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International & Foreign Law Source Collecting

Get started with collecting and deciphering international and foreign legal sources. Learn how to review, cite, and access various legal materials effectively. Navigate through treaties, case law, EU documents, and more. This overview provides essential steps and resources to aid legal research comprehensively.

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International & Foreign Law Source Collecting

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  1. International & Foreign Law Source Collecting Marci Hoffman Berkeley Journal of International Law August 2010 mhoffman@law.berkeley.edu

  2. Overview • Getting Started • Some General Sources • Step 1: Review Sources • Step 2: Abbreviations • Step 3: International Legal Sources • Step 4: Foreign Legal Sources • Step 5: Books and Journal Articles • Step 6: Electronic Sources • Step 7: Newspaper Articles • Step 8: Copying

  3. Getting Started • What you need: • The text of the article • Source collection list • A bit of time and patience • Keep track of what you have done • Why do I need the article • Decipher the jurisdiction of a source being cited • Put the source in context • Take a few moments to review materials from this training!

  4. Reading Citations Basics of citation: [volume number] abbreviation of source [page number] Journal article: Philippe Sands, Searching for Balance: Concluding Remarks, 11 N.Y.U. Envtl. L.J. 198, 202 (2002) author’s name, title of article, [volume number] abbreviation of journal [page on which article begins] [page that contains cited information] (year of publication) Treaty:Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Mar. 20, 1952, 213 U.N.T.S. 262 name of treaty, date of signing, [volume number] abbreviation of source [first page of the treaty]

  5. General Sources • Library’s website, see Student Resources • International & Foreign Law Source Collecting • LawCat • Melvyl (UC system-wide, no law records since July 2007) • OskiCat (UCB only, no law) • WorldCat • Research Guides • Databases • Access to subscription databases • off-campus

  6. LawCat Some records in LawCat say “Request to Retrieve.” These items are still available, but you must fill out a Paging Request Card at the Patron Services desk. Here’s more information.

  7. Step 1: Review Sources • Primary Sources • Treaties and international agreements • Foreign law • International case law • Documents from IGOs • Secondary Sources • Books • Articles • Reports • Newspaper articles • Other sources

  8. Step 2: Abbreviations • Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations • Bieber’s Dictionary • The Bluebook (19th ed. 2010) • Guide to Foreign and International Legal Citations (2nd ed.) • Noble’s International Guide to Law Reports • World Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations • International Citation Manual

  9. Step 3: International Sources • Treaties & International Agreements • EISIL • Frequently-Cited Treaties and Other International Instruments • UN Treaties on HeinOnline • Note: treaty, agreement, protocol, MOU, convention, accord, covenant  treaties • See Table 4 of The Bluebook.

  10. Example • Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, done at Vienna on 23 May 1969 (entered into force 27 Jan. 1980) Arts. 31(3)(c), 115 U.N.T.S. 331 • HeinOnline • 115 is the volume • 331 is the page • Frequently-Cited Treaties and Other International Instruments

  11. Step 3: International Sources • United Nations Documents (U.N. Doc.) • UN Documentation Centre • Official Document Service (ODS) • UNBISnet • See rule 21.7 and Table 3 of The Bluebook for help deciphering UN abbreviations.

  12. Example • UNSC Resolution 808 (1993), S/RES/808(808), 22 Feb. 1993. • UN Documentation Centre • UNBISnet • ODS • International Law page on UN website

  13. Step 3: International Law • European Union Materials • Eur-LexEuropean Court of Justice • LexisNexis • Westlaw • See rule 21.8.2 and Table 3 of The Bluebook for help deciphering EU material.

  14. Example • European Commission, Green Paper – Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility, COM (2001) 366 FINAL (July 18, 2001). • Eur-Lex • COM documents are preparatory acts • LexisNexis • Westlaw

  15. Step 3: International Law • International Case Law • Sources vary, but start w/ court or tribunal’s website • PCIJ, ICJ, ECHR, ICSID, ILO… • International Law Reports • Oxford Reports on International Law • International Courts & Tribunals Library • Many reporters available in print

  16. Example • Middle East Cement Shipping and Handling Co. S.A. v. Arab Republic of Egypt, ICSID Case No. ARB/99/6, Award (12 Apr. 2002) ¶107.   • ICSID website • Investment Claims • ICSID Review (search LawCat)

  17. Step 4: Foreign Law Sources • Foreign Law Guide • A Selective List of Guides to Foreign Legal Research • Other databases • Websites • WorldLII • CANLII • AUSTLII

  18. Example • The Netherlands became the first country to grant full marriage rights to same-sex couples in 2001 under the Act Opening the Institute of Marriage, Burgerlijk Wetboek [BW] [Civil Code] art. 30:1 (Neth.). • Foreign Law Guide • Information on sources for laws by topic • Sources may be print or electronic (free & fee-based) • See Table 2 of The Bluebook for help with citations from foreign jurisdictions.

  19. Example • George Uy v. Sandiganbayan, et al., G.R. Nos. 105965-70, March 20, 2001 (en banc). • Often need the article to determine the jurisdiction • The Bluebook • The Court’s website

  20. Step 5 : Books & Articles • Books • LawCat • Melvyl • OskiCat • Book Chapter • Signal that it’s a chapter – “in” • Saland, International Criminal Law Principles, in The International Criminal Court: The Making of the Rome Statute 189, 198 (Roy Lee ed., 1999). • Search LawCat for the title: The International Criminal Court: The Making of the Rome Statute.

  21. Example • Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, (K.A. Appiah and H.L. Gates eds., 1999). • LawCat • OskiCat • Melvyl

  22. Step 5: Articles • Law Journal Databases • LegalTrac • Index to Legal Periodicals • HeinOnline • LexisNexis • Westlaw • E-Journal Titles A-Z

  23. Example • Andrew Newcombe, The Boundaries of Regulatory Expropriation in International Law, 20 ICSID REV., FILJ 1 (2005). • LawCat -- title search: ICSID Review • Mankiw and Swagel, Antidumping: The Third Rail of Trade Policy 84 Foreign Affairs at 107. • E-Journal Titles A-Z

  24. Other steps • Step 6: Electronic sources • Consider the source -- use best electronic source available • Step 7: Newspaper articles • LexisNexis • Westlaw • Other databases • Web • Step 6: Copying • Title pages • Page numbers

  25. Other Tips • Many sources are not: • available in English • available electronically • Use The Bluebook as a guide • follow the examples • Google is just one tool – not the only tool • Ask the librarians for help!

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