Session V: Introduction to International and Foreign Legal Research Kyle K. Courtney, Esq. Northeastern University School of Law Human Rights Institute, Columbia Law School April 17 th, 2009 I. Introduction General Overview of the International and Foreign Legal Systems II. Secondary Resources Research Guides Print and Online Major Reference Works Dictionaries and Citation Guides Foreign Law Portals Subject and Regional Sites Journals and Law Reviews III. Primary Documents and Finding Tools Caselaw and Jurisprudence International Instruments IV. Translation Resources V. Commercial Databases Lexis and Westlaw VI. Current Awareness Resources Updates Online Blogs VII. Research Strategies VIII. Research Example
Session V: Introduction to International and Foreign Legal Research Expanded Outline Kyle K. Courtney, Esq. Northeastern University School of Law April 17 th, 2009 I. Introduction General Overview of the International and Foreign Systems Common Law Civil Code Combination of both Religious Law Customary Law World Legal Systems, University of Ottawa http://www.droitcivil.uottawa.ca/world-legal-systems/eng-monde.php II. Secondary Sources Research Guides Print and Online Quick Guide: Foreign Legal Research Basics (George Washington University) http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/guides/internationalforeignbasics.cfm ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law http://www.asil.org/erghome.cfm Intute Foreign Law Guides (UK Based) http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/law/ LLRX Guides Law Library Resource Xchange http://www.llrx.com GlobaLex Foreign, Comparative and International Law Research (NYU School of Law s Hauser Global Program) http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/
Major Reference Works Foreign Law Guide (formerly Foreign Law: current sources of codes and legislation in jurisdictions of the world.) Now available only as a subscription database. Germain s transnational law research: a guide for attorneys. (Transnational Juris Publications). Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia. (Hein, Inc). Martindale Hubble International Law Digest (Lexis) Now available only on CD- Rom or online. Dictionaries and Citation Guides Bieber s Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations (W.S. Hein) Cardiff's Guide to Legal Abbreviations (Cardiff University) http://www.legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk/ The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citations (Harvard Law Review) Various Foreign Law Dictionaries/Deskbooks NYU School of Law Guide to Foreign and Law Citations (register to download) https://its.law.nyu.edu/jilpgfilc/ The Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) www.law.ox.ac.uk Foreign Law Portals Nations of the World, Law Library of Congress (LLOC) http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/nations.html The World Law Institute (WorldLII) http://www.worldlii.org/catalog/215.html GLIN - Global Information Network (Library of Congress) http://www.glin.gov/ vlex http://vlex.com/
Subject and Regional Sites EUR-Lex: The Portal to European Union Law http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE): Legislation http://www.legislationline.org/ Refugee Caselaw (University of Michigan Law School) http://www.refugeecaselaw.org/ i.lex (The Legal Research System for International Law in U.S. Courts, ASIL) http://ilex.asil.org/ Journals and Periodicals Full Text Journal Databases: HeinOnline JSTOR Lexis Westlaw Bibliographic and Selected Text: European Integration Current Contents http://centers.law.nyu.edu/jmtoc/index.cfm International Journal of Constitutional Law http://icon.oxfordjournals.org/ Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public and International Law http://www.mpil.de/ww/en/pub/library/catalogues_databases.cfm III. Primary Documents and Finding Tools Caselaw and Jurisprudence International Law Reports ILM (International Legal Materials) American Journal of International Law International Decisions Contemporary Practice of the U.S.
International Instruments ILM (International Legal Materials) Electronic System for International Law (EISIL) http://www.eisil.org IV. Translation Resources Babel Fish: http://world.altavista.com/ Systran: www.systransoft.com Google language Tools: www.google.com/language_tools?ht=en FreeTranslation: www.freetranslation.com WorldLingo: http://www.worldlingo.com/wl/translate Official Translation of Foreign Laws Specialized periodicals (e.g. East European Constitutional Review). Constitutions of Countries of the World (Oceana) http://www.oceanalaw.com/ Oxford Reports on International Law (ORIL) http://www.oxfordlawreports.com/ International Constitutional Law (ICL) http://www.servat.unibe.ch/law/icl/index.html Institute of Global Law Online (now at Univ. of Texas at Austin) http://www.utexas.edu/law/academics/centers/transnational/work_new/ V. Commercial Databases Lexis Legal materials for other countries include databases for: Canada (case law, regulations and statutes) Australia (case law) Canada (case law, regulations and statutes) India (case law) Ireland (case law) Malaysia (case law and legislation) Mexico (statutes and case law in Spanish) New Zealand (case law)
Singapore (case law) South Africa (case law, legislation and regulations) United Kingdom (case law and legislation) Other Lexis Databases: The Doing Business in. Series Martindale-Hubbell International Law Digest International Legal Materials Business analyses and country information Country reports Westlaw Legal materials for other countries include databases for: Australia (case law, statutes and regulations) Canada (case law, statutes and regulations) Hong Kong (case law and legislation) Indonesia (regulations) ENFLEX-IO (Indonesia Environmental, Health & Safety Laws and Regulations) United Kingdom (case law, statutes and regulations) European Union Case Law and Legislative Materials Human Rights Law Reports Multinational Courts and Tribunals Hein Online Foreign & International Law Resources Database (FILRD): International Yearbooks and Periodicals U.S. Law Digests International Tribunals/Judicial Decisions Other Significant Works Related to Foreign and International Law VI. Current Awareness Updates Online Government Gazettes (University of Michigan)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/gazettes/ Global Legal Monitor (Law Library of Congress) http://www.loc.gov/lawweb/servlet/lloc_news Blogs Opiniojuris http://opiniojuris.org International Law in Brief (ILIB) http://www.asil.org/ilibmenu.cfm International Law Prof Blog http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/international_law/ VII. Research Strategies VIII. Research Examples