Is International Legal Research International?

Abstract

This chapter examines international legal research as a largely neglected field of academic study. It provides a critical account of the existent scholarly literature, as limited as it is, and addresses the problem of cultural competence that researchers routinely face, both in terms of lack of access to essential legal information and limited understanding of foreign jurisdictions. The latter obstacle is also exacerbated by the difficulty of overcoming foreign language barriers, especially in relation to grasping law’s technicalities. Subsequently, the chapter evaluates past and current attempts at providing free access to legal information, especially through online resources. The final part takes stock of the previous analysis and elaborates on the relationship between international legal research and international law research methods.

Keywords: International Legal Research, Cultural Competence, Access to Legal Information, Multilingualism, Global Legal Information Network