Comparative Law Networks

Online comparative law resources primarily focus on the law or legal systems of two or more countries or of a geographical area. Various sites also include resources on private international law.  Below are some useful institutional networks for scholars interested in learning about the professional ‘practice’ of comparative law in various settings, including academia, private legal practice, diplomacy, policy-making, etc. Citation is not meant to suggest affiliation or endorsement, but rather is intended to provide a jumping off point for research.

COMPARATIVE LAW RESEARCH MATERIALS

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL RESOURCES FOR COMPARATIVISTS

  • American Society of International Law (ASIL), EISIL project.
    The ASIL aims to ensure, through EISIL–the Electronic Information System for International Law, that web searchers can easily locate the highest quality primary materials, authoritative web sites, and helpful research guides to international law on the Internet.
    • Guide to Electronic Resources  — Includes legal materials from the United Nations and on subjects such as human rights, international environmental law, and treaties.
    • Private International Law  — Includes sites about and legal materials from UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT, CISG, and international commercial arbitration.
  • Europa
    Legal materials of the institutions of the European Union.
  • Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law
    Includes the Heidelberg Institute’s electronic resources.
  • United Nations
  • European National Judicial Networks in Civil and Commercial Matters
    Information about national legal professions, courts, and judicial processes.
  • Find Law
    Organized by country.
  • Find United States Law
    Search for all elements of the United States federal and state legal systems: statutes, cases, lawyers, legal education, legal forms and news, and consumer resources.
  • U.S. Library of Congress — Country Studies
  • Lyo’s Foreign Law
    Primary and secondary law. Sites organized by country, topic, library catalog, and book publisher.

COMPARATIVE/FOREIGN LAW BLOGS & NETWORKS

COMPARATIVE LAW JOURNALS (ONLINE)

Below are several comparative law journals and article archives that have varying levels of non-paywall access:

  • Asian Journal of Comparative Law
    Published by the Cambridge University Press (CUP), the Journal is the leading forum for research and discussion of the law and legal systems of Asia. The AsJCL is an initiative of the Asian Law Institute (ASLI), an association established by thirteen leading law schools in Asia and with a rapidly expanding membership base across Asia and in other regions around the world.
  • Electronic Journal of Comparative Law
    The EJCL is sponsored by the law faculties of Maastricht, Tilburg, and Utrecht.  The editor in chief is Sjef van Erp.
  • German Law Journal
    This journal is the first and only on-line, English-language report on developments in German and European jurisprudence.  Russell A. Miller and Peer C. Zumbansen are the co-editors in chief.
  • Global Jurist
    This journal is published by The Berkeley Electronic Press (Bepress) and edited by Professors Ugo Mattei, Pier Giuseppe Monateri, and Alberto Monti.
  • Social Science Research Network (SSRN) eLibrary: Comparative Law
    This archive consists of working papers, forthcoming articles, and recently published articles related to comparative law.  The editor is Francesco Parisi.  For European law the editors are John Bell and Paul Stephan III.
  • The Journal of Comparative Law (W.E. Butler, Michael Palmer, eds.).

COMPARATIVE LAW INSTITUTES

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