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SAFLII

saflii.org

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Spec score 7.0 #27 of 31 in Legal Research Software

What it is

SAFLII is a free web repository for open access to legal information. Its collection includes judgments, legislation, court rules, journal articles, commission reports, government gazettes, Rule 16A notices and court rolls. Materials from other countries in the region are also hosted through partnerships and links to other Legal Information Institutes. The SINO search can cover all databases or selected ones, rank results by relevance, and accept words, exact phrases, legislation names, case names or document titles. Boolean and proximity operators are supported. Results can be ordered by relevance, date, title or database, with 10, 20, 50 or 100 results per page. RSS feeds cover selected courts and databases. SAFLII says judgments come directly from courts and some government materials directly from gazettes. No login is required for individual reading, printing and copying allowed by copyright law.

Spec sheet

Purpose
SAFLII is an online repository of legal information that promotes the rule of law and judicial accountability through open access.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Intended users
SAFLII describes its collection as useful to legal practitioners, journalists, labour and human resources practitioners, employers, employees and employee representatives.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Advice limitation
SAFLII states that it does not offer professional or legal advice and advises users needing specific advice to consult a suitably qualified professional.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Collection
The collection includes judgments, legislation, court rules, journal articles, commission reports, government gazettes, Rule 16A notices and court rolls.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Organization
SAFLII operates independently as a non-profit organization and is a registered public benefit organization.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Regional coverage
SAFLII also hosts legal materials from other countries in the region through partnerships and links to other Legal Information Institutes.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Result views
Search results can be sorted by relevance, date, title or database, with 10, 20, 50 or 100 results per page.Read 9 Oct 2026 · www3.saflii.org
Search
SAFLII’s SINO search supports searches across all databases or selected databases and can rank results by relevance.Read 9 Oct 2026 · www3.saflii.org
Search filters
Search options include any or all words, exact phrases, legislation names, case names and document titles, with Boolean and proximity operators available.Read 9 Oct 2026 · www3.saflii.org
Source integrity
SAFLII says it uploads only judgments received directly from courts and obtains materials such as court rules directly from government gazettes.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Updates
SAFLII provides RSS feeds for selected courts and databases across several countries.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org
Use limitation
The terms prohibit automated or programmatic collection, including scraping, crawling, API access and bulk querying, and say SAFLII may block or rate-limit violations.Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org

Plans and prices

Free public access Free Not a subscription service; users do not need login details Individual end users may read, print and copy materials for personal use and other uses permitted by copyright law Read 9 Oct 2026 · saflii.org

Every SAFLII plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free public access
  • Search across selected legal databases
  • Boolean and proximity search operators
  • Results sorting and page-size choices
  • RSS feeds for selected courts

Limits

  • Automated collection and API access prohibited
  • No professional or legal advice
  • Coverage limited to listed jurisdictions

Who it suits

It is intended for legal practitioners, journalists, labour and human-resources practitioners, employers, employees and employee representatives. It also suits readers needing open web access to legal materials across the listed jurisdictions.

Verdict

SAFLII focuses on broad, searchable access to legal source materials and commentary without requiring a subscription or login. Users must follow its restrictions on automated collection and seek qualified professionals for specific legal advice.

Where Specifiction places it

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