This paper is based on the presentation given by Heather Semple of the Northern Ireland Law Society to the 39th Annual BIALL Conference held in Dublin in June 2008 and covers the historical and constitutional background to the country. The paper then considers sources of legislation and case law and provides helpful tips on how to undertake research within the complicated and difficult system of legislative publishing.

Jessica Sambrook tells about her experiences of not only working in the idyllic Cayman Islands but also having to avoid the forces of nature. She describes the sources of legal information in the Islands and provides an interesting historical view of how their legislation has developed from English law.

This article by David Ogden addresses the census collection of Great Britain. The 100 year rule regarding the public release of information is examined and explained, as is the Census Act 1920, as amended in 2000. It also considers the impact of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of the release of records by repositories. The 30 year standard closure on official papers is considered.

In this latest in our series of practical guides, Dunstan Speight and Claire Groom pass on helpful hints garnered from their many years' experience of organising courses for BIALL and other organisations

This checklist by Ruth Bonino and Gemma Rosenthal of Reed Smith is the latest in our practical checklist series. They explain the meaning of flexible working; who is entitled to request it; the mechanics of requesting and the procedure to follow if the request is denied.

This article has been written by Janice Sayer, a freelance information manager, who has extensive and unrivalled experience of working on the content of the Westlaw UK legislation database.