Leaders for the Global Common Good
We offer two ways of searching our catalog: a law library only catalog and OCLC WorldCat. Other catalogs are also available. More
Expand your legal research options with online sources provided by the Gallagher Law Library. More
How do I search for laws on a particular subject? How can I compile a legislative history for a Washington (or federal) law? How can I locate court opinions about a topic? To answer these and other frequently asked questions, the reference librarians have prepared a series of legal research guides. Use these guides to get started on your research project when a reference librarian is not available to assist you or as a reminder as you conduct your research. More
Here, you will find a list of websites that provide legal information and materials (including laws, bills, court opinions, and related documents) and/or links to legal material. Most of these sites are freely available to all users with Internet access. Some sites are UW Restricted, that is, available to University of Washington faculty, students, and staff and visitors to UW Libraries.More
Foreign Law Research |
Comparative law is a multi-jurisdictional study of foreign laws on the same topic, often involving synthesis and analysis, rather than a listing of the different laws.
The following sources will be useful when conducting foreign or comparative legal research. For more information see the Gallagher guide on Research in Foreign & Comparative Law. Germain's Transnational Law Research: A Guide for Attorneys.
See Chapter V, "Countries."
K85.G47 1991 at Reference Office
Introduction to Foreign Legal Systems.
K55.I57 1994 at Reference Office
Accidental Tourist on the New Frontier: An Introductory Guide to Global Legal
Research.
K85.A27 1998 at
Reference Area & Reference Office
GlobaLex contains and links to guides for foreign and comparative law research in many countries.
Georgetown Law Library, Foreign Laws on the Web
Washburn University Law Library, International Law Resources
New York University Law Library, Foreign Collections by Jurisdiction
The Gallagher guide on Legal and Judicial Systems in Countries Around the World.International Association of Legal Science, International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law,
1973-85.
K530.I58 at Reference Area
The following sources collect the laws of various countries on specific topics. The list is not comprehensive but it provides examples of multi-jurisdictional materials. Sources are arranged by topic.
Foreign Tax Law Association, Commercial Laws of the World,
1976-2004. Publication ceased in 2004.
K1004.15 1976 at Reference Area
Albert P. Blaustein & G.H. Flanz, eds.
Constitutions of the Countries of
the World: A Series of Updated Texts, Constitutional Chronologies and Annotated Bibliographies,
1971-date.
K3157.A2B58 1971 at Reference Area
ECOLEX is a gateway to environmental law with treaties, soft law, and national legislation.
European Community Environment Legislation. Arranged by topic.
KJE6242.A42 1996 at Classified Stacks
FAOLEX (from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) indexes and abstracts of treaties, laws, and regulations taken from official gazettes of member nations. Subjects include biodiversity, environment, fisheries, forest, and wildlife.
International Environment Reporter: Reference File.
Vols. 2-4 reprint many
European Union decisions, directives, and regulations. Vol. 4 also includes summaries of environmental laws of 32 countries, with directory of
environmental agencies.
K3585.4.I57,
current at Reference Area, older at Classified Stacks
International Environmental, Health and Safety Regulations (current). LexisNexis & Westlaw: ENFLEX-INT.
International Environmental Law and Regulation.
Reviews and summarizes environmental laws and regulations and enforcement
of these laws and regulations. Covers 23 countries. Most country chapters include citations to primary sources.
K3585.4I573 1991 at
Classified Stacks
International Digest of
Health Legislation, Vols. 1-32, 1948-81; Vol. 49, 1998-date. K3569.2.I57 at Classified Stacks
& 614.05 IN at Suzzallo Health Sciences Reference Serials
Includes environmental protection and hazardous substances
legislation.
The World Intellectual Property Organization's Collection of Laws for Electronic Access (CLEA) contains intellectual property and industrial design laws.
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Investment Laws of the World, 1972-date.Natlex, is the International Labour Organization's site that compiles national labor, social security, and human rights laws.
Several commercial services and free websites provide online access to the laws, regulations, and cases of foreign countries.
LexisNexis includes laws from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, China & Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom. The databases vary widely in scope and currency. See the LexisNexis Searchable Directory of Online Sources.
Westlaw includes laws from primarily Mexico and Europe. See the Westlaw Database Directory.World Legal Information Institute provides cases, laws, and treaties from more than 50 jurisdictions, including Australia, Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and the World Trade Organization.
The Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), a project of the Law Library of Congress, includes abstracts of a wide array of foreign laws, but not the laws themselves.
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