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International law can be defined as the law of nations, or the system of law that governs relations between states. This guide reviews the primary tools involved in international law research.
RESEARCH GUIDES
Foreign Law: Current Sources of Codes and Basic Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World by Thomas Reynolds and Arturo A. Flores. Provides an excellent guide to the legal system of a country. Also lists the major publications and topical bibliographies. Location: Reference K38 .R49 1989- .
Introduction to Foreign Legal Systems by Richard A. Danner and Marie-Louise H. Bernal. Serves as an introduction to legal systems and provides advice on researching the law outside the United States. Includes research guides and bibliographies, a bibliography of English translations of foreign laws, and in depth guides for several countries. Location: Reference Desk K583 .I57 1994.
Germain's Transnational Law Research by Claire Germain. The book has five broad chapters: I. Foreign and International Law- Procedural and Practical Issues. II. Foreign and International Law- Substantive Issues. III. Foreign and International Law- Research Sources. IV. Subjects - includes research guides and bibliographies. V. Countries- guides for 17 European countries. Location: Reference Desk K85 .G47.
"Guide to International Legal Research", 20 The George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics 1-411 (1986). Divided into four sections: Research Tips in International Law; Primary Sources; Secondary Sources; Research Tools. Location: K10 .O87 v.20, but usually in my office.
INTERNATIONAL LAW VIDEO
Bob Berring's Commando Legal Research: International Law video. A one hour video providing an introduction to the basic resources available in international law. Location: Reserve A-V KF240 .B476 1989 Tape 7. The accompanying handbook, Bob Berring's Specialized Research Commando Handbook, is shelved by the video and can be used alone or with the video.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia by Kenneth Redden and William Emerson Brock. Describes the legal system of a particular country, the historical development of the country, law making, system of government, judicial system, legal education, admission to bar, and recent developments. Location: K583 .M63 1984-
Encyclopedia of Public International Law Contains over 1300 articles describing the basic principles of public international law. Location: JX1226 .E54 1992.
MARTINDALE-HUBBELL - INTERNATIONAL LAW DIGEST
The quickest way to locate summaries of the laws of most countries. It may be the only source available in a law firm. The summaries are written by law firms with practices in those countries. The volume includes citations to codes, but the citation form can be difficult to decipher. Location: Reference KF190 .M355.
U.S. JURISDICTIONAL MATERIALS
Treaties in Force: A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United Sates in force as of January 1, 199 -. A master guide to U.S. treaties and agreements updated annually. Location: Reference JX236 .1929c.
Guide to United States Treaties in Force. Supplements Treaties in Force by providing additional access to bilateral and multilateral treaties. Location: Reference JX236.5 .G842.
Current Treaty Index. Provides a cumulative index to treaties which have been published in slip form and assigned T.I.A.S. numbers, but have not yet appeared in UST. Location: JX231 .A345.
United States Treaties and Other International Agreements 1950 - . (UST) is published by the Dept. of State and the official bound publication of treaties and executive agreements. About a 10 to 12 year lag-time in publication. Hein Publishing Co. publishes more recent treaties and agreements in microfiche under the same title. Location: JX231 .A34
United States Statutes at Large. Prior to 1950 the U.S. treaties were published here. Location: KF50 .U55.
PERIODICALS
Legaltrac is available on CD-ROM at a computer work station on the 1st Floor and in the LIT Lab. The information covers 1980- . The source is updated monthly with about an eight week lag time from print to indexing. You can search by subject, key word, author, name of act, etc. Try searching by jurisdiction, country, and topic. Searchable on LEXIS as LGLIND and WESTLAW as LRI.
Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals indexes foreign legal periodicals only and does not include periodicals from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada unless they are about foreign and international law. The indexing is slow and you can save time by searching the jurisdiction index first when looking for articles involving a specific country. Location: Index Tables 1st Floor. Searchable on WESTLAW as IFLP.
Index to Legal Periodicals dates back to 1888. Location: Index Tables 1st Floor. Searchable on LEXIS and WESTLAW as ILP.
Current Index to Legal Periodicals covers 1980- . Location: Index Tables 1st Floor. Searchable on WESTLAW as CILP.
THREE PRIMARY INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNALS ARE:
American Journal of International Law published by the American Association of International Law. Includes articles, book reviews, analysis of current developments, and may include translations of texts of official documents.
International Legal Materials also published by the American Society of International Law. Provides selective translations of international treaties and conventions, UN documents, and court decisions.
International Journal of Legal Information published by the International Association of Law Libraries. Includes articles and bibliographies pertaining to international or foreign law.
ONLINE CATALOG
You can access the Northern Kentucky University Catalog, NKUIRE. Type in the word guest at the login prompt. Further instructions are located at Books in the Steely Library Page. You can search by author, title, subject and keywords. A sample subject search and keyword search for Japanese environmental law:
s/environmental law japan
w/environmental japan
INTERNATIONAL ON-LINE
LEXIS and WESTLAW both have some foreign law databases. Remember the caveat: just because there is a foreign law database, does not mean the laws are current or the translations reliable. When in doubt call the 800# and ask. Include the news sources, trade journals, and periodicals in your searching.
NETSCAPE
A number of Internet sites are loading the texts of selected foreign laws, i.e. constitutions and other materials. Be careful to check for currency and accuracy. Listed below is a sampling of institutions that have posted international materials on the World Wide Web:
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/LibInfo/Law University of Chicago-Law Library. Select Foreign and International Law.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/source.html Cornell Law School - Links to constitutions around the world. Decisions of the International Court of Justice.
http://www.findlaw.com/ Findlaw Guide - Foreign & International Resources.
http://lawlib.wuacc.edu/ Washburn University School of Law - Foreign Law & International Law.
http://law.house.gov/ U.S. House of Representatives - Click on Laws of Other Nations or Treaties and International Law.
http://www.tufts.edu/fletcher/multilaterals.html Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy - contains multilateral treaties.
Louis-Jacques, Lyonette, "Legal Research on International Law Issues Using the Internet." (1/22/97, visited 8/24/97) http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/forintlaw.html lists the major web sites, International organizations, research guides, directories, journals, government agencies, and electronic discussion groups.
You may also wish to subscribe to INT-LAW, a listserv discussing international research. You can search the archives of INT-LAW at the Law Journal Extra- International Law Site: http://www.ljextra.com/practice/internat/itforum.html Check Lawlist http://lib.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/law-lists for a current listing of law related listservs.
OTHER LIBRARIES
NKU Steely Library - Has several useful U.S. government publications that provide information about other countries:
Background Notes. (Irregular) U.S. Dept. of State. Provides geographic, governmental, economic, historical, political conditions, and foreign relations information.
Country Studies. (Irregular) U.S. Dept. of Defense. A comprehensive coverage of a country's history, social conditions, economy, politics, and military history.
National Trade Database is a CD-ROM database developed by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, contains references to reports affecting commerce and trade. The source includes references to international sources.
University of Cincinnati, College of Law Library - Check their online card catalog at: http://www.libraries.uc.edu/
*The basic outline and many descriptions are taken from "Foreign Law Research at the Gallagher Law Library", 7 LLOPS 1 (Fall 1995).