Flexing the Right Muscle = Gymnastique C

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Flexing Your International Legal Research Muscle!
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Flexing Your International Legal Research Muscle!

• By Lyonette Lyo Louis-Jacques
• University of Chicago Law Library
• llou_at_midway.uchicago.edu
• (for the Chicago Journal of International Law,
  Sept. 4, 2001)

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Presenting

• The Best of the Web for Foreign and
  International Legal Research

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Best of the Web, Part I General F/IL Pages

• Our U of C Law Library web page
• ASILs ERG
• Harvard, NYU
• LLRX.com
• Cornells LII

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Best of the Web, Part II Specialized Resources

• Yales Avalon Project
• IGO websites (UN, etc.)
• NGOs/Assocs.
• Govt Agencies
• Research Centers/Think Tanks

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The Avalon Projects Major Collections
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United Nations Documentation Centre
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AccessUN
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EUR-Lex European Union Law
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EU Cases via WESTLAW (see also EHHR)
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EU Legislation Directives, Regulations,
Decisions, Treaties
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Standard Weights (E-Tools)

• Internet search engines (such as Google)
• Online catalogues (WorldCat is great!)
• Full-text journal article databases and indexes
  (WESTLAWs TP-ALL, LEXIS, JSTOR, ProQuest
  LegalTrac, IFLP, PAIS, PSA, etc.)
• News sources (LEXIS, WESTLAW, etc.)
• Gateways/Portals/Meta-Pages (FindLaw, SOSIG,
  BUBL, Yahoo!, Hieros Gamos, JURIST)
• Directories, listservs, other people sources

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Congressional Masterfile (via Congressional
Universe)
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Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS)
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CSAs Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
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Treaties

• United Nations Treaty Collection
• AustLII/DFATs Treaties Library
• U.S. Treaties via LX/WL

• Yales Avalon Project
• Fletchers Multilaterals Project
• Govt Agencies, IGOs, NGOs, etc.

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United Nations Treaty Collection
(has weekly treaty status updates via
Multilateral Treaties Deposited)
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Australian Treaties Library (Multilaterals from
1856)
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LexisNexis
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International Legal Materials (I.L.M.) via
LexisNexis
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Finding the Citation to the New York Convention
via TP-ALL
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Treaties (Contd)

• U.S.
• Marci Hoffmans Guide

• Other
• Stefanie Weigmans Guide

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Finding Foreign Law Online Generally, and in
Translation

• NYU
• Foreign Primary Law on the Web
• GLIN
• Finding Foreign Law Online When Going Global
• Harvard

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Finding Foreign Law/in Translation (Contd)

• Check research guides
• Check OPACs
• Check indexes
• Contact embassies
• Use listservs
• Reynolds Flores

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Personal Trainers (People Contacts for Research
Help)
Govt agencies, Organizations, etc.
Lawyers
Your Friendly U of C Librarians!
Professors
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But sometimes you have to sweat it out with
hardcopy

• Check for call numbers in the online catalog
• Walk to the Reserve Reading Room, the Reference
  Area, and most of the time, the 6th Floor
• Pull out the books and check them out for answers
• And youll become very familiar with

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Standard Weights (Books)

• Reynolds Flores
• World Almanac
• CIA World Factbook
• Treaty indexes (TIF)
• Martindale-Hubbells Intl Law Digest

• World Treaty Index
• Encyclopedia of Public International Law
• International Legal Materials (ILM)

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U.S. Treaties in Force (as of January 1, 2000)
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International Legal Materials (I.L.M.)
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FIN
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Were done! See yall at the Ref desk!