SUMMARY

1 The only way to develop the skills of reading law reports and statutes is by practising them.

2 The key skill is careful, analytical reading, coupled with an awareness of the possibility of creative interpretation.

3 When reading cases, the objective is to be able to identify the material facts and the reasoning and the decision based on those facts, in order to be able to formulate the ratio decidendi and distinguish it from any obiter dicta.

4 Having identified any obiter dicta, it is also necessary to assess their weight.

5 When reading statutes, it is important to remember the possibility of creative interpretation in general and, in particular, that the purpose of a provision will often provide the key to identifying the best interpretation it can be given.