Introduction
This is a guide to UW-Madison Law Library and electronic resources for research in foreign, comparative and private international law/conflict of laws. The term Foreign Law refers to any domestic law of any country other than the United States . Comparative Law refers to the study of the similarities and differences between the laws of two or more countries, or between different legal systems. Private International Law (or Conflict of Laws ) refers to situations in which the laws of two or more countries might apply to a given transaction or occurrence, and to the body of jurisprudence that seeks to reconcile conflicting laws or decide which law applies in a situation where there is conflict.
Key Starting Points for research in Foreign and Comparative Law include:
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Multinational Sources Compared [HeinOnline]FIND A TOPIC AND Jurisdiction. This HeinOnline Database allows you to locate secondary sources that compare the laws governing specific subjects across multiple jurisdictions.
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Juriglobe: World Legal Systems [Electronic]IS YOUR COUNTRY CIVIL LAW? COMMON LAW? MIXED? This site from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, categorizes the legal systems of the countries of the world into systems of civiil law, common law, customary law, Islamic law, and "mixed" systems.
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Foreign Law Guide (Hoffman, ed.) [Electronic]AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO BEGIN RESEARHCING LAW IN A FOREIGN JURISDICTION. For each country there is a brief introduction to the legal system, a list of codifications, gazettes and other sources of law and a grouping of sources of law by subject. Also a good source to check for English translations.
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