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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macau (KPF) |
|
CS | | HLS |
WorldLII  |
GlobaLex (China -- for after 2010) LOC (see Portugal for any information before 2010) |
|
Boletim Oficial (in Portuguese and Chinese) |
| |
| Macedonia (KKZ) |
|
| | | WorldLaw Guide | | ||||
| Madagascar (KSR) |
|
CS | FLG | | WorldLaw Guide |
Gazetim-panjakan' ny Repoblika Demokratika Malagasy = Journal officiel de la Republique democratique de Madagascar (not available online) |
| |||
| Malawi (KSS) |
|
| FLG | | WorldLaw Guide |
Malawi Government Gazette (not available online) |
| |||
| Malaysia (KPG) |
|
| FLG | HLS | WorldLaw Guide |
Government Gazette (primary and subsidiary legislation) |
Lexis (Case Law, Legislation, Commentaries & Treatises, International Arbitration) Law Database of Malaysia Chief Registrar's Office Federal Court of Malaysia Official Website |
|||
| Maldives (KPH) |
|
CS | | HLS | |
Government Gazette (in Dhiveni only) |
| |||
| Mali (KST) |
|
| FLG | | WorldLaw Guide | | ||||
| Malta (KKK) |
|
| FLG | | WorldLaw Guide | | ||||
| Marshall Islands (KVS) |
|
| | HLS | WorldLaw Guide |
The Marshall Islands Gazette (not available online) |
| |||
| Mauritania (Islamic Republic of) (KSU) |
|
CS | FLG | | WorldLaw Guide |
Journal officiel de la Republique islamique de Mauritanie (in French) |
| |||
| Mauritius (KSV) |
|
CS | FLG | |
  |
WorldLaw Guide |
Gazette du gouvernement (not available online) |
| ||
| Mexico (KGF) |
|
CS | FLG | HLS | WorldLaw Guide |
Diario Oficial (gazette / laws) |
Legislación Mexicana, 1687 - 1902 (laws) Suprema Corte de Justicia (jurisprudence) Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas (IIJ UNAM) (constitution in English and Spanish, laws, scholarship) Legislación y Jurisprudencia (IIJ UNAM) (laws and cases) Biblioteca Jurídica Virtual (IIJ UNAM) (law reviews) Ediciones Andrade (Yale does not subscribe) Lexis (Legislacion, Jurisprudencia (Case Law), Doctrina y Referencia (Law Journals & Reference), Archivos (Archives), International Arbitration) Westlaw (Legislation & Regulations, Journals, Law Reviews & Periodicals) Latin Laws -- Biblioteca Legal Latinoamericana |
|||
| Micronesia, Federated States of (KVS) |
|
| | HLS | | | ||||
| Moldova (KLM) |
|
CS | FLG | HLS | WorldLaw Guide | | ||||
| Monaco (KKL) |
|
| FLG | | |
Westlaw (Patents & Trademarks) |
||||
| Mongolia (KPJ) |
|
CS | FLG | HLS | WorldLaw Guide |
Official Gazette of Mongolia (not available online) |
| |||
| Montenegro (see also, Serbia; Yugoslavia) (KKZ) |
|
| FLG | |
GlobaLex (Microstates and Small Jurisdictions of Europe) LOC |
WorldLaw Guide |
Official Gazette of the Republic of Montenegro (not available online) |
| ||
| Morocco (KSW) |
|
| FLG | | WorldLaw Guide | | ||||
| Mozambique (KSX) |
|
| FLG | | WorldLaw Guide | | ||||
| Myanmar, Republic of the Union of (Burma) (KNL) |
|
| FLG | HLS | WorldLaw Guide |
Pyihtaungsu Hsoshelit Thamata Myanma Naingngantaw Pyantan (not available online) |
|
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.


























