International & Foreign Legal Research
Reference Tools

Spring 2007

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Research Guides and Bibliographies
Abbreviations and Acronyms
International and Foreign Law Terms and Phrases
Information about Foreign Legal Systems
Background Information on International Organizations
Journal Articles
Citing International and Foreign Legal Materials
Current Awareness Sources
Useful Web Sites

Introduction

There are some basic sources that a researcher of international and foreign law uses frequently or should become familiar with in order to facilitate research in these areas. For example, it is almost impossible to do any research on an international law issue without finding references to and using International Legal Materials (ILM). Below is a list of resources that are close to ILM in terms of importance to international and foreign legal research. It is by no means a complete list of tools, so the researcher is encouraged to examine these tools personally and determine which ones are most appropriate to her or his research style.

Research Guides and Bibliographies

Research guides and bibliographies, as well as catalogs, are good tools for identifying the titles of foreign and international legal materials. There are many research guides on specific countries. Subject headings for locating research guides and bibliographies on foreign and international law are: 

legal research--[geographic area or country] 
law--[geographic area or country]--bibliography
legal bibliography--[geographic area]
law--[geographic area or country ]
[international organization's name]--bibliography 
international agencies--bibliography
[legal topic in Library of Congress form]--[geographic area]--bibliography

The International Journal of Legal Information is a particularly good source for bibliographies on a country or a specific topic.

Accidental Tourist on the New Frontier: an Introductory Guide to Global Legal Research (Littleton, CO: Rothman, 1998). 

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed., Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law Review Association, 2005). Some information on the documentation of international organizations and foreign jurisdictions.

C. Germain, Germain 's Transnational Law Research (Ardsely-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Transnational Juris Publications, 1991-).   Selected topics and some European countries. The chapter on French law is available on the web.

Guide to International Legal Research (Newark, N.J.: LexisNexis, 2002-).  A good place to start research for both international legal topics and foreign legal jurisdictions. Annual editions.

Information Sources in Law (Winterton and Moys eds., 2nd ed., London; New Providence, N.J.: Bowker-Saur, 1997).  Coverage of European countries.

International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law (New York: Oceana). Some volumes are a bit dated, but it is a very useful set. Information on foreign legal systems as well as selected topics.

The International Lawyer's Deskbook (2nd ed., L. Law et al. eds, Washington, DC: Section of International Law and Practice, ABA, 2002). Good information on selected topics.

Introduction to Transnational Legal Transactions (M. Raisch and R. Shaffer, eds., New York: Oceana Publications, 1995).

Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia (K. Redden ed., Buffalo, NY: W.S. Hein, 1984-). Information on foreign legal jurisdictions. Quality of chapters varies.

T. Reynolds & A. Flores, Foreign Law: Current Sources of Codes and Basic Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World (Littleton, CO: Rothman, 1989-). See also the electronic version, Foreign Law Guide (UCB only).

Guides on the Web: 

Abbreviations and Acronyms

International and foreign legal research means deciphering an alphabet soup.  Below are a few sources which are generally useful in solving pesky abbreviations problems. A general approach to finding the meaning of an abbreviation is to look in the source you found the abbreviation in first (a full title or name might have been indicated in an earlier footnote or there might be a table of abbreviations at the beginning of the book or periodical). Then try Bieber's (see below). Other sources to try are periodical indexes, an index of acronyms for organizations, a legal research guide, or an abbreviations list or dictionary for legal terms from a particular country. Searching full text law reviews (or case law) on Lexis or Westlaw is another good way to determine the meaning of an abbreviation. 

Acronyms and Abbreviations Covering the United Nations Systems and Other International Organizations (NY: UN, 1981).

Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations (Prince ed., 5th ed., Buffalo, NY: Hein, 2001).  Also available on Lexis. The older edition of Bieber's can also be useful. 

The Bluebook: A Uniform Style of Citations (18th ed., Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law Review Association, 2005). 

Guide to Foreign and International Legal Citations ([New York, N.Y.]: New York University, 2006).

Kavass, World Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations (Buffalo, NY: Hein, 1991-). Covers various languages and subjects.

Noble's International Guide to the Law Reports (Etobicoke, Ont. : Nicol Island Pub., 2002).  Especially good for case reporters. 

Osmanczyk, The Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements (4 vols., 3rd ed., NY: Taylor & Francis, 2003).

Raistrick, Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations (2nd ed., Abingdon, Oxon: Professional Books, 1993). Good for European abbreviations.

Szladits' Bibliography on Foreign and Comparative Law: Books and Articles in English (Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana, 1995-). 

Torres and Avalos, Latin American Legal Abbreviations: A Comprehensive Spanish/Portuguese Dictionary with English Translations (New York: Greenwood Press, 1989).

Abbreviations on the Web:

International and Foreign Law Terms and Phrases

Definitions of Terms

Relevant subject headings for LawCat and other bibliographic databases include: 

international law--dictionaries 
international relations--dictionaries 
law--dictionaries--[language] 
international organization--dictionaries 
international law--encyclopedias
Below is a list of books that contain English-language definitions and descriptions of international and foreign legal terms and concepts. There are many dictionaries and encyclopedias devoted to specific international topics as well (for example, Dictionary of International Trade or Encyclopedia of Human Rights). 

Adeleye, World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers (Wauconda, Ill.: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 1999).

Bennett, Historical Dictionary of the United Nations (London: Scarecrow Press, 1995).

Bledsoe and Boczek, The International Law Dictionary (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1987). 

Boczek, International Law: A Dictionary (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2005).

Encyclopedia of Public International Law (Amsterdam: North Holland, 12 vols., 1981-1990) and the new edition (1992-).

Fox, Dictionary of International and Comparative Law (3rd ed., Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana, 2003). 

Grant, Parry & Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (2nd ed., New York: Oceana, 2004). 

Lindbergh, International Law Dictionary (London: Blackstone Press, 1992). 

Osmanczyk, The Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements (4 vols., 3rd ed., NY: Taylor & Francis, 2003).

Treaty Reference Guide and Glossary of Terms Related to Treaty Actions

Walker, Oxford Companion to Law (Oxford; New York: Clarendon Press, 1980).

Foreign-Language Equivalents

To locate bilingual or polyglot dictionaries with English as one of the languages, use the following subject headings: 

english language--dictionaries--[language] 
[language] language--dictionaries--english 
law--dictionaries--[language] 
english language--dictionaries--polyglot
law--[country or region]--dictionaries 
[subject]--dictionaries--[language or polyglot]

Herbst, Dictionary of Commercial, Financial and Legal Terms (3 vols., Thun, Switzerland: Translegal, 1998-2003). 

West's Law and Commercial Dictionary in Five Languages: Definitions of the Legal and Commercial Terms and Phrases of American, English and Civil Law Jurisdictions (St. Paul, MN: West, 1985). 

Lexis provides access to Dahl's French-English Law Dictionary and Dahl's Spanish-English Law Dictionary.  We have these dictionaries in print as well.

YourDictionary.com provides access to a number of foreign language dictionaries. Some law dictionaries are available as well.

Background Information on an International or Foreign Law Concept

In addition to the sources listed below, books and articles specifically on the topic should be checked. A subject or title search in LawCat, other library catalogs, or in periodical indices may be used.  Note that sometimes non-legal sources might be worth checking depending on the breadth of interest in or the interdisciplinary nature of the topic. Articles are a particularly good source for information on an event or concept, especially if it is a relatively new concept or a recent event. 

Encyclopedia of Public International Law (Amsterdam: North Holland, 12 vols., 1981-1990) and the new edition (1992-).

Grant, Parry & Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (2nd ed., New York: Oceana, 2004).

International Encyclopaedia of Laws (Deventer; Boston: Kluwer Law and Taxation Publishers, 1991-). Multi-volume looseleaf set covering many different topics, such as international organizations, civil procedure, commercial and economic law, environmental law, and many more.

Martindale Hubbell International Law Digest (New Providence, NJ: Martindale-Hubbell,1993-). Also available on Lexis (INTLAW library; INTDIG file). 

Osmanczyk, The Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements (4 vols., 3rd ed., NY: Taylor & Francis, 2003).

Rengger and Campbell, Treaties and Alliances of the World (7th ed., London: John Harper; Farmington Hills, Mich.: Distributed in United States and Canada by Gale Group, 2002).

Restatement of the Law, Third, Foreign Relations Law of the United States (Philadelphia, PA: The American Law Institute, 1987 & Supp.). Also available on Lexis and Westlaw.  

Yearbook of the United Nations (Norwell, MA: Kluwer, 1947-). 

Information about Foreign Legal Systems

Subject headings for locating background information about a foreign country include: 

law--[country or region]
comparative law 
justice, administration of--[country or region]
legal research--[country]
courts--[country or region]

Searches can be done under specific legal topics using Library of Congress subject headings with the country or region name as a subheading (for example, commercial law--latin america) or by using the country or region as a main subject heading with topical subdivisions provided by the Library of Congress as subheadings (for example, australia--politics and government or germany--constitutional law or italy--law and legislation). Periodicals are another good source for background information on a country or on a specific topic. 

Legal Systems

Accidental Tourist on the New Frontier: An Introductory Guide to Global Legal Research (Littleton, CO: Rothman, 1998). 

Elgar Encyclopedia of Comparative Law ( Cheltenham , UK ; Northampton , Mass. : Edward Elgar Pub., 2006).

Glendon, Comparative Legal Traditions in a Nutshell (2nd ed., St. Paul, MN: West Group, 1999).

Information Sources in Law (Winterton and Moys eds., 2nd ed., London; New Providence, N.J.: Bowker-Saur, 1997). Coverage of European countries.

International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law (New York: Oceana). Some volumes are a bit dated, but it is a very useful set. Information on foreign legal systems as well as topics.

Introduction to Foreign Legal Systems (R. Danner and M. Bernal eds., New York: Oceana, 1994). 

Law and Judicial Systems of Nations (4th rev. ed., Washington, DC: World Jurist Association, 2002). Covers 193 nations and provides information about each country's practicing lawyers, hierarchy of courts, and the origins of the legal system.

Legal Culture in the Age of Globalization (Friedman and Pérez-Perdomo eds., Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2003). Interesting chapters on the legal systems of various Latin countries: Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Puerto Rico, etc.

Legal Systems of the World: A Political, Social, and Cultural Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2002). A four volume set covers more than 400 legal systems and key concepts. Each country profile includes general information about the country, its history, information on the court structure, the evolution of its legal framework, the impact that the legal system has had on the country, and more. Includes references and a bibliography.

Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia (K. Redden ed., Buffalo, NY: W.S. Hein, 1984-). Information on foreign legal jurisdictions. Quality of chapters varies.

Merryman, Civil Law Tradition: Europe, Latin America & East Asia (Charlottesville, VA: Michie Co., 1994).

T. Reynolds & A. Flores, Foreign Law: Current Sources of Codes and Basic Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World (Littleton, CO: Rothman, 1989-). See also the electronic version, Foreign Law Guide (UCB only).

United Nations, Core Document Forming Part of the Reports of States Parties, U.N. Doc. HRI/Core/1/Add.[ ]/ (year). This document provides information on the general political structure of states, including basics of the legal system. See this example for the Republic of Korea, U.N. Doc. HRI/Core/1/Add. 125 (2003).

Some relevant Web sites include: 

General (brief overviews)

Columbia Gazetteer of the World

The Europa World Year Book (London: Europa Publications, 1989-). Also available on the online. (UCB only).

The Statesman's Year-Book (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1864-). 

The World Almanac and Book of Facts (New York: Newspaper Enterprise Association). Also available online. (UCB only).

The World Factbook (Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency). Also available on the web.

The Europa World of Learning (London : Allen & Unwin, 1947-). Also available online. (UCB only).

Some useful Web sites include: 

Background Information on International Organizations

Subject searches on LawCat, RLIN (UCB only), and periodical indexes under the name of the organization are useful for finding descriptions of international organizations. Yearbooks and dictionaries are excellent sources to check for this type of information. To locate information and materials by an international organization, use the organization's name as an author. Yearbooks and encyclopedias are also good sources for charters and constituting documents for international organizations. 

For more assistance in researching international organizations, see the ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law: International Organizations.

Encyclopedia of Associations: International Organizations (Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1989-). Available electronically through the California Digital Library (UCB only).

Encyclopedia of Public International Law (Amsterdam: North Holland, 12 vols., 1981-1990) and the new edition (1992-).

The Europa Directory of International Organizations ( London, U.K.: Europa Publications, 1999-).

The Europa World Year Book (London: Europa Publications, 1989-).  Also available on the online. (UCB only).

Schiavone, International Organizations: A Dictionary and Directory (6 th ed., Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).

International Information: Documents, Publications, and Electronic Information of International Governmental Organizations (2 vols., 2nd ed., P. Hajnal ed., Englewood, CO: Libraries, 1997-).

Introduction to International Organizations (L. Louis - Jacques and J. Korman, eds., New York: Oceana Publications, 1996). 

Williams, The Information Systems of International Inter-Governmental Organizations: A Reference Guide (Stanford, Conn.: Ablex, 1998).

Yearbook of International Organizations (Munchen: K.G. Saur, 1967-). Also available online.

Some relevant Web sites include: 

Journal Literature

Journal literature is a good way to find information on a topic, find a treaty citation, locate the text of a foreign law, the meaning of a term, figure out what an abbreviation stands for, etc. A list of periodical indices and sources of the full texts of periodical articles online follows. For more information on locating journal articles using indexes and full-text databases, see Sources for Locating Legal Journal Articles.

Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (London: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Chicago: American Association of Law Libraries, 1960-). Also available on the web (UCB only). A multilingual index to articles and book reviews appearing in approximately 492 legal journals published worldwide, except those from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia.

Index to Legal Periodicals and Books (New York: H.W. Wilson Co.). Also available on Lexis (LAWREV library, ILP file) and Westlaw (ILP) (Boalt only). This is the only print index with good historical coverage. Covers 925 legal journals, yearbooks, institutes, bar association organs, law reviews, and government publications originating in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. See also Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (1918-1981) (UCB only).

Legal Journals Index (Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire: Legal Information Resources Ltd., 1986-999). Available on Westlaw (LJI) (Boalt only). Indexes approximately 485 journals from the UK & Europe. Coverage is from 1986 on.

Legal Resource Index. Available on Lexis (LAWREV library, LGLIND file) and Westlaw (LRI) (Boalt only). Also available on from the Law Library's homepage as LegalTrac (UCB only). The print equivalent is called Current Law Index (Los Altos, CA: Information Access Corp.,1980-). Indexes over 850 journals from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

Current Index to Legal Periodicals (CILP). Available on Lexis, Westlaw, and via the Web (UCB only). Indexes selected American law reviews and is more current than ILP or LRI.

PAIS International (New York: Public Affairs Information Service, 1991- ) [print version available in main library]. Also available on the Web (UCB only). Provides international coverage of materials in government, international relations, legislation, political science, statistics, and related areas.

Public International Law: A Current Bibliography of Articles (Berlin; New York: Springer-Verlag, 1975-). Also available online.

Szladits' Bibliography on Foreign and Comparative Law: Books and Articles in English (Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana, 1995-). An excellent source for locating English-language articles and books.

LexisNexis and Westlaw. Both have many full-text articles from a variety of journals. Access to periodical indexes is also available.

Citing International and Foreign Legal Materials

Unfortunately, there is not a really good source for how to cite to international and foreign legal materials. Use the sources listed below for some guidance. Otherwise, ask a librarian for assistance.

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed., Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law Review Association, 2005). 

Guide to Foreign and International Legal Citations ([New York, N.Y.]: New York University, 2006).

International Court of Justice, Yearbook (Hague, the Netherlands: The Court).

S. Rosenne, Practice and Methods of International Law 23-26, 53-54, 105-07, 121-22 (London; New York: Oceana, 1984). 

The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003). 

LexisNexis and Westlaw. It is often a good idea to check how others are citing a document by conducting a search in full-text law review files.

Current Awareness Sources

Journals and newspapers, plus news wires, newsletters and press releases, are major sources for keeping breast of new developments in international and foreign law. International and comparative law journals and yearbooks are of particular usefulness for up-to-date information on legal activities worldwide. Looseleaf services on international and foreign law-related topics often include a "current reports" section which contains new information. Key subject headings for locating periodicals in catalogs are: 

international law--periodicals 
comparative law--periodicals
[international organization]-- periodicals; 
law--country or region]--periodicals
[legal topic in library of congress form]--[country or region]--periodicals

American Journal of Comparative Law (Berkeley : American Association for the Comparative Study of Law, 1952-). Also available from Hein Online.

American Journal of International Law ([Washington, etc.] American Society of International Law [etc.], 1907-). Also available from Hein Online and JSTOR.

ASIL's International Law in Brief for new developments in international law.

Bulletin of Legal Developments (London, British Institute of International and Comparative Law). "A Fortnightly [biweekly] Survey of U.K., European, Foreign, Commonwealth and International Legal Events."

International Enforcement Law Reporter (Washington, D.C.: International Law Enforcement Reporter). Also available on Lexis (INTLAW; IELR). This is a monthly newsletter that tracks and summarizes key developments in international law and related areas. Topic areas generally include money laundering, drug trafficking, taxation, extradition, asset forfeiture, human rights, cybercrime and intellectual property.

International Law Update (Washington, D.C.: Transnational Law Associates, 1995-). "A monthly report on international legal developments affecting the United States." Available on Lexis (INTLAW;ILAWUP) (Boalt only).

Blogs

Blogs have become an important current awareness tool.

Opinio Juris
Exploring International Law
Juscogens.net
ComparativeLawBlog
EU Law Blog
Grotian Moment: The Saddam Hussein Trial Blog
The Transatlantic Assembly

Useful Web Sites

The sites listed below are usually good starting points for researching an international law topic since they maintain up-to-date collections of links.

Note about UCB only: When accessing subscription databases from off-campus, you will be prompted for your CALNET Id and passphrase. Be sure to set the proxy settings for your computer, this information is available from the main library's homepage. Not all databases are available remotely.

 

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