Foreign Law

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Foreign Law

• Tools and Strategies

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Foreign Legal SystemsCommon-law

• judges as makers of primary law
• court decisions complement legislation
• codes merely compile statutes
• procedure very influential

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Foreign Legal SystemsCivil Law

• civil codes as closed system
• courts may not have power to review executive or
  legislative decisions (but cf. constitutional
  courts)
• private vs. public law
• judges not supposed to be making law
• importance of doctrine

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University of Ottawa World Legal Systems
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Convergence

• Common-law systems may codify (e.g., UCC)
• Greater role for precedent in civil law systems
• More constitutional courts have invalidated
  parts of codes

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Islamic legal systems

• Most often a mixed system
• Qur'an, Sunnah, fiqh
• Most sources in Arabic

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Finding foreign law

• Identify resources available to you
• Understand countrys legal system
• Reynolds Flores
• Country guides
• Secondary sources
• Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia

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Reynolds Flores Best single source
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Key web sources

• LLRX.com (country guides)
• WorldLII
• Findlaw, Washlaw
• government sites
• search engines
• GLIN

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LLRX.com
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WORLDLII
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FINDLAW
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GLINGlobal Legal Information Network
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GLIN More Search Options
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Translations

• Unavailable for most foreign legal materials
• Expensive
• Often outdated
• Usually not authoritative

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Finding primary law

• Strategies diverge
• By country
• developed vs. developing
• common law vs. civil
• English-language vs. other
• By subject
• commercial vs. other
• human rights aspect?

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Subject compilations

• available for lucrative practice areas
• commentary or primary materials or both
• generally in English
• not always up-to-date
• often looseleaf (e.g., 1986- )

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Other sources for commercial law

• Doing Business in guides
• government websites
• monographs
• periodical articles

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Subjects and sources

• Criminal law -- Buffalo collection
• Litigation practice guides
• Administrative agency websites
• Human rights NGO sites
• Environment UNEP, FAO, etc.
• IP WIPO, UNESCO, even US treatises

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WESTLAW

• Mostly common-law, English-language jurisdictions
• Coverage somewhat volatile

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Westlaw Directory
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LEXIS

• Mostly common-law, English-language jurisdictions
• Coverage somewhat volatile

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LexisIrish materials
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Last resorts

• electronic discussion lists (listservs)
• Foreign embassies
• State Department country desk
• translators
• foreign counsel