This research guide is designed to show you how to effectively conduct foreign legal research. Comparative law research is similar with foreign law research. Comparative law is more like talking about methods to study foreign law. This guide is intended both for law students and scholars seeking information about domestic laws of other states.
Foreign laws are domestic laws and deal with the domestic relations of a country. Of course, regional agreements and international treaties affect the domestic relations, too, and are sometimes treated as domestic laws such as European Union regulations. Searching for domestic law of a country and any controlling international law and choosing and applying proper legal sources may be very challenging.
Foreign law research also should be considered together with private international law. As a practitioner, you may have to consider any possible litigation. Private international law is concerned with those relations among citizens of countries that have an international element. Private international law covers substantive research issues like treaties and national laws as well as procedural issues such as conflicts of laws and choice of jurisdiction.
