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Foreign Law Research: Home

Process of Foreign Law Research

Step 1: Start early (as in "earlier than you think"); foreign law research will likely take longer than a U.S.-based research project because of:

  • (un)Familiarity - you will likely be using resources you're not familiar with
  • Availability - there is no Lexis/Westlawesque "one stop shopping"; you may need to check multiple resources and/or request print resources from other libraries
  • Language - You may need to locate & compare translations of foreign law resources

Step 2: Learn about the selected country & its legal system through secondary sources & research guides

  • Secondary sources, i.e., traditional reference works, monographs/treatises, periodicals, websites (practice source evaluation!), etc.
  • Country specific guides (I'll recommend some in the designated portion of this guide)

Step 3: Find published laws (which is much easier said than done)

  • Availability will vary based on the selected country, its respective legal system, & languages used
  • What law is even created/published in the first place may vary by country
  • Country specific legal research guides (I'll recommend some sources in the designated portion of this guide)
  • Possibly reprinted in appropriate secondary sources (consider doing topic-based research in addition to country-based)
  • Library catalog (limited selection but it's always worth a try)
  • Lexis, Westlaw (limited selection)
  • Websites (practice source evaluation!)
  • Sadly, unless you can travel to a law library in the selected country (& read a language their laws are printed in), there's always the risk that you won't be able to locate the information 

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