Researching Comparative Law: Print & Online Resources   Tags: comparative law, legal analysis  

Complementing its print resources, the Law Library subscribes to numerous online databases with diverse content for comparative law study. A few are listed below. For more, see my foreign & international law LibGuides.

In addition to the Law Library's subscription databases, comparative law information can be found on free, reliable (i.e., reasonably accurate & current) websites. Among the best are:

Comparative law as defined by Black's Law Dictionary (9th ed.) is "the scholarly study of the similarities & differences between the legal systems of different jurisdictions, such as between civil law & common law countries." Put another way, it is a method of analytical study that relies mainly on foreign & international law as sources (& inspiration). Its aims vary, depending on the researcher.

What are some similarities & differences between the American & British legal systems? See what 2 eminent jurists, UK Supreme Court Justice Brenda Hale & US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, had to say below:

For help in learning comparative law essentials, read:

Cambridge Companion to Comparative Law - Mauro Bussani & Ugo Mattei

Call Number: K559 .C365 2012

This collection of 18 essays aims to give readers a fundamental understanding of the dynamic relationship between the law & its cultural, political, & socio-economic context. Also, each essay ends with a list of books & articles for further reading.

Comparative Law: A Handbook - Esin Örücü & David Nelken

Call Number: K559 .C652 2007

Enables readers to familiarize themselves with the challenges & controversies found in comparative law. Describes key concepts & includes questions for discussion as well as reading lists for further study.

Comparative Legal Traditions in a Nutshell (3d ed.) - Mary Ann Glendon et al.

Call Number: K560 .G43 2008

Discusses, from an American lawyer's perspective, the 3 major legal traditions of the West: civil, common, & socialist.

International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law (17 vols.) - Konrad Zweigert & Ulrich Drobnig

Call Number: K530 .I57

Broadest, most systematic compendium on comparative law ever published. Peerless, formidable, & much-cited reference work.

Introduction to Comparative Law (3d ed.) - Konrad Zweigert & Hein Kötz

Call Number: K583 .Z813 1998

English translation of classic German text discusses the nature, functions, aims, methods, & history of comparative law.

Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law - Mathias Reimann & Reinhard Zimmermann

Call Number: K48 .O96 2006

Summarizes & evaluates, in 43 chapters, a discipline that is time-honored but not easily understood. Also, each chapter has a short bibliography of the definitive works in the field.

For help in citing to comparative law sources as well as deciphering abbreviations & acronyms, see my foreign & international law LibGuides.

Over many decades, the Law Library has built a substantial collection of print resources—many not available online—that can be used for comparative law study. The bulk are shelved on the 5th & 6th floors. These include caselaw, statutes/codes, journals, & treatises. And a lot are in the vernacular. Also, a special Comparative Law Collection with approximately 750 volumes (and growing!) in multiple languages is located across from the Wisdom Room on the 6th floor. Additional print resources are shelved on the 3d floor in New Books, Reserve, Reference, & the Maritime Collection; 4th floor in Special/Rare Collections & Microforms; & 5th floor in Government Documents.

For more details, search the Law Library's online catalog.

Tulane Law's major commitment to furthering the study of comparative law is shown partly by its publishing of 2 specialist periodicals:

This information was published as a LibGuide by Roy L. Sturgeon in September 2011 for Tulane University Law School in Louisiana.