How to read an English court case

Note the parties, citation, court, judges, and date. The citation tells you the court (e.g. [2022] UKSC 1 = UK Supreme Court 2022) and reporting series. Neutral citations (e.g. [2024] EWCA Civ 99) identify the case without the law report; they are the most stable identifier.

Headnotes are written by reporters, not judges. They summarise the facts, issues, and held. Useful for orientation, but the actual judgment text is what counts in legal argument.

Most judgments tell you the issue near the start — 'the issue in this appeal is whether…'. Knowing the issue tells you which part of the judgment is the operative reasoning.

The ratio is the legal principle on which the decision turns — what is binding on later courts. It is rarely flagged explicitly. Find it by asking: 'if this fact were different, would the outcome have changed?' Anything beyond what's needed to decide the case is obiter dictum (persuasive but not binding).

In appellate courts multiple judges may write separate opinions. Note who agreed with whom, and whether any reasoning is treated as the majority. Dissents are not binding but can be cited in later cases.

Use BAILII or Westlaw to check whether the case has been followed, distinguished, overruled, or doubted in later decisions. Citator services (LexisNexis, Westlaw) provide this for paid users; BAILII has limited cross-referencing.