English Case Conversion Table

There’s a useful tool now in HeinOnline that helps researchers locate difficult-to-find, older English cases.

Because English cases were historically published in scores of “nominate” reporters – few of which are available to American researchers – it is often difficult to find them. To make them more available to practitioners, significant cases decided between 1220 and 1865 were reprinted in English Reports, Full Reprint.

But what if you run across a citation to, say, Underhill v. Ellicombe, M’Cle. & Y. 450? HeinOnline now includes the conversion chart used to find which volume of English Reports contains the decision.

The chart shows the reporter’s title and abbreviation, along with the years and the jurisdiction covered by it. The second column (unfortunately, unlabeled) is the associated volume in the English Reports reprint, and happily this is linked to pdf files of the cases in English Reports.

To access the table, go to the HeinOnline English Reports database, select English Reports Full Reprint, then select the Chart of Reports.