Search the Law
Know where you stand

Legal research across 15 official databases. One search.

Court judgments, legislation, tribunal decisions, and parliamentary debates — searched simultaneously, with AI-powered research and verified citations.

Free for individuals. Built for professionals.

15 official databases
191,500+ citation pairs analysed
95,500+ judgments indexed
140,500+ classified citations
Search to Report in minutes
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Search the Law
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Legal research is too fragmented, too slow, and too expensive

Commercial research platforms charge £100–£300+ per seat per month. Even then, you're searching one database at a time, cross-referencing manually, and spending hours on work that should take minutes. For small firms, sole practitioners, and legal aid organisations, the maths doesn't work.

And for the growing number of people navigating the legal system without a lawyer, professional research tools are completely out of reach.

15
official databases searched simultaneously
One query searches Find Case Law, legislation.gov.uk, Hansard, Employment Tribunals, GOV.UK guidance, HMRC manuals, CPS guidance, and more — returning structured results ranked by court authority.
191k+
citation pairs in our network
Our citation network maps how cases reference each other — which decisions have been approved, distinguished, or overruled. This gives you the judicial treatment of any authority at a glance.
Minutes
from query to structured research
Our multi-model AI pipeline identifies relevant authorities for your legal issue, cross-checks every citation, and produces a structured 10-section Case Report — work that would take hours of manual research.

Every citation verified against official sources.

A 2025 Stanford Law School study found that AI-assisted legal research tools can fabricate citations in up to 33% of queries — producing plausible-looking case references that simply do not exist.

SearchTheLaw takes a fundamentally different approach. Every case citation in our outputs is verified against The National Archives’ court database before it reaches your document. Every statute reference is checked against legislation.gov.uk. If a citation can’t be verified, it doesn’t appear.

0%
fabricated citations in our outputs
Every citation is cross-referenced against official court databases. Our multi-stage verification pipeline rejects any authority that cannot be traced to a published judgment or enacted legislation.
17–33%
hallucination rate found in AI legal research tools
A Stanford Law School study tested AI-assisted legal research tools and found fabricated case citations in 17–33% of queries. Read the study →
182k+
citation treatments classified and verified
Each citation pair in our network is classified as applied, distinguished, doubted, or overruled — so you know the current judicial treatment of every authority at a glance.

Source: Magesh et al., “Hallucination-Free? Assessing the Reliability of Leading AI Legal Research Tools” (Stanford Law School, 2025). View the study →

Describe the issue. Get the authorities.

Enter your legal question in plain English or use standard legal terms — the search works either way. Results come back instantly from all 15 databases, ranked by court authority. For AI-powered research, citation network mapping, and Case Reports, upgrade to a Professional or Chambers plan.

Commercial dispute
"breach of fiduciary duty minority shareholder unfair prejudice s.994 Companies Act"
Returns Court of Appeal and High Court authorities on s.994 petitions, including O'Neill v Phillips and Re Saul D Harrison, the Companies Act 2006 (Part 30), relevant Chancery Division judgments on valuation and buy-out remedies, and Hansard debates on the unfair prejudice remedy's scope.
Employment
"automatically unfair dismissal s.103A ERA 1996 whistleblowing protected disclosure detriment"
Returns EAT and Court of Appeal case law on protected disclosures and the causation test, the Employment Rights Act 1996 (Part IVA and s.103A), reported tribunal decisions on burden of proof, and parliamentary debates on whistleblower protections when PIDA 1998 was enacted.
Immigration
"section 55 best interests of the child judicial review Home Office refusal Article 8"
Returns Upper Tribunal and Court of Appeal authorities on the s.55 duty and Article 8 proportionality, the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, and CPS and Home Office guidance on children's welfare assessments.

From legal issue to structured research

The Case Report is our most comprehensive output — a multi-model, AI-generated document that maps the relevant case law on your research topic. It gives barristers and litigants the raw materials they need — with verified citations, balanced presentation, and no persuasive spin.

What you get

A 10-section document organising relevant case law around your legal issue, grounded in real case law from The National Archives and cross-referenced against 191,500+ citation pairs.

Every case and statute cited is verified against official legal databases — no fabricated citations, no phantom case law. Our multi-stage verification pipeline cross-checks every citation against The National Archives and legislation.gov.uk before it reaches your document.
  • Quick Read summary — the key points in 60 seconds
  • Relevant legislation with section-level detail
  • Leading authorities with citation network mapping
  • Competing lines of authority in the case law
  • Procedural considerations identified in the authorities
  • Full neutral citations throughout

Available with Professional and Chambers plans. Uses 3 credits per document.

Search the Law
Case Report
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Case Law Research Report

Unfair Prejudice — Minority Shareholder Remedy (s.994 CA 2006)
Generated 8 April 2026 • Commercial Law • Verified citations
Quick Read
Key Threshold:Conduct unfairly prejudicial to shareholder interests (s.994 CA 2006)
Strongest Authority:O’Neill v Phillips [1999] UKHL 24 Applied
Key Uncertainty:Scope of legitimate expectations in quasi-partnership companies
1. Verified Authority
Authority Court Status
O’Neill v Phillips [1999] UKHL 24 House of Lords Good law • 847 citations
Re Saul D Harrison [1995] 1 BCLC 14 Court of Appeal Good law • 312 citations
Ebrahimi v Westbourne Galleries [1973] AC 360 House of Lords Distinguished on scope
2. Governing Legal Framework

Companies Act 2006, Part 30 (ss.994–999) provides the statutory framework. The court may make such order as it thinks fit under s.996, including a share purchase order. The petition must be brought in the Companies Court of the Business and Property Courts (CPR Part 49).

3. How Courts Have Approached This Issue

The House of Lords in O’Neill v Phillips Applied held that unfairness must be assessed objectively, requiring conduct that departs from the basis on which the parties agreed the company would be run. The Court of Appeal in Grace v Biagioli [2006] 2 BCLC 70 Not followed departed from this on the narrower point of legitimate expectations…

Download sample Research Report (PDF) No signup required

Every result comes from an official public database

All data is retrieved in real time under open government licences. Hover over any source to see what it contains.

Find Case Law

The National ArchivesSupreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and Upper Tribunal judgments. Open Justice Licence.

legislation.gov.uk

UK LegislationAll Acts of Parliament and Statutory Instruments, current and historical. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Tribunals Decisions

Immigration & AsylumUpper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber reported decisions. Open Government Licence v2.0.

Hansard

Parliamentary DebatesWhat MPs and Lords said about the law and why — essential for understanding legislative intent. Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Employment Tribunals

129,000+ decisionsEmployment Tribunal decisions across England, Wales, and Scotland. Open Government Licence v3.0.

GOV.UK Guidance

Official GuidanceGovernment guidance on how the law works in practice — immigration, housing, benefits, and more. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Tax Tribunal

Tax & Chancery ChamberFirst-tier and Upper Tribunal decisions on VAT, income tax, SDLT, and more. Open Government Licence v3.0.

UTAAC

Admin Appeals ChamberBenefits, disability, housing, and administrative law decisions. Open Government Licence v3.0.

HMRC Manuals

12,786+ sectionsInternal HMRC guidance — how the Revenue interprets tax law in practice. Open Government Licence v3.0.

CPS Guidance

Crown Prosecution ServiceCharging standards and prosecution policies for criminal law. Open Government Licence v3.0.

ICO Decisions

25,486+ noticesInformation Commissioner data protection and FOI decision notices. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Commons Library

Research BriefingsHouse of Commons Library expert policy analysis on legislation and legal topics. Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Financial Ombudsman

100,000+ decisionsComplaints about banks, insurers, and financial services. External database.

Scottish Courts

Scottish JudiciaryCourt of Session, High Court of Justiciary, and Sheriff Court judgments. External database.

Competition Tribunal

CATCompetition and regulatory appeal judgments and rulings. External database.

SRA Decisions

Solicitors Regulation AuthorityDisciplinary tribunal decisions. External database.

IPO Decisions

Intellectual Property OfficeTrade mark and patent decisions. External database.

Dashed-border sources link to external databases. All other data is retrieved directly via official APIs.

Built for legal professionals. Free for everyone.

Solicitors and barristers

One search queries 15 official databases. The Case Report reads the judgments and maps the authorities for you — with every citation verified against the original court record. Research that saves hours, not just money.

Small practices and sole practitioners

Professional-grade research without the five-figure annual contract. The Professional plan gives you unlimited search and AI-powered research for less than the cost of a single hour’s billing. Chambers gives your team 3 seats and 20 credits per month.

Legal aid and advice organisations

Equip caseworkers with instant access to case law, legislation, and AI-powered research tools. Do more with less — without compromising on research quality.

Self-representing litigants

Access the same legal databases that professionals use, with results explained in plain English. The free tier exists because access to the law should never depend on ability to pay.

One search. Fifteen databases. Every citation verified.

Type a question in plain English or formal legal terms. In seconds, you get case law, legislation, tribunal decisions, parliamentary debates, and government guidance — all from official sources, all in one place.

15 databases, one query

Find Case Law, legislation.gov.uk, Hansard, Employment Tribunals, HMRC Manuals, CPS Guidance, ICO Decisions, and more — searched simultaneously. No need to check each source separately.

AI research grounded in real judgments

Research Reports and Case Reports read the actual judgment text, surfaces the court's reasoning, and maps how authorities treat each other. Every citation is verified against the original court record — nothing is fabricated.

Citation network mapping

191,500+ citation pairs mapped and classified. See at a glance whether a case has been applied, distinguished, or overruled — with the judicial language to back it up.

£39.99/month. Cancel any time.

No annual lock-in. No per-seat surprises. Professional-grade research at a price that works for sole practitioners, small firms, and legal aid organisations. Free tier available for everyone.

Professional research tools, honestly priced.

Unlimited search across 15 databases plus AI-generated research — at a price that makes professional research accessible to everyone.

No per-seat surprises. No annual lock-in. Cancel any time.

Free

£0
  • 5 searches per day
  • Search all 15 databases at once
  • Quick Overviews included
  • No credit card required
  • For individuals and personal use
Start searching

Chambers

£99.99/mo
  • Everything in Professional
  • 20 credits included each month
  • 3 user seats — shared credit pool
  • Collaboration notes and shared file storage
  • Top up any time: £2.99 per credit or 10 for £24.99

How credits work: Quick Overview is always free. Research Report uses 1 credit. A Case Report uses 3 credits. Credits do not roll over monthly but purchased top-up credits remain available while your subscription is active.

Frequently asked questions

What databases does this search?
15 official public databases: Find Case Law (The National Archives) for court judgments from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and Upper Tribunals; legislation.gov.uk for all UK Acts and Statutory Instruments; Employment Tribunals; Tax Tribunals; Administrative Appeals; Hansard for parliamentary debates; GOV.UK Guidance; HMRC Manuals; CPS Guidance; the Law Commission; the Commons Library for parliamentary research; and Irish Legislation for cross-border coverage.
Is this legal advice?
No. This tool provides access to legal information — court judgments, legislation, and tribunal decisions — for research purposes. It does not assess the merits of your case, predict outcomes, or recommend courses of action. Every situation is different. If you are involved in legal proceedings, seek advice from a solicitor, Citizens Advice, a Law Centre, or a pro bono legal clinic.
How is this different from searching Google?
Google indexes web pages. This tool searches official legal databases directly using their APIs, returning structured results with neutral citations, court names, dates, and direct links to authoritative sources. It also searches multiple databases simultaneously and ranks results by court authority — a Supreme Court decision appears above a County Court decision because it carries more legal weight.
Do I need to know legal terminology?
No. Describe your situation in your own words. The tool translates plain English into the correct legal search terms automatically. For example, if you say "my landlord is kicking me out," it will search for cases under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and Housing Act 1988.
Is the information up to date?
Results are retrieved in real time from the source databases. Court judgments appear as soon as they are published on Find Case Law. Legislation may not always reflect the very latest amendments — legislation.gov.uk notes this on affected provisions. Always check the original source.
What is a Case Report?
The Case Report is our most comprehensive output. A multi-stage verification pipeline reads every relevant judgment, cross-checks all citations against official records, and produces a structured 10-section document covering relevant legislation, leading case authorities with citation network mapping, competing lines of authority in the case law, areas of judicial uncertainty, and a reference checklist — all with full neutral citations. It is designed as an honest map for barristers and litigants, not a persuasive essay. A Case Report uses 3 credits and typically takes 10–15 minutes to generate.
How do credits work?
Credits are used when you generate AI-powered documents. A Quick Overview is always free and unlimited for subscribers. A Research Report uses 1 credit. A Case Report uses 3 credits. Professional subscribers receive 5 credits per month; Chambers subscribers receive 20. You can purchase additional credits at any time: £2.99 for 1 credit or £24.99 for 10. Included credits refresh each month and do not roll over. Purchased top-up credits remain available while your subscription is active. A single Case Report analyses multiple authorities in depth, verifies every citation, and produces a structured legal document that would take hours to prepare manually.
How does it work technically?
The search box on this page queries official government APIs directly and returns results in real time. Our verification pipeline uses multiple stages — each verifying and building on the last — to analyse your query, retrieve relevant authorities, and generate structured research outputs. Every citation is cross-checked against official databases before it reaches you. We do not store your queries or the results.
Important: This tool provides access to legal information, not legal advice. Every case is different. If you are involved in court proceedings, seek advice from a qualified solicitor, your local Citizens Advice, a Law Centre, or a pro bono legal clinic.