International & Foreign Law Resources

Paul D. Callister, JD MSLIS

Library Director and Associate Professor of Law

Electronic Subscription Services (at UMKC Only)

• Digital Law Library Consortium · http://www.llmc-digital.org/ · Through 2009, this service will be adding some 90,000 volumes to the collection including many foreign, international, and comparative law resources.  See http://www.llmc.com/sourcebooks.htm for complete list of prospective titles and subjects (all titles are currently available through Inter-Library Loan in microfiche).  Currently includes Federal Maritime Decisions, Maritime Subsidiary Board Decisions, Civil Aeronautic Board Reports, Foreign Claims Settlement Decisions, Federal Trade Commission Decisions, and reports of United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.

• Hein on Line Treaties and Agreements Library · http://www.heinonline.org/HOL/Welcome · Includes United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (Vol. 1-35, 1950-1984), Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America 1776-1949 (Bevans) (Vol. 1-13), Treaties, Conventions, International Acts, Protocols and Agreements (Malloy) (Vol. 1-4, 1776-1937), Treaties and Other International Acts of the United States of America (Miller) (Vol. 1-8, 1776-1863), Treaties and International Act Series (TIAS) (TIAS 11060 to TIAS 12734), KAV Agreements (KAV 1-6311).

• JSTOR 1838 - present · Full text of American Journal of International Law 1907-2003, International Organization 1947-1998, World Politics 1948-1995 (plus links to recent content 1995-2003) and others.

• PAIS International · Article abstracts of political, social and public policy issues with an international scope.

• ProQuest Databases · Article abstracts.

• RIA Checkpoint International Tax Practice Area · Includes primary (including treaties) sources, commentary and news.

• Social Science Research Network · http://www.ssrn.com/lsn/index.html · Must register based upon university email account (see http://www.ssrn.com/lsn/index.html). Includes working papers on law, political science, and economics.

• Index to Legal Periodicals and Books · Includes abstracts (and some full text) of articles on international and foreign law from 1981 to the present.

• LegalTrac · Includes abstracts (and some full text) of articles on international and foreign law.

• Lexis (Password Required)

Cases   CELEX European Union Cases   International Law, Federal Court Cases   Supreme, Appellate and District Court Cases   Human Rights Cases   View more sources   Statutes & Legislative Materials     CELEX EU Law Database: Combined Files   View more sources   Treaties & International Agreements     American Society of International Law Publications     International Legal Materials     GATT Uruguay Round General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade     North American Free Trade Agreement     Tax Analysts Worldwide Tax Treaties Combined Files     U.S. Treaties in Force     U.S. Treaties on LEXIS   View more sources   Administrative Materials & Regulations     Gatt Panel and World Trade Decisions     NAFTA Panel Review Decisions   View more sources

Law Reviews & Journals     American Journal of International Law     International Law Review Articles, Combined     The International Lawyer   View more sources   Treatises & Analytical Materials     Martindale-Hubbell(R) International Law Digest   BNA   Matthew Bender(R)     View more sources   Legal News     International Law Newsletters     International Law Update     Mealey's Publications - International Law Stories     International Arbitration: Mealey's Litigation Report   View more sources   General News & Information   Legal Reference Materials     Martindale-Hubbell(R) Law Directory - International Law Listings   View more sources   Import-Export

• Westlaw (Password Required)

International Law (see also International/Worldwide Materials)
Federal International Materials
Law Reviews, Legal Texts & Periodicals
International Agreements & Treaties
  Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - Organization of American States (IACHR-OAS)
  WTO & GATT Panel Decisions (WTO-DEC)
  International Court of Justice (INT-ICJ)
  International Criminal Tribunal - Combined (INT-ICT)
  International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (INT-ICTR)
  International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia - All (INT-ICTY-ALL)
  International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (INT-ICTY)
  International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia - Basic Legal Document (INT-ICTY-BLD)
  International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia - Press Releases (INT-ICTY-PR)
  Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal Decisions (INT-IRAN)
  United Kingdom Current Awareness International Law (UKCA-INT)
Laws by Country
Intellectual Property by Country & International
Environmental, Health & Safety Regulations by Country
International News
Business Materials by Country
Local Language Databases (Non-English)
BNA International Materials

Our Collection

General Description

As of the beginning of 2004, the collection holds 1157 international law, 840 comparative (or general) law, and 1518 foreign law titles, in addition to many international law journals.  The collection is relatively weak in looseleafs, but is strong in treaties and historical British materials.  

Most of the foreign, international is located on the second floor of the library with some historical materials in the basement:

• International (JX)

• General and Comparative Law (K500-K8000)

• British (KD)

• Canadian (KE)

• Other Foreign Law  (KG through KZ)

Getting Started

• Treaties and Treaty Indexes--try the following subject heading searches in MERLIN: "United States Foreign Relations Treaties" and "Treaties."

• Foreign legal sources--look under "Law -- " in MERLIN and add an appropriate subheading.  For instance, "Law -- Great Britain" or "Law -- Wales."  Finding appropriate subheadings for International and Foreign Law Sources can by difficult.  See a law librarian for help. 

• For a general overview of other Legal Systems see:

  • Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia (K530 .M62 1984)

  • Foreign Law:  Current Sources of Codes and Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World (K38.R49)

  • Martindale Hubbell International Law Digest (REF KF190 .M42)

• For access to legal periodicals, besides the resources listed in Electronic Subscription section above, check Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (K33.I5).

• For non-periodical sources see Szladit's Bibliography on Foreign and Comparative Law (K38.B35) and Bibliographic Guide to Law (K38.B52).

Online Catalogs 

• MERLIN Online Catalog (University of Missouri Schools and St. Louis) · http://laurel.lso.missouri.edu/

• MOBIUS Union Catalog (MERLIN plus other Missouri Libraries) · http://mobius.missouri.edu/search/

• WorldCat (Subscription only) 

On the Web

Int'l Law & Organizations

United Nations

• UN Official Site · http://www.un.org/english/

• UN Treaty Col. · http://untreaty.un.org/English/treaty.asp

• UN Doc. Center · http://www.un.org/documents/

• United Nations Data Access System (UNdata) http://data.un.org/

• Int'l Law · http://www.un.org/law/

• Human Rights · http://www.un.org/rights/index.html

• Int'l Court Justice (UN) · http://www.icj-cij.org/

• Int'l Court Justice (Alternate Site) · http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/International_Resources/default.htm

• Int'l Criminal Court · http://www.un.org/law/icc/index.html

European Union 

• EU Official Site · http://europa.eu.int/index_en.htm

• EuroLex Portal EU Law · http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/index.html.  Free version of the popular subscription service known as CELEX (available on Lexis).

• EU in the US · http://www.eurunion.org/.  Site is devoted to US issues.

• EU Research Guide (Berkeley) · http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/GSSI/eu.html.  Comprehensive guide to EU research.

• Web Guide EU Info (Prof. Callister) · http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/seworkspace/callistr/424/ecweb/ECsite.htm

• EU Courts of Justice & First Instance · http://europa.eu.int/cj/en/index.htm

• European Commission Libraries Catalogue (ECLAS) · http://europa.eu.int/cj/en/index.htm

Other Regional & Global Org. 

• Int'l Gov. Org. Index (NWU) · http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internat/igo.htm.  Comprehensive index to international governmental organizations and NGOs.

• Council of Europe · http://www.coe.int/portalT.asp.  Official site for the Council of Europe (a separate body from the EU).

• Eur. Court of Justice. · http://www.echr.coe.int/

• North American Free Trade Agreement Secretariat · http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/ DefaultSite/home/index_e.aspx.  Excellent site for NAFTA resources.

• NATO · http://www.nato.int/

• Permanent Court of Arbitration · http://www.pca-cpa.org/

• World Trade Org. · http://www.wto.org/

• World Intellectual Property Org. · http://www.wipo.int/index.html.en

• Int'l Labor Org. (Cornell) · http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/International_Resources/default.htm

Treaties, Decisions & Other Primary Sources

• UN Treaty Collection · http://untreaty.un.org/English/treaty.asp

• UN Charter · http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/ibasicdocuments/Basetext/iunchart.htm

• Multilateral Treaties Project (Fletcher) · http://www.fletcher.tufts.edu/multilaterals.html

• Oceana Online Treaties Index (registration req'd but free access to index) · http://www.oceanalaw.com/gateway/main_Logon.asp?ID=23

• UNIDROIT Conventions · http://www.unidroit.org/english/conventions/c-main.htm

• Environmental Treaties & Resource Indicators · http://sedac.ciesin.org/pidb/pidb-home.html

• WIPO Treaties · http://www.wipo.int/treaties/index.html

• GATT · http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/GATT?

• Federal Trade Commission Commission and Staff Reports · http://www.ftc.gov/reports/index.htm/.  Case information and commission reports.  

• Diana Human Rights Project (Yale) · http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/ diana/index.html.  Cases, international agreements and documents, Yale Human Rights & Development Law Journal, and Avalon Documents in Law History and Diplomacy.

• International Court of Justice Decisions · http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/idecisions.htm

• TRIBLEX ILO Admin. · http://ilis.ilo.org/ilis/trib/ilintrtr.html.  Thematic analysis of the case law of the International Labor Organization Administrative Tribunal.

• IOLEX IOL · http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/.  International labor standards database including digest of labor decisions and reports.

• US State Dept. Private International (Treaty Database) · http://www.state.gov/www/global/legal_affairs/private_intl_law.html

• US State Dept.-Dept., Office of the Legal Advisor (Treaties in Force, Multi-lateral treaties, Treaty Actions, and more) · http://www.state.gov/s/l/

• National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade · http://www.natlaw.com/ index.htm.  Some free content.  English translations for some selected content.  Subscription fee required for full service.  Excellent resource for primary material.  Also provide translation services. 

• World Trade Law ·  http://www.worldtradelaw.net/.  Subscription resource with many free resources.  Source for NAFTA, GATT, WTO and other world treaties.

• SICE Foreign Trade Information System · http://www.sice.oas.org/Indexe.asp.  Trade agreements and other documents relating to Latin America.  Information service of the Organization of American States.

General Sites & Libraries

• Sources Int'l & Foreign Law in English · http://library.law.uiuc.edu/foreignr.htm.  Prepared by Jane Williams, the International & Foreign Law Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Sources include an excellent guide prepared by Prof. Williams.  

• Foreign & Int'l L. Index (Washburn) · http://www.washlaw.edu/forint/forintmain.html. Good subject guide to foreign and international law.

• Foreign & Int'l L. Research (U. of Co.) · http://spot.colorado.edu/~thompsje/intlaw.htm.  Extensive guides to foreign and international resources including treaty research.

• Foreign & Int'l L. Sources Ann. (Cornell) · http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/ International_Resources/foreign.htm

• Int'l Resources (FindLaw) · http://www.findlaw.com/12international/

• Foreign & Int'l Legal Databases (NYU) · http://www.law.nyu.edu/library/foreign_intl/

• Int'l L. Guides (LLRX) · http://www.llrx.com/international_law.html.  Legal web service with materials prepared by law librarians.

• Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (Catalog) · http://www.mpil.de/eindex.cfm.  One of the premier libraries for comparative and international legal research.  Links to many electronic resources.

• Peace Palace Library (Catalog) · http://www.ppl.nl/.   This Dutch collection is used extensively by the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Hague Academy of International Law

• European Commission Libraries Catalogue (ECLAS) · http://europa.eu.int/eclas/.  Catalog for the EU library.

• US Trade Representative · http://www.ustr.gov/

• NYU NAFTA Research Guide · http://www.law.nyu.edu/library/naftaguide.html. 

Foreign Law & Governments 

• Laws of Other Nations (UIUC) · http://library.law.uiuc.edu/foreignr.htm

• Web Resources for Foreign Law & Gov. (Emory) · http://www.law.emory.edu/erd/foreign.html

• D'Angelo L. Lib. (U. of Chicago) · http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/law/foreign.html

• Constitution Finder · http://confinder.richmond.edu/

• Nations of the World (Law Library of Cong.) · http://www.loc.gov/law/ guide/nations.html.  A "first stop" for foreign law research on the net.  Has links to information on the web for nations around the world.

• Findlaw Country Pages ·http://www.findlaw.com/12international/countries/

• Global L. Info. Network (Law Library of Cong.) · http://www.loc.gov/law/glin/.  Another "first stop" for foreign law research on the net.  Database maintained by Law Library of Congress of foreign law.

• Guide to Foreign & Int'l L. Databases (NYU) · http://www.law.nyu.edu/library/foreign_intl/

• Foreign Governments (NWU) · http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internat/foreign.html

• Governments on the WWW · http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/

• NATLEX Nat'l Labor Law. · http://natlex.ilo.org/scripts/natlexcgi.exe?lang=E.  Bibliographic database featuring national (foreign) laws on: labor, social security and related human rights.

Statistical Info

• CIA World Fact Book · http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html.  The premier reference book on foreign nations including economic, political and defense information.

• US Department of  State Country Background Notes · http://www.state.gov/ r/pa/ei/bgn/.  Extensive information on foreign nations.

• EuroStat · http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/.  EU statistical Source.

• Foreign Trade Statistics http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/.  Collected by the US Census Department.

• US International Trade Administration Statistics · http://web.ita.doc.gov/.  

• Int'l & Foreign Stat. Agencies · http://www.census.gov/main/www/stat_int.html

• InfoNation (UN) · http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/ infonation/e_infonation.htm

• World Bank Data & Stats · http://www.worldbank.org/data/.  One of the best spots for foreign economic data.

Last updated:  03/13/2008 12:19 PM -0600

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© 2004, Paul D. Callister