Arrow left dark
Newsletter icon SUBSCRIBE

Lord Neuberger’s 15 most significant cases

Clock icon Reading time: 2 minutes

Lord Neuberger

The President of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger last night addressed an audience at Lincoln’s Inn to mark the 150th anniversary of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales (ICLR).

He began his lecture by hailing law reporters as “the unsung heroes and heroines of the common law” whose contribution “is not always properly appreciated”.

The rest of the lecture was anchored around “the most important fifteen cases decided during the course of 150 years of existence”, as chosen by an earlier survey of lawyers conducted by the group.

The full list of cases discussed by Lord Neuberger is:

  • Rylands v Fletcher (1866) LR 3 HL 330 (“Rylands”)

  • Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co 1 QB 256 (“Carlill”)

  • Salomon v A Salomon & Co AC 22 (“Salomon”)

  • Donoghue v Stevenson AC 562 (“Donoghue”)

  • Woolmington v Director of Public Prosecutions AC 462 (“Woolmington”)

  • Liversidge v Anderson AC 206 (“Liversidge”)

  • Central London Property Trust Ltd v High Trees House Ltd KB 130 (“High Trees”)

  • Associated Provincial Picture Houses v Wednesbury Corporation 1 KB 223 (“Wednesbury”)

  • Anisminic Ltd v Foreign Compensation Commission 2 AC 147 (“Anisminic”)

  • Caparo Industries plc v Dickman 2 AC 605 (“Caparo”)

  • R v R 1 AC 599

  • Pepper v Hart AC 593 (“Pepper”)

  • In re A (Children) (Conjoined Twins: Surgical Separation) Fam 147 (“Conjoined Twins”)

  • A v Secretary of State for the Home Department 2 AC 68 (“A v Home Secretary”)

  • Chartbrook Ltd v Persimmon Homes Ltd 1 AC 1101 (“Chartbrook”)

    • Only one of the fifteen cases, Donoghue v Stevenson, is Scottish, which Lord Neuberger said was “scarcely surprising”.

    The list also includes only one human rights case and no EU law cases.

    The full text of the lecture is available here.

    Lord Neuberger concluded his remarks: “I end by thanking and congratulating the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales for 150 years of consistent, faithful and intelligent law reporting, and by wishing them well for the next 150 years.”

    Share icon
    Share this article: