There are many ways to conduct case law research in family law. There are online databases, both free and subscription based. As well, secondary sources, such as texts, encyclopedias and quantums, are good places to start case law research. A finding aid such as the Canadian Abridgment, is another good way to find relevant case law. Finally, this section also provides other resources to find family law case law.
Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII): CanLII is a free database of Canadian primary legal materials on the Internet. It has court decisions of all Canadian courts. Its collection is generally complete for cases decided after 2001.It is completing projects to add pre-2001 cases.
Lexis+™ Canada: Lexis+ has case law going as far back as 1823. You must be a Law Society of Ontario licensee or licensing candidate to access this subscription database.
WestlawNext Canada: Westlaw has case law going as far back into the 1820s. You must be a Law Society of Ontario licensee or licensing candidate to access this subscription database.
The Canadian Abridgment (Westlaw) has case digests organized by topic. It covers almost every case reported in Canada since 1803, as well as every case (reported or unreported) from the courts since 1986, with the exception of Quebec civil law cases. The following heading deals with family matters:
Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Family List of Cases: The Ontario Superior Court of Justice provides a list of family law cases that are frequently relied on in hearings at the Superior Court of Justice.