Laws and Legislation

Laws - Foreign and International

International Law and Foreign Law are two different things.  Foreign Law applies to a single nation, while International Law covers multiple nations and is based on treaties, etc.  Each country in the world has different national government setups.  How they handle making and passing legislation varies.  How much or how little each country publishes also varies.  What is available is frequently in the local language not English.   This page deals primarily with Foreign Law research.  International Law requires researching treaties, accords, agreements, etc.  Check also Treaties for further resources.

Foreign Law

To begin your research:

• Identify the type of legislation/law.  (Is it a constitution? A specific law? Etc.)
• Identify the country. 
• Identify the date(s) for the legislation/law. 
• Identify sources of the law for the country in question.  (Databases, foreign law guides, etc.)
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Use the following to help locate foreign legislation and/or laws:

• Country by Country Guide to Foreign Law Research. (Yale. Yale Law School. Lillian Goldman Law Library)  For each country a list of resources including databases, law guides, etc. 
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• Foreign & Comparative Law. (Duke University. Goodson Law Library)  Tutorial containing listing of resources for conducting foreign and comparative law research.
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• Foreign & Comparative Law. (University of Washington. Gallagher Law Library)  Lists of guides and databases. 
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• Foreign and International Law. (Library of Congress. Law Library)  Includes information on overview of legal system, guides, and web resources for each country. Has Law Bibliographies and information on Customary Law.
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• Free Websites for Legal Research:  International. (Franklin County. Law Library)  Links for doing legal research in selected counties. 
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• Law - International Databases. (University of Tasmania)  LibGuide to databases to research International Law.
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• Legal Skills – International Law Research. (University of Tasmania) Guide to locating appropriate sources for conducting international law research. 
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• A Selective List of Guides to Foreign Legal Research. (Columbia University. Law School. Arthur W. Diamond Law Library.  Silke Sahl)  Links to web sites conducting research on foreign legislation/laws.  
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• Session Laws Library. (HeinOnline)  Contains links to other countries’ statutes and acts.  
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• Washington University Manual of International Legal Citation - Countries. (Washington University.  Washington University Law)  Contains information on the legal systems of various countries.  Not all countries are represented, but most of the major ones are.
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• WorldLII. (World Legal Information Institute) Links to legal resources for selected countries, treaties, etc.

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International Law

To begin your research:

• Identify the subject matter of the law.  (Is it about women’s rights? Child labor? The environment? Etc.)
• Identify the countries involved. 
• Identify the date(s) for the law. 
• Identify the sources for the law in question.  (Databases, guides to treaties, etc.)

Use the following to help locate International laws:

• European Union:  Law and Legislation. (University of Michigan. Clark Library)  Links to resources for researching EU laws and legislation.
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• European Union Research:  Online. (New York University. Law Library)  Covers EU law-related sources in print and online. 
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• Foreign and International Law. (Library of Congress. Law Library)  Contains information on European Union legislation, treaties, etc.
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• Free Websites for Legal Research:  International. (Franklin County. Law Library)  Links for doing legal research in selected counties. 
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• International Law Commission - Research. (United Nations. International Law Commission)  Tutorial and resource guide.
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• International Law:  General Sources: Online. (New York University School of Law)  Links to resources for researching International Law including web sites, blogs, etc.
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• International Law Research Guide:  Home. (University of California. Hastings College of Law. Hastings Law Library)  Lists resources for researching International Law including web sites, blogs, etc. 
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• Law - International Databases. (University of Tasmania)  LibGuide to databases to research International Law.
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• Legal Research Guide Series:  Specialized Research Guide # 7 – International Legal Research:  An Introduction to International Legal Research. (The George Washington University. Law School. Jacob Burns Law Library)  Covers various aspects of international law and legal research, with lists of resources.
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• WorldLII. (World Legal Information Institute)  Links to legal resources for selected countries, treaties, etc.

Further Reading

Foreign

• Accidental Tourist on the New Frontier:  An Introductory Guide to Global Legal Research.  Jeanne Rehberg and Radu D. Popa.  Littleton, Colorado:  F.B. Rothman, 1998.
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• Bills & Legislation. (www.parliament.uk)
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• Getting Government Legislation Drafted and Enacted:  Guidelines and Procedures.  Parliamentary Counsel’s Office.  Perth, Western Australia:  Government of Western Australia, June 24, 2013. 
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• Legislative Process. (Parliament of Canada. House of Commons) 

International

• Accidental Tourist on the New Frontier:  An Introductory Guide to Global Legal Research.  Jeanne Rehberg and Radu D. Popa.  Littleton, Colorado:  F.B. Rothman, 1998.
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• International Law and Agreements:  Their Effect upon U.S. Law.  Michael John Garcia.  Washington, D.C.:  Congressional Research Service, February 18, 2015.
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• The Oxford Handbook of United Nations Treaties.  Simon Chesterman, David M. Malone and Santiago Villalpando.  New York, New York:  Oxford Press, 2019.  Online version.

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