Foreign Legal Research: Comparative Law

The process of legal research in a foreign jurisdiction follows the same basic steps as research in any jurisdiction: you should start with secondary sources, then move on to primary sources.

If you are trying to select a topic, there are many sources which you can consult.

Students may contact the reference librarians to schedule an appointment to meet with a reference librarian in a one-on-one setting to discuss paper topics and possible research sources.

Researching the Law of a Foreign Jurisdiction

If this is the first time you are encountering foreign legal research, you will no doubt notice that it is quite distinct from researching the law of the United States.

Finding Primary Foreign Law

Primary legal material include: case law, constitutions, statutes, regulations and administrative materials.

  • Finding foreign law primary sources at Pappas Law Library:
    • Foreign Law: Current Sources of Codes and Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World, Thomas H. Reynolds and Arturo A. Flores, Law Ref Desk K 38 R49 (commonly called "Reynolds and Flores"). Use this resource to find out about a country's legal system, where the laws and published, and how to find other helpful resources for researching in that particular foreign jurisdiction.
      • This source is now available online as the Foreign Law Guide. Access is limited by IP address.
    • Martindale Hubbell International Law Digest, Law Ref KF 190 M375. Gives an overview of the government, including the dates of different versions of the country's constitution.
    • Germain's Transnational Law Research: A Guide for Attorneys, Claire Germain, Law Ref Desk K 85 G47. Chapter V covers individual countries' legal systems and sources.

      You can use the online catalog of the BU libraries to find out which materials Boston University holds. Use the titles of the legal materials you have identifies using the above resources and do a TITLE search.

  • Lexis and Westlaw: Both Lexis and Westlaw contain limited primary foreign legal materials. Some of their contents are listed below.
    • Lexis:
      • Argentina (codes and constitution in Spanish)
      • Australia (select case law)
      • Canada (case law, legislation, regulations and treaties and international agreements)
      • Ireland (select case law)
      • Malaysia (select case law and legislation)
      • Mexico (constitution, select legislation and case law, all in Spanish)
      • New Zealand (select case law)
      • Philippines (select case law and legislation)
      • Russia (select legislation and regulations)
      • United Kingdom (select case law, select regulations, legislation, and treaties and international agreements).
    • Westlaw:
      • Australia (case law, legislation and regulations)
      • Canada (case law, legislation and regulations)
      • Mexico (select legislation and codes in Spanish)
      • United Kingdom (case law, legislation and select regulations)

There are many helpful guides for beginning foreign and comparative legal research:


Locating the Text of Foreign Constitutions

There are many sources for locating the text of foreign constitutions.

Foreign law secondary sources

Looking at secondary sources, including law review articles, treatises and loose-leaf services, is a very helpful first step for any legal research project, including foreign legal research projects.

  • Legal periodicals
    • Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP): This database, secured by IP address, is available form any computer on the BU campus. The IFLP indexes articles about international and comparative law of countries other than United States, British Isles, and British Commonwealth. The IFLP is also available on Westlaw (IFLP).
    • Search the Legal Resource Index on Lexis (LGLIND), Westlaw (LRI) or Legaltrac.
    • Search the full-text law review databases on Lexis (ALLREV) and Westlaw (JLR) and INT-TP.
  • Books and loose-leaf services
    • Search the BU online catalog by WORD to find materials related to your topic.
    • If you do not find the materials you require in the BU collection, you can search the catalogs of libraries from around the world through the online catalog Worldcat, then request to borrow the materials through interlibrary loan. Please consult a reference librarian with any questions or problems.

Resources for selecting a topic

  • Comparative Law Journals (located in the Law Annex and available online as noted below). Note that coverage may be selective in online databases.
  • News sources
    • Lexis: Lexis contains many non-US news databases.
    • Westlaw: Westlaw also has many non-US news databases.
    • World News Connect: This subscription news service, from the United States government, is secured by IP address and is accessible from BU campus computers.

Maintained by: Stefanie Weigmann
Last updated: August 2006