United Kingdom Legal Research Guide

Although UK lawyers share a common language with their American counterparts, they sometimes employ different terminology. For example, insider trading is known as insider dealing in the UK.

To avoid confusion and misunderstanding when conducting UK legal research, consult these UK legal dictionaries:

• A Dictionary of Law (9th ed.) REF KD313 .C66 2018
• Dictionary of Law (5th ed.) KD313 .C64 2007 Electronic
• Jowett's Dictionary of English Law (4th ed.) KD313.J6 2015
• The Longman Dictionary of Law (7th ed.) REF KD313 .C87 2007
• Osborn's Concise Law Dictionary (10th ed.)  REF KD313 .O8 2005
• Stroud's Judicial Dictionary of Words & Phrases (11th ed.) REF KD313 .S77 2023
• Words and Phrases Legally Defined (4th ed.) REF KD313 .B8 2007
   

British Spelling

When searching for materials published in the UK, be mindful of variations in spelling between British English and American English. These seemingly minor differences can have an enormous impact on search results.  

To conduct a thorough search for books or articles about labor law in the UK, for example, you should include both the British and American spellings ("labour law" OR "labor law").

For an authoritative analysis of variations in usage and spelling among English-speaking countries, consult the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary (Call No, REF PE1625 .O87 1989), which is also available online.