Free UK law study video
Your case summary is not the ratio
Learn the difference between a case summary and ratio decidendi, with a practical question UK law students can use when reading judgments.
Why this method works
A case summary is useful orientation, but it may compress the very reasoning you need to understand. The ratio decidendi is the legal principle or step in reasoning necessary for the court's decision on the material facts. It is not simply the result, and it is not every legal observation in the judgment.
Ask what proposition the court had to accept for the outcome to follow. Then test your answer against the facts the court treated as material, the reasoning of the relevant judge and the way later authorities or your course materials describe the case. Treat summaries as starting points, not substitutes for the judgment.
- Separate the result from the reasoning that required it.
- Identify which facts the court treated as material.
- Verify your ratio against the judgment and reliable course sources.
Accessible transcript
What the video says
UK law students, is your case summary hiding the ratio? A summary tells you what happened. The ratio is the legal reasoning the court needed to reach its decision. Ask: what legal step had to be true for this result to follow? Then verify it against the judgment and your course materials.
See and share the original social post
Responsible-use note: this lesson supports study method, not submission-ready work. Check the original authority, the law applicable to your course and your institution's rules. Visuals and narration are AI-generated.
