.

Second, third and fourth editions

The second edition was published in 37 volumes from 1932 to 1941. The editor-in-chief was Viscount Hailsham. The managing editor was Sir Roland Burrows. The second edition of volume 5 was published in 1949. The second and subsequent editions of the encyclopaedia took the name of the said Earl of Halsbury. The third edition was published in 43 volumes from 1952 to 1964. The general editor was

Lord Simonds Gavin Turnbull Simonds, 1st Viscount Simonds, (28 November 1881 – 28 June 1971) was a British judge, politician and Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. Background and education Simonds was born in Reading, Berkshire, the son of Louis DeLu ...

. The fourth edition was published in 56 volumes from 1973 to 1987. The editor-in-chief was Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone. The editor-in-chief of volumes reissued from August 1998 onwards was

Fifth edition

Publication of the fifth edition began in 2008 and is being published in 103 volumes. It will have a new title scheme, a new updating service, and improved integration of European law. New titles for the fifth edition include, ''Sports Law'', ''Information Technology Law'', ''Financial Services and Institutions'', ''Judicial Review'' and ''Environmental Quality and Public Health''.

Halsbury Legal Awards

The Halsbury Legal Awards debuted in 2013. They celebrate the value that people in law bring to society. The theme of the awards is: "The Whole of the law. Connected". The awards recognise the achievements and talents of individuals and teams across the entire legal sector. The Bar, legal practice, in-house counsel, academia and legal journalism are all recognised, as are contribution to the promotion, growth and value of the sector.

Halsbury Awards

The Halsbury Awards, in association with the

British and Irish Association of Law Librarians The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL, http://www.biall.org.uk/) is a professional body which represents information professionals working with legal information. BIALL is a self-supporting association which draws its income p ...

, were sponsored by Halsbury's Laws from 2007 to 2012. They recognise outstanding performance given by legal information services, law libraries and teams managing legal collections and resources.

Related publications

*''

Halsbury's Laws of Australia ''Halsbury's Laws of Australia'' is similar to ''Halsbury's Laws of England'', but is written for Australia. It is an encyclopaedia of the laws of Australia. Published by LexisNexis LexisNexis is an American data analytics company headquar ...

'' *'' Halsbury's Laws of Canada'' *'' Halsbury's Laws of Singapore'' *'' Halsbury's Laws of Malaysia'' *''

Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong ''Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong'' is an encyclopaedia on the laws of Hong Kong–based on the model of the Halsbury's Laws of England and is currently the only encyclopaedic legal work in Hong Kong. It covers 80 subject areas and is written by pro ...

'' *'' Halsbury's Laws of India'' *'' Halsbury's Laws of New Zealand'' *'' The Laws of Scotland: Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia''

Bibliography

*Marke, J J. ''A Catalogue of the Law Collection at New York University''. New York University. 1953.

References

External links

Volume I - 1907 - Action to Bankers and Banking

Volume II - 1908 - Bankruptcy and Insolvency to Bills of Exchange

Volume III - 1908 - Bills of Sale to Burial and Cremation

Volume IV - 1908 - Carriers to Commons and Rights of Common

Volume V - 1910 - Companies

Volume VI - 1909 - Compulsory Purchase of Land and Compensation to Constitutional Law (Parts I - V)

Volume VII - 1909 - Constitutional Law (Part VI to End) to Contract

Volume VIII - 1909 - Copyholds to County Court

Volume IX - 1909 - Courts to Criminal Law and Procedure

Volume X - 1909 - Crown Practice to Dependencies and Colonies

Volume XI - 1910 - Descent and Distribution to Ecclesiastical Law

Volume XII - 1910 - Education to Electric Lighting and Power

Volume XIII - 1910 - Equity to Evidence

Volume XIV - 1910 - Execution to Fisheries

Volume XV - 1911 - Food and Drugs to Guarantee

Volume XVI - 1911 - Highways, Streets, and Bridges to Income Tax

Volume XVII - 1911 - Industrial, Provident and Similar Societies to Interpleader

Volume XVIII - 1911 - Intoxicating Liquors to Libel and Slander

Volume XIX - 1911 - Lien to Malicious Prosecution and Procedure

Volume XX - 1911 - Markets and Fairs to Misrepresentation and Fraud

Volume XXI - 1912 - Mistake to Partition

Volume XXII - 1912 - Partnership to Post Office

Volume XXIII - 1912 - Powers to Railways and Canals

Volume XXIV - 1912 - Rates and Rating to Revenue

Volume XXV - 1913 - Royal Forces to Sheriffs and Bailiffs

Volume XXVI - 1914 - Shipping and Navigation to Solicitors

Volume XXVII - 1913 - Specific Performance to Trover and Detinue

Volume XXVIII - 1914 - Trusts and Trustees to Work and Labour

Volume XXIX - 1915 - Consolidated Table of Cases

Volume XXX - 1917 - General Index - A-L

Volume XXXI - 1917 - General Index - M-Z

Supplement No. 21 - 1931 - Bringing the Work up to 1931
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halsbury's Laws of England * English law Encyclopedias of law British encyclopedias 1907 non-fiction books 1932 non-fiction books 1952 non-fiction books 1973 non-fiction books 2008 non-fiction books 20th-century encyclopedias 21st-century encyclopedias