LibGuides: Foreign, Comparative, and International Law : Foreign Law

Foreign Law Research: Key Points

Foreign law is the law of another country. English translations of foreign laws are not always available. Try to consult a variety of sources for any given issue.

Foreign Law Research: Steps

Identify the foreign country and legal topic you want to research.
Read articles, books, and guides about the country.
Note citations to relevant law.
Find the law by interpreting the citations. Need help? Ask the legal research faculty!

Best Foreign Law Research Guides & Databases

Foreign Law Guide
A source that strives to provide current sources of foreign codes and legislation – in English, when a reasonably reliable and complete translation is available.
GlobaLex
The GlobaLex database provides articles on foreign, comparative, and international law written by experts. Links to the full-text of foreign laws are provided whenever possible. This is a free database available to all.
HeinOnline Foreign & International Resources
Available to UF Law community only (see home tab to sign into the VPN). This database includes the publications of the American Society of International Law along with prominent Yearbooks from around the world, including the Hague Permanent Court of International Justice series.It also includes U.S. Law Digests, International Tribunals/Judicial Decisions and more.
UF Law's Foreign & International Tax Law Research Guide
Find foreign and international tax resources in this research guide
University of Chicago's Guide to Foreign Law
University of Chicago provides an excellent guide for researching foreign law - arranged by country name or region. Don't despair if you see a source that says "University of Chicago users only" - we may have the source here at UF Law. Just ask a librarian or search the library catalog!
World Law Guide
Available to UF Law community only (see home tab to sign into the VPN). This guide is a great source for searching foreign legislation - organized by country.
Yale's Country-by-Country Foreign Law Research Guide
Yale Law provides a series of foreign research guides organized by country name. Don't despair if you see a source that says "Yale only" - we have many of the same sources available here at UF Law. Just ask a librarian or search the library catalog!

Additional Electronic Resources for Foreign Law

HeinOnline Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
Available only to the UF Law community (see home tab to sign into the VPN). This database provides selected articles on foreign law. You can conduct an advanced search or search by subject, country, or publication title.
HeinOnline World Constitutions
Available to the UF Law community only (see home tab to sign into the VPN). The HeinOnline database provides the full text of foreign constitutions, books & articles. Browse by country name.
Law Library of Congress Foreign & International Law Research Guide
This is a guide to reference sources, compilations, citations guides, periodicals (indexes and databases), dictionaries, web resources, free public web sites, subscription-based services, subject-specific web sites, and country overviews.
Lexis+
Available only to the UF Law community. Once signed into Lexis+, look for the red "research tab" in the upper-left of the home screen. Select the lexis.com link. The page that results may look messy, but look for the "area of law - by topic" section (across from the Cases - US section). Select the link for "foreign laws and legal sources."
vLex
Available to UF Law community only (see home tab to sign into the VPN). This database provides legislation, jurisprudence, commentary, forms, legal news, etc. from many foreign countries. Search by country name.
WestlawEdge
Available only to the UF Law community. Once signed into WestlawEdge, look for the link to "international materials" on the home page (bottom right corner of the "browse" box). You can search by country or content.
World Legal Information Institute
A free, independent, and non-profit global legal research facility. It hosts over 270 databases of case law, legislation, treaties, law reform reports, and law journals from 48 jurisdictions in 20 countries.

Books about Foreign Law

Australian Climate Law in Global Context by Alexander Zahar; Jacqueline Peel; Lee Godden
Call Number: KU1509.5 .Z34 2012
ISBN: 0521142105
Australian Climate Law in Global Context is a comprehensive guide to current climate change law in Australia and internationally.
The Mexican Legal System: a comprehensive research guide by Francisco A. Avalos
Call Number: KGF150 .A95 2013
ISBN: 0837739519
This new edition continues to serve as a primary research guide to the laws and legal literature of Mexico.
Commercial and Economic Law in Sweden by Annina H. Persson
Call Number: KKV920 .P47 2012
ISBN: 9041140336
This title provides quick and easy guidance on such commercial and economic matters as business assets, negotiable instruments, commercial securities, and regulation of the conditions of commercial transactions in Sweden.
The Japanese Legal System by Tom Ginsburg; Harry N. Scheiber
Call Number: KNX470.J37 2012
ISBN: 1882239202
Japan's legal system has entered its second decade since the adoption of the Justice System Reform Council Report in 2001, and its third decade of what have been called the Heisei reforms, after the current Imperial reign. This period has seen what must be characterized as steady restructuring of legal institutions, with the intention of producing a more responsive legal system.
Child Abduction Within the European Union by Katarina Trimmings
Call Number: KJE1189 .T75 2013
ISBN: 1849463972
China's Supreme Court by Ron Keith; Lin Zhiqiu; Shumei Hou
ISBN: 0415582210
Publication Date: 2014
EU Merger Control: a Legal and Economic Analysis by Ioannis Kokkoris; Howard Shelanski
ISBN: 0199644136
Publication Date: 2014
Economic analysis plays a pivotal role in competition enforcement. Integrating an economic perspective on merger control with a legal perspective throughout, this is a comprehensive reference work on merger control in the EU.