How to Conduct Basic Foreign Law Research
- 1). Determine areas of law where research is desired. Is the issue immigration, child labor laws or foreign banking law? There are thousands of areas of specialization within foreign law that will determine the best route to take to conduct research. Discovering the specific law related issue is the first step when and how to conduct research.
- 2). Seek educational institutions. Many universities have sought to create databases that house volumes of foreign of law research. Students from around the world as well as schools interested in becoming leaders in international law are some of the reasons these databases are created. The University of Chicago and New York University are just two educational institutions that have well known international law databases.
- 3). Contact foreign embassies. Most countries throughout the world have embassies located in other countries. Several countries, for example, have embassies in the United Stated located in Washington, D.C. There are security measures that will definitely have to be overcome before dealing with representatives from these countries, but a professional approach with legitimate questions should garner some good information on foreign law.
- 4). Travel throughout the world. One of the better ways to find out how a country governs itself is to visit that country and experience it first hand. There will be no doubt about how law is carried. Often reading a law in theory is very different from it real life application. A foreign visit may glean research that is not possible from a university or even an appointed country representative.
- 5). Find United Nations guidance for understanding the governing process in other countries. The UN was created to promote understanding among the countries around the world. Visit the UN headquarters in New York or visit them online at UN.org. The documentation center will have critical information on how other countries conduct law. It also has a research guide tool that allows users to enter specific information and be taken directly to it within the site.
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