Halsbury's Laws of England
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Halsbury's Laws of England (also known as Halsbury's Laws or simply Halsbury's) is a definitive encyclopedic treatise on the laws of England. It includes every proposition of English law (whether statutory or common law), with restatements of the common law and remarks to the relevant judicial authority and the statutory law which has in many cases codified, modified or supplemented common law, and is divided into alphabetically arranged titles, making it convenient to use and enabling quick and easy research into any area of law. It is named after Lord Halsbury, who was Lord Chancellor from 1885–1905 (with breaks in 1886 and 1892–1895), the longest tenure since Lord Eldon in the early 1800s.
The fourth edition of Halsbury's Laws was published in 56 volumes between 1973 and 1987. It has had selective reissues between 1988 and 2000 under the editorship of Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone, (Lord Chancellor, 1970–1974 and 1979–1987). Reissue volumes since August 1998 are published under the editorship of the Lord Mackay of Clashfern (Lord Chancellor, 1987–1997).
Halsbury's Laws is regularly updated by an annual cumulative supplement and a monthly service. An abridgment volume summarising the legal developments of each year is also published every May and volumes are reissued as and when justified by the changes in the law and charged for separately on publication. The complete set consists of over 70 text volumes, a consolidated table of cases, a consolidated table of statutes and statutory instruments, and a consolidated index (in two volumes).
Halsbury's Laws is also available as a searchable electronic archive on a paid subscription basis.