Legal Dictionaries / Words & Phrases
Legal Dictionaries / Words & Phrases
Legal dictionaries and Words and Phrases can help you research the meaning of legal terms and the legal interpretation of legal words and phrases. This can help when you’re trying to interpret a statute for which there is no clear case law or if you’re trying to discern the meaning of a word in a key legal document, such as a contract or a will.
Legal Dictionaries
If you need to know the meaning of a legal word, use a legal dictionary. Legal dictionaries are available online and in print:
Canadian
- Barron's Canadian Law Dictionary
- Dictionary of Canadian Law
American
International
- Dictionary of International and Comparative Law
- Dictionary of Public International Law
- The International Law Dictionary
- International Law: A Dictionary
- Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law
Words & Phrases
Words and phrases differ from dictionaries, as they show what the courts have said about a particular term. A words and phrases source will show how courts in different jurisdictions (federal, provincial, international) have defined this term. Online words and phrases include links to these cases so you can see the definition in context.
There are a few words and phrases to choose from:
- Words & Phrases Judicially Defined in Canadian Courts and Tribunals (Canadian Abridgment)
- Canadian Legal Words & Phrases
- Sanagan’s Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases
Legal Encyclopedias
Legal Encyclopedias
Legal encyclopedias contain narrative summaries of the law supported by references to case law and statutes. They are often the best place to start to gain a general understanding of the law in a particular area.
Canadian Legal Encyclopedias
There are two main legal encyclopedias in law: the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED) and Halsbury's Laws of Canada (Halsbury's). CED covers federal, western, and Ontario jurisdictions, and Halsbury's covers all provincial and federal jurisdictions. Both are available in print in the Law Library in the reference section on the first floor.
Electronically, CED is available in Westlaw Edge, while Halsbury's is available in Lexis+/Lexis Advance Quicklaw.
Canadian Encyclopedic Digest
- Westlaw Edge (law students only)
- In print in the reference section
- Helpful titles include International Law (last updated in 1995: use with caution).
- Tip: check other applicable topics for international law subtopics; for example, the Aviation topic has an International Conventions and Protocols subtopic.
Halsbury's Laws of Canada
- Lexis+ (law students only)
- Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
- In print in the reference section
- Helpful titles include Public International Law
- Tip: check other applicable topics for international law subtopics; for example, the Aviation and Space topic has an International Sources of Air Law subtopic.
International Law Encyclopedias
There are also encyclopedias specifically on international law, including:
- Encyclopedia of Public International Law (1992–2000) (5 vols)
- Encyclopedia of Public International Law (1981–1990) (12 vols)
- Encyclopedia of Disputes Installment 10
- International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law (1973–2010) (17 vols)
- Max Planck Encyclopedias of Public International Law
Journal Articles & Databases
Journal Articles & Databases
The Law Library subscribes to a wide variety of law journals, both online and in print.
If you already know the journal title, year, volume number, and page number for an article, search for the journal's title in the Journals & Newspapers database. If we have access to the journal electronically or in print, it will be listed with the format(s) and dates available with links to those available online. You can also look up the journal title in UNB WorldCat.
Keep in mind that it can be best to start with an index rather than a full-text database. An index is essentially a list of articles by topic. Sometimes the article will be available full-text, but often you'll just be given a citation that you can use to track it down somewhere else.
Full-text Databases
Indexes
Books & eBooks
Books & eBooks
To search for books at UNB Libraries, use UNB WorldCat. UNB WorldCat contains records of materials held at the Harriet Irving, Science and Forestry, Engineering, Hans W. Klohn, and Law libraries.
Items shown as LAW-RESERVE may be requested at the circulation desk on the first floor of the Law Library. Bring the book's call number with you to the desk. Items shown as LAW-STACKS are on the second floor, and LAW-REF materials are on the first floor in the reference section.
The following books may be helpful:
- Brownlie's Principles of Public International Law, 8th ed, by James Crawford. LAW-STACKS KZ3225 .B76 A37 2012.
- Canadian Yearbook of International Law (1963–2007). Available via ProQuest eBook Central.
- Comparative International Law by Anthea Roberts et al, eds. eBook only.
- Conflict of Laws, 2nd ed, by Stephen G.A. Pitel & Nicholas S. Rafferty. LAW-RESERVE KF411 .P58 2016 and eBook.
- The Development of International Law by the International Court of Justice by Christian J. Tams & James Sloan, eds. LAW-STACKS KZ6275 .D48 2013 and eBook.
- Hague Yearbook of International Law by Jure Vidmar, ed. eBook only.
- Kindred's International Law, Chiefly as Interpreted and Applied in Canada, 9th ed, by Phillip M. Saunders & Robert J. Currie. LAW-STACKS KZ358 .A2 I57 2019 and eBook.
- Private International Law in Common Law Canada: Cases, Text and Materials, 5th ed, by Stephen G.A. Pitel, ed. LAW-RESERVE KF410 .P74 2023 and eBook.
Treaties & UN Documents
Treaties & UN Documents
A treaty is a formal agreement between two or more countries. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, pact, convention, protocol, or covenant.
Treaties can be bilateral, multilateral, or plurilateral:
- Bilateral: treaties between Canada and one other country
- Multilateral: treaties between three or more countries
- Plurilateral: treaties between one State and a group of States
Canadian Treaties and Documents
United Nations
International, Foreign, and U.S. Treaties
Websites & Blogs
Websites & Blogs
The following websites may be helpful for your research:
- Child Rights International Network
- A creative think tank with a focus on children’s rights. Their work is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Includes reports, data, legal case studies, case law, and more.
- CODICES
- A database of constitutional case cases based on Venice Commission from the Council of Europe.
- Customary International Humanitarian Law Database
- An online version of the International Committee of the Red Cross's study on customary international humanitarian law, originally published by Cambridge University Press in 2005.
- European e-Justice Portal
- Provides information on justice systems and improving access to justice throughout the EU, in 23 languages.
- EUROTORT
- A comprehensive database of European cases on tort law.
- Find-eR: European Commission Libraries Catalogue
- Access to records of collections in the European Commission's libraries. Principal subjects are European law, policies, and integration; works about members states; international affairs; and some European cultural topics. External users can search for and consult open access resources, such as EU publications.
- Global Health and Human Rights Database
- A free online database of law from around the world relating to health and human rights.
- Hague Conference on Private International Law
- Provides the full text of conventions, conference proceedings, publications and studies, and more.
- International Law Chiefly as Interpreted and Applied in Canada: Links to Documents (via Emond Montgomery)
- Links to the full text of treaties and cases that supplement the 7th ed of Prof. H. M. Kindred's textbook.
- Institute of European and Comparative Private Law
- Organizes workshops and seminars with national and international specialists and takes part in international research groups studying the harmonization of private law and the relationships between the development of law and national cultures. Maintained by the University of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Ius Commune Research School Casebooks
- Collates case law, legislation, doctrinal writings, and other relevant source materials from the main European legal systems for each main field of the law. Excerpts from these materials are accompanied by introductory comments, explanatory notes and comparative overviews that put them in context.
- Jumpstart Your Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Research (via American Association of Law Libraries)
- A guide to conducting foreign, comparative, and international legal research.
- Legal Reports: Foreign, Comparative & International Law Collection (via Law Library of Congress)
- Research reports and other publications on a wide range of legal topics prepared by the Law Library of Congress in response to requests or recurring interest from Congress and other federal government entities on issues concerning foreign, comparative, and international law
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- An international organization that works to build better policies for better lives. Includes reports and documents covering international finance, development, environmental issues, and more, as well as OECD proceedings and press releases.
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
- Operates the global system of trade rules, helps developing countries build their trade capacity, and provides a forum for its members to negotiate trade agreements and to resolve the trade problems they face with each other.
There are many blogs maintained by lawyers and law firms, and you can find many of them at lawblogs.ca. There are several blogs listed in the international & cross-border law category that may be helpful.
Last modified on October 31, 2023 12:13
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