Foreign Legal Research
Prepared for Comparative and International Law Survey, Law A508
University of Washington Gallagher Law Library
April 2012
I.
Getting Started
A.
Research Strategy
1. Preliminary Analysis
 Assess knowledge
 Consult secondary sources for background on topic and citations to primary
law
2. Gather, read, and analyze primary law
3. Update research and refine preliminary conclusions
B.
Research Guides (guidance on how to research a foreign law topic or the law of a
specific foreign jurisdiction)
1. University of Washington Gallagher Law Library Guides
a. Start with Library’s Foreign, Comparative and International Law page
http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/fcil.html
b. “Foreign Law Research” (http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/foreign.shtml)
c. “Research in Foreign & Comparative Law”
(http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/forcomp.shtml)
2. Other Guides
a. Globalex (New York University School of Law)
http://www.nyulawglobal.org/Globalex/
 Over 100 legal research guides on foreign law (e.g., Argentina,
Denmark, Zimbabwe) and comparative law research (e.g., religious
legal systems)
b. LLRX http://www.llrx.com/comparative_and_foreign_law.html
 Includes both individual country guides and guides on particular
subjects, (e.g., “Researching Intellectual Property Law in the Russian
Federation”)
c. FLARE: Foreign Law Research Guides http://ials.sas.ac.uk/flare/flare.htm
 Collaboration among the major libraries collecting law in the United
Kingdom
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II.
Searching for Legal Materials of Non-U.S. Jurisdictions
A.
Resources for Background on Nations’ Legal Systems
1. Online
a. Juriglobe http://www.juriglobe.ca/eng/index.php
 Identifies type of legal system (common law, civil law, mixed, other)
of worlds’ nations
b. Foreign Law Guide (a/k/a Reynolds & Flores)
 Overview of the legal system of over 180 countries
 Access through Gallagher home page
(http://lib.law.washington.edu )
2. Print
a. Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia 1984-date. 21 vols. K530.M63 1984
(Reference Area) (also available on HeinOnline: go to World Constitutions
Library > Browse by Resource > Other works)
b. Germain’s Transnational Law Research: A Guide for Attorneys (K85 .G47
1991, Reference Office)
c. Introduction to Foreign Legal Systems (K559. I57 1994, Reference Office)
d. Information Sources in Law (KJC76 .I54, Reference Office)
e. Law and Judicial Systems of Nations (K583 .W67 2002, Reference Office)
f. Szladits’ Bibliography on Foreign and Comparative Law (K520 .S9, Reference
Area)
B.
Sources for Primary Law of Foreign Nations
1. Constitutions
a. Constitutions of the Countries of the World, 1971-date. 22 vols. K3157.A2
B58 1971 (Reference Area; superseded versions in Compact Stacks)
 English-language text for 192 countries and legal analysis
commentary.
b. Constitution Finder, from the University of Richmond,
http://confinder.richmond.edu/.
 Links to Internet sources of constitutions for countries around the
world.
c. International Constitutional Law http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/
d. National Constitutions http://www.constitution.org/cons/natlcons.htm
2. Other Primary Materials
a. Online Commercial Sources
i. Westlaw (primarily Mexico and Europe)
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o
o
ii. Lexis

Westlaw: Select the DIRECTORY > International/Worldwide
Materials > Select region
WestlawNext: Directory > International Materials >
International/Worldwide Materials > Select region
Legal Tab > Area of Law by Topic > Foreign Laws and Legal
Sources
b. Free Online Sources
i. Library of Congress, Guide to Law Online, Nations of the World,
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide.php
o Links to sources of primary law and other research guides
ii. Foreign Collections by Jurisdiction at NYU Law Library
http://www.law.nyu.edu/library/research/foreign_intl/foreigndatab
asesbyjurisdiction/index.htm
o Identifies major sources of foreign countries’ primary law
iii. Foreign and International Law Sources on the Internet: Annotated
http://library2.lawschool.cornell.edu/ForeignLawGuide
o Links back to LOC Guide to Law Online page for each
country
o Identifies other research guides and sources of law online
iv. Legal Information Institutes (LII): searchable online databases
providing access to select primary law of foreign nations
 WorldLII http://www.worldlii.org (aggregates the following
databases):
o CanLII (Candian law) http://www.canlii.org
o BAILII (British & Irish law) http://www.bailii.org
o AustLII (Australian law) http://www.austlii.edu.au/
o HKLII (Hong Kong law) http://www.hklii.hk/eng/
o PacLII (Pacific Island nations law) http://www.paclii.org/
 AsianLII (covering 28 Asian jurisdictions),
http://www.asianlii.org
c. Official Government resources
 Government websites, e.g., New Zealand legislation
http://www.legislation.govt.nz
 Guide to Official Publications of Foreign Countries (J9.5 .G85, Reference
Office)
o Search library catalog for individual titles
d. Subject Compilations in print, e.g., Digest of Commercial Laws of the World,
K1004.2 .D5 1998
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
Use LOC, Multinational Collections Database
http://www.loc.gov/lawweb/servlet/Glic?home to help identify
compilations, then search the library catalog
e. IGO & NGO websites (for compilations of national laws on particular
subjects), e.g.:
i. OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) –
Legislationline http://legislationline.org/
 Provides access to international norms and standards
relating to specific human dimension issues (e.g.,
freedom of assembly, hate crime) as well as to domestic
legislation and other documents of relevance to these
issues related to member-states.
ii. World Bank - Doing Business http://www.doingbusiness.org/lawlibrary
 Compilation of business laws and regulations from
almost every member jurisdiction.
iii. ECOLEX: Gateway to Environmental Law
http://www.ecolex.org/start.php
 Includes treaties, international soft-law and other nonbinding policy and technical guidance documents,
national legislation, judicial decisions, and law and
policy literature.
iv. International Labor Organization Databases (from the ILO Library)
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/support/lib/resource/ilodatabase
s.htm
 Includes a link to the NATLEX database of national
labor, social security and related human rights
legislation. Provides abstracts of legislation and relevant
citation information.
v. Annual Review of Population Law
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/population/annual_review.htm
 Summaries and excerpts of legislation, constitutions,
court decisions, and other official government
documents from every country in the world relating to
population policies, reproductive rights and health,
women's status and rights, children and adolescents,
HIV/AIDS and related topics. Also contains files on
specific topics, such as abortion laws, population
policies, domestic violence, children and adolescents,
HIV/AIDS, women's human rights, and female genital
mutilation. 1974 through present.
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vi. Migration Law Database - International Organization for Migration
http://www.imldb.iom.int/section.do
 Includes links to research on migration law and a
migration law database that compiles relevant norms
and instruments regulating migration at the
international, regional and national levels.
vii. See also sources listed in International Legal Research in a Nutshell,
Appendix C (Websites Containing Translated National Law),
KZ1234 .H64 2008 (Reference Area)
C.
Summaries of Foreign Law
1. Martindale-Hubbell International Law Digest
 On Lexis
 Legal > Area of Law by Topic > Foreign Laws and Legal Sources >
International Law Digests > Select region
2. Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) http://www.glin.gov/search.action
 Database of official texts of laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and other
complementary legal sources contributed by governmental agencies and
international organizations.
 May include full text of published documents in their official languages
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