Legal System Overviews - Foreign Legal Systems - Basic Research Resources - LibGuides at University of San Francisco School of Law

Brief Introductions to a Country's Legal System

For most projects, some introductory or background information about the country's legal system will be essential. The following online and print sources include or can lead you to overviews of foreign legal systems.

GlobaLex - Foreign Law Research (free)
Covers more than 135 countries. Guides describe legal systems, explain the research process, and link to primary law.
JuriGlobe - World Legal Systems
"General information relating to the different legal systems in the world." Classifies legal systems by type. Includes suggestions for further research. Sponsored by Univ. of Ottawa.
Legal Systems of the World: A Political, Social, and Cultural Encyclopedia
Includes articles on individual countries, most of which contain suggestions for further research. Authors are recognized experts. A print source. Zief location: K 48 .L44 2002 Law Reference.
International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law (1973-present)
The "National reports" in volume 1 of this scholarly publication describe in detail the legal systems of numerous countries. Some of the "national reports" are now dated, but many remain useful. A print source. Zief location: K 530 .I57 1973 Law Reference.
Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia (1984-2005) - HeinOnline
Overviews of the structure of legal systems of more than 120 countries. The country studies (each written by a different author) vary in depth and currency. Somewhat dated (last update was 2005) but still useful for countries whose legal systems have remained stable. Also in print at the Zief Library: K 583 .M62 1984 Law Storage. [On-campus link for this Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia.]

Finding Books at USF Devoted to a Country's Legal System

To find books at USF that deal with a country's legal system, use Ignacio

Ignacio - USF Libraries Catalog This link opens in a new window
Use Ignacio to find books — including ebooks — and journals at USF's Gleeson and Zief Libraries. Options to search by keyword, title, author, or subject. To search only Zief materials, go to the Advanced Search tab and limit Location to values starting with Law (include Internet (Law) for ebooks).

Model your Ignacio searches on these examples:

law "country name"
"legal research" "country name"

For example:

law japan
"legal research" china

Finding Books Worldwide Devoted to a Country's Legal System

Use WorldCat Advanced Search to search worldwide for book-length discussions of a country's legal system.

WorldCat Advanced Search
Search libraries around the USA and the world for books on your topic. "Advanced Search" is WorldCat's most flexible and powerful search interface.

In WorldCat, try "Subject" searches along these lines:

law -- "country name"
"legal research" "country name"

For example:

law -- japan
"legal research" china