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Disclaimers of Liability |
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You are here: BAILII >> About BAILII >> Disclaimers of Liability URL: https://www.bailii.org/bailii/disclaimers.html |
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BAILII is a free service.
BAILII does not invite reliance upon, or accept responsibility for, the information it provides. BAILII makes every effort to provide a high quality service. However, BAILII, its host Universities, and/or the providers of data on BAILII DO NOT give any guarantees, undertakings, or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness, or up-to-date nature of the information provided.
USERS SHOULD CONFIRM INFORMATION VIA ANOTHER SOURCE if it is of importance for them to do so. For example:
(a) POSSIBLE APPEALS: Users should satisfy themselves that a judgment has not been the subject of an appeal before relying on it as an authority. The judgments of any court below the highest level may have been the subject of an appeal, and there are likely to be instances where the judgment on appeal has not been made available to BAILII.
(b) LEGISLATION: Users are warned that the publication of legislation on this web site does not indicate that any particular provision in a statute or statutory instrument was, or is currently, in force. Legislation published on this web site may not yet be in force, or it may have been amended or repealed.
(c) HYPERLINKS: Hypertext links on BAILII are (in most cases) inserted by BAILII, not by data providers. The automated insertion of over 10 million hypertext links on BAILII means that links may not be comprehensive or accurate in all cases. BAILII, its host Universities, and/or providers of data DO NOT give any guarantees, undertakings, or warranties concerning hypertext linking.
(d) FORMATTING/HTML: BAILII provides HTML versions of judgments because the format provides greater online-searching functionality and displays more quickly on browsers. BAILII receives most original transcripts/judgments in proprietary formats (e.g., .docx). These documents are automatically converted into HTML via a customised conversion program that aims to reproduce the formatting of the original documents (as far as possible). The layout and content of the original materials can vary greatly. Because of the volume of judgments and BAILII's staffing levels, it is not possible to proofread the converted HTML version of every judgment. This occasionally leads to inconsistencies or minor discrepancies in the HTML version.
(e) VERSIONS OF JUDGMENTS: Judgments published on BAILII may not be the authentic version of the judgment.
(i) The HTML version is not the authentic version of the judgment.
(ii) The "Printable PDF version" of the judgment reproduces the original document that BAILII received.
(iii) In a number of instances, the judgment published on BAILII is derived from a shorthand-writer's transcript, as opposed to the version found in published law reports. In these instances, there may be discrepancies (usually of a minor nature) between the BAILII version and the law reports version. BAILII is unable to publish law reports versions because of copyright restrictions.
(f) CITATION OF AUTHORITIES: Where cases are to be cited in civil court, practitioners should comply with the Practice Direction: Citation of Authorities (2012). This requires as follows:
"5. When authority is cited, whether in written or oral submissions, the following practice should be followed.
6. Where a judgment is reported in the Official Law Reports (AC, QB, Ch, Fam) published by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales (ICLR), that report must be cited. These are the most authoritative reports; they contain a summary of the argument. Other series of reports and official transcripts of judgment may only be used when a case is not reported in the Official Law Reports.
7. If a judgment is not reported in the Official Law Reports, the WLR, or the All ER, but it is reported in any of the authoritative specialist series of reports which contain a headnote and are made by individuals holding a Senior Courts qualification (for the purposes of section 115 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990), the specialist report should be cited.
8. If a judgment is not reported in the Official Law Reports, the WLR, or the All ER, but it is reported in any of the authoritative specialist series of reports which contain a headnote and are made by individuals holding a Senior Courts qualification (for the purposes of section 115 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990), the specialist report should be cited.
9. Where a judgment is not reported in any of the reports referred to in paragraphs [6] to [8] above, but is reported in other reports, they may be cited.
10. Where a judgment has not been reported, reference may be made to the official transcript if that is available, not the handed-down text of the judgment, as this may have been subject to late revision after the text was handed down. Official transcripts may be obtained from, for instance, BAILII. An unreported case should not usually be cited unless it contains a relevant statement of legal principle not found in reported authority.
11. Occasions arise when one report is fuller than another, or when there are discrepancies between reports. On such occasions, the practice outlined above need not be followed, but the court should be given a brief explanation why this course is being taken, and the alternative references should be given."
Similar rules apply in criminal cases: see the Criminal Practice Directions 2023 (paragraphs 10.8.9-10.8.12).
To assist with the citation of authorities, judgments/decisions on BAILII may include parallel citations for and links to official ICLR reports in the "Cite As" field.
Additional information about citation practices and limitations on the citation of authorities is available on BAILII's Citations page.
Updated April 2026.