Law, International Guide Ask Us

What is International Law?

International law refers to laws that regulate conduct between countries/sovereign nations, such as treaties, conventions, and agreements.

Foreign law refers to the domestic law of other countries/jurisdictions, such as American or British legislation or case law. 

While you might see "international law" used to describe foreign law (i.e., the International tab in Westlaw, which takes you to links to foreign law), this guide is intended for those researching the laws that regulate conduct between countries.

For sources on treaties between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown/Canada, see the Law, Aboriginal & Indigenous Guide.

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:

Canada

• Barron's Canadian Law Dictionary
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • In print on the reference desk (current edition)
  • In print in the reference section (previous edition)
• Dictionary of Canadian Law
  • In print on the reference desk

United States

• Black's Law Dictionary
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only
    • Go to Westlaw US via the International tab and start typing the title
  • In print on the reference desk

International

• Dictionary of International and Comparative Law, 3rd ed
  • In print in the reference section
• Dictionary of Public International Law
  • eBook only
• The International Law Dictionary
  • In print in the reference section
• International Law: A Dictionary
  • In print in the reference section
• Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law
  • 2nd ed: in print in the reference section
  • 3rd ed: eBook only

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)
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • In print in the reference section
• Canadian Legal Words & Phrases
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
• Sanagan’s Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases
  • In print on the reference desk

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.

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. CED is available in WestlawNext Canada (law students only), while Halsbury's is available in Lexis+ (law students only; non-law students can access the campus-wide version of Advance Quicklaw via UNB Libraries).

In addition, the Max Planck Encyclopedias of Public International Law (MPEPIL), "the most trusted reference work in international law," is available through UNB Libraries. MPEPIL contains over 1,700 peer-reviewed articles on public international law.

Canada

Canadian Encyclopedic Digest

• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
• In print in the reference section
• Helpful titles include International Law
  • Tip: check other applicable topics for international law subtopics; for example, the Aviation topic has an International Conventions and Protocols subtopic.
•  How to start your research with the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (5:58)

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.
•  Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Lexis Advance Quicklaw (1:45)

International

Max Planck Encyclopedias of Public International Law

• Available via UNB Libraries to all students (online only)
•  How to Use the Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law (7:22)

Other encyclopedias:

• Encyclopedia of Public International Law (1992–2000) (5 vols)
  • In print in the reference section
• Encyclopedia of Public International Law (1981–1990) (12 vols)
  • In print in the reference section
• Encyclopedia of Disputes Installment 10 (2014)
  • eBook only
• International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law (1973–2010) (17 vols)
  • In print in the reference section

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

• Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Full Text (1981– )
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (1908–1981)
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• LegalTrac
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Click Law Reviews & Journals
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • Click Law Reviews & Journals
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click Articles and Newsletters
• HeinOnline
  • Click Law Journal Library to search for articles in thousands of legal journals
  • HeinOnline also has international law collections:
    • Foreign & International Law Resources Database
      • Includes the world's best international law publications, from American Society of International Law proceedings and prominent yearbooks from around the world to the Hague Permanent Court of International Justice series and the publications of dozens of other highly respected publishers.
    • Harvard Research in International Law
      • Electronic version of the three-volume reprint (2008) of the 17 documents comprising the original Harvard Research in International Law, which were published between 1929 and 1939 in the American Journal of International Law.
    • Philip C. Jessup Library
      • The Philip C. Jessup Cup International Law Moot Court Competition is held annually in Washington, D.C. and is attended by law students from around the world. This collection includes all of the top moot court memorials since the competition's inception in 1960, as well as ILSA’s Journal of International and Comparative Law and Journal of International Law.
• CanLII
  • Click Commentary to search for secondary sources and filter your results: All Subjects > International Law.

Indexes

• Index to Canadian Legal Literature
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
• Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Full Text (1981– )
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (1908–1981)
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• LegalTrac
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database

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, 9th ed, by James Crawford (print only)
• Canadian Yearbook of International Law (1963–2007) (eBook only via ProQuest eBook Central)
• Comparative International Law edited by Anthea Roberts et al (eBook only)
• Conflict of Laws, 3rd ed, by Stephen G.A. Pitel (print and eBook)
• Development of International Law by the International Court of Justice edited by Christian J. Tams & James Sloan (print and eBook)
• Fundamentals of Public International Law: A Sketch of the International Legal Order by Giovanni Distefano (eBook only)
• Hague Yearbook of International Law edited by Jure Vidmar (eBook only)
• International Law, 6th ed, edited Malcolm D. Evans (print only)
• International Law, 9th ed, by Malcolm N. Shaw (print only)
• International Law: Doctrine, Practice, and Theory, 3rd ed, by John H. Currie et al (eBook only)
  • 2nd edition (title: Public International Law) available in print and eBook formats
• Kindred's International Law, Chiefly as Interpreted and Applied in Canada, 10th ed, edited by Phillip M. Saunders and Robert J. Currie (print only).
• Private International Law in Common Law Canada: Cases, Text and Materials, 5th ed, edited by Stephen G.A. Pitel (print and eBook)

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

Canada

• Canada Treaty List   (via Global Affairs Canada)
• Canada Treaty Series   (via Global Affairs Canada)
• UN Declarations and Statements   (via Global Affairs Canada)
• Human Rights Treaties   (via Government of Canada)

United Nations

• UN Treaty Series Online 
• UN Treaty Handbook  
• UN OHCHR Databases  
• Conventions & Selected Declarations Adopted by General Assembly Resolutions
• SHERLOC (Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws on Crime) Case Law Database
• UN Official Documents System (ODS)
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Drafting History  (research guide from Dag Hammarskjöld Library)

International, Foreign, and U.S. Treaties

• EUR-Lex  
  • Provides access to European Union case law and treaties
• LLMC-Digital
  • Contains historical international treaties, arbitrations and conventions
• Treaties and International Agreements Research Guide (via University of Chicago Library)

Cases & Decisions

• African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
  • A continental court established by African countries to ensure the protection of human and peoples’ rights in Africa. It complements and reinforces the functions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
• Child Rights International Network (CRIN) Case Law Database 
  • Database of leading children’s rights cases from more than 100 countries that cited the Convention on the Rights of the Child in court from 2009 to present.
• CODICES Database 
  • A database of constitutional case summaries from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
• European Court of Human Rights
  • An international court established by the European Convention on Human Rights.
  • Search the HUDOC database for case law.
• EUR-Lex
  • Provides access to European Union case law and treaties
• EUROTORT
  • A comprehensive database of European cases on tort law.
  • Access is free, but an account is required.
• Global Health and Human Rights Database
  • Database of law from around the world relating to health and human rights.
• Inter-American Court of Human Rights
  • An autonomous legal institution whose objective is to interpret and apply the American Convention. The Inter-American Court exercises a contentious function, in which it resolves contentious cases and supervises judgments; an advisory function; and a function wherein it can order provisional measures.
• International Court of Justice
  • The principal judicial organ of the United Nations, established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations.
• International Criminal Court
  • Investigates and tries individuals charged with genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
• International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea 
  • An independent judicial body established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that has jurisdiction over any dispute concerning its interpretation or application.
• United Nations Case Law Database
  • A gateway to the jurisprudence of the ICTR, ICTY, and IRMCT Appeals Chambers
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click the International tab for materials
  • Browse the International Materials Index to see what's available

Websites

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Hague Conference on Private International Law
  • Provides the full text of conventions, conference proceedings, publications and studies, and more.
• 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.
• Jumpstart Your Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Research  (via American Association of Law Libraries)
  • A guide to conducting foreign, comparative, and international legal research.
• 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.
• Supplement to International Law Chiefly as Interpreted and Applied in Canada, 7th ed: Links to Cited Documents (via Emond)
  • Links to the full text of treaties and cases cited in the 7th ed of Prof. H.M. Kindred's textbook.
• 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.