Country-by-Country Guide to Foreign Law Research

This country-by-country guide will help get you started on your foreign law research by connecting you to the best research guides and databases for each country. 

Notes about the guide:

  • Links under Country go to the CIA's World Factbook.
  • The LC Call Number indicates where the print materials for that country are located on the Lower East Side (LES) of the Yale Law Library.
  • The Regional Map icons go to a map of the larger geographical region.
  • LC Country Studies provide social, political, legal and economic information
  • The FLG is the outstanding and comprehensive Foreign Law Guide which will give you the historical, political and legal framework for each country plus the past and current sources of legal information, including where to find legislation, codes and case decisions, print and online. This is a Yale subscription database.
  • HLS refers to Harvard Law School's list of online guides to doing legal research in foreign jurisdictions.
  • WorldLII is a directory of legal information available on the Internet.
  • The Online Guides column includes the most substantial guide available from a library or research site.
  • The World Law Guide is a good resource for current legislation.
  • The Gazettes column features a link to the country's national gazette.
  • Finally, the Other Databases column lists other valuable subscription or open-access databases or websites for that country.
Country
LC Call Number Range
Regional Map LC Country Study FLG HLS Legal Information Institute (WorldLii) Online Guides WorldLaw Guide Gazettes Other Databases
Afghanistan (KNF)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII

AsianLII

GlobaLex

WorldLaw Guide

Official Gazette (Resmi jaridah Du Adli Vizarat)

English Dari-Persian Pashto



Legal Documents Exchange Center (constitution, laws, regulations, decrees, treaties, etc)

Ministry of Justice (laws)

Afghanistan Legal Education Project

LC Translation of National Legislation into English

Albania (KJG)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII

GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Fletoret Zyrtare (in Albanian)


Algeria (KQG)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII Droit Afrique

LLRX GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne Démocratique et Populaire / Al-Jarīdah al-Rasmīyah


Andorra (KJH)  FLG HLS

WorldLII

LLRX GlobaLex (microstates) LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Butlleti Oficial del Principat d'Andorra


Angola (KQH)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII SAFLII

GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Boletim Informativo do Governo di Angola (continued by Diario da Republica: orgao oficial da Republica de Angola after 1975)


Antigua and Barbuda (KGK)  FLG HLS

WorldLII CommonLII

LLRX GlobaLex (Caribbean) LOC

WorldLaw Guide

The Antigua and Barbuda Official Gazette (not available online)


Argentina (KHA)  FLG HLS

WorldLII

Yale DLSA
Northwestern
LLRX GlobaLexLOC

WorldLaw Guide

Boletin Oficial de la Republica Argentina



Lexis (Legislation & International Arbitration)

Latin Laws -- Biblioteca Legal Latinoamericana 

Portal de Abogados 

INFOJUS (in Spanish and full text: national and provincial laws and decrees; national and provincial jurisprudence; doctrine; dictates of the Solicitor of the Treasury; information about Argentina and Mercosur; and regulations of the AFIP) 

Decreto 1431 (all decrees in full text in Spanish)

LC Translation of National Legislation into English

Armenia (KLD)  CS  HLS

WorldLII

GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Official news of the Armenian Republic (in Armenian)



IRTEK (Legal Information Database; in Russian)

Armenia's Parliament (legislation in English)

Australia (KU)  FLG HLS

AustLII AustLII Legal Scholarship Library AustLII Victorian Law Reports WorldLII CommonLII CommonLII (Norfolk Island)

WorldLaw Guide

Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (Government Notices & Periodic)



LawCite (Australian Legal Case Citator) English Case Reports 1220-1873 Lexis (Case Law, Journals, International Arbitration) WestLaw (Case Law, Reports, Acts & Legislation, Unreported Judgments, Administration, Regulation & Compliance, Codes of Practice & Standards, Agreements & Treaties, Journals) Foolkit (find federal and state acts, regulations, and rules) Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents

Commentaries on the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia

Historical Introduction to the Annotated Constitution of the Australian Commonwealth

Museum of Australian Democracy (Documenting Democracy: Commonwealth Documents)

Australian Federation (Full-Text Database)

Australian Treaties Library

Australian Law Reform Commission Reports

Law Research Service (Open Access Law Resources)

Legify

Comlaw

Lawlex: What is Legislation?

Australian Parliament House

 

 

 

 

 

Austria (KJJ)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII

Gov't GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Bundesgesetzblatt für die Republik Österreich



ALEX (Laws in German)

UTexas (Translated Cases)

Chancellery of Austria (Bundeskanzleramt, in German)

Westlaw (Patents & Trademarks)

N-Lex

Azerbaijan (KLE)  CS  HLS

WorldLII

LLRX GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Azerbaijan (newspaper owned by the Parliament where the laws are published)



Legislation (comprehensive legal database for Azerbaijan; in Russian)

 

Stephanie Davidson created the original version of this guide for a clinic several years ago. It has since been modified to suit general foreign law research. Thanks to Zhang Yue, YC '10 and Anna Ershova, YC '11 for their assistance in updating this guide.

Questions/Comments