Foreign Law Translations

Finding full, readable English translations of foreign case law and statues can be a challenge. One web site to keep in mind is Foreign Law Translations at the Institute for Transnational Law, School of Law, University of Texas at Austin. The selected legal materials in the fields of constitutional, administrative, contract and tort law  have been translated into English by legal specialists. The site is a valuable resource for French, German, Austrian and Israeli law. A disclaimer is quite clear in stating that the translations and documents "were prepared to assist students and teachers interested in foreign law. The collection makes no claim of being either complete or current, and should not be relied upon for the basis of a legal opinion or course of action without careful review of current applicable authority."  However, if a particular law, as passed, or the text of a court decision is what you need, you may find it here. Law students will also appreciate the French Legal Glossary and German Abbreviations, translating the names of foreign courts, legislatures, and legal terms.
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Research Resources: GlobaLex

Published by the Hauser Global Law School Program at NYU School of Law, GlobaLex is an electronic publication dedicated to international and foreign research. New and updated research guides published by GlobaLex include:
New research guides:

• Nuclear Law Research Guide By Linda Tashbook

Updated research guides:

• The Crisis in Darfur: Researching the Legal Issues by Amy Burchfield
• An Introduction to Sources for Treaty Research By Mark Engsberg and Mary Beth Chappell

To Access Globalex:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Then, click on the "International Law" or "Foreign/Comparative Law" link
• Scroll down, click the "GlobaLex" link

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LLMC Digitial Database (Law Library Microform Consortium)

If you are looking for archival and legal history material, try the LLMC Digital database.  This database offers an extensive archival collection from state, federal, foreign and international jurisdictions and more.  The collection includes cases, statutes, reports, historical treatises, dictionaries and others.  Some titles included are Congressional Record, Annals of Congress, New York Case Digests, etc.  Some of the material dates back to the 15th century but there is some recent material as well.  Click here to learn more or to search this database.

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Research Life-Line Workshop series

The Law Library and Office of Career Services present
The Research Life-Line Workshop Series

Cost effective & efficient research skills make you a more valuable professional!

Workshops will be held in rm. 014 from 12:10 – 1:00, and include free lunch and a surprise gift.
RSVP to Dianne Kaplan at lawdek@hofstra.edu to reserve your seat!

·       2/29 – Ask the Experts: practitioners discuss essential research skills for interns and new associates

·       3/26 – Cost effective use of Westlaw & Lexis: getting the most bang for your research buck

·       4/11 – Research Strategy 101: smart ways to tackle tough questions

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Presidents' Day

The Library will be open and a Reference librarian will be available on Presidents' Day, Monday, Feb. 20th, from 10am-6pm.  Hofstra Law students will have swipe card access outside of those times.

Enjoy your long weekend.

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President's Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013

The President's Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013 is now available from the U.S. Government Printing Office. The public can search or browse the budget, which is accessible from FDsys.

In addition, for the first time, the Budget is available on mobile devices, and is also available as an app. To access the app on your mobile device, go here.

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Famous Trials in American Law

One of the best ways to capture the real impact of the law is through the human stories and the primary documents of the landmark cases that changed it forever. The Famous Trials web site, developed and continually maintained by Professor Douglas Linder (University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law), covers proceedings from the  Trial of Socrates through the 2006 terrorism trial of Zacarias Moussaoui. The vast majority are American trials, for which this site provides a wide range of case documents, transcripts, images, timelines, links and bibliographic sources. Famous Trials is a wonderful supplement to courses is constitutional and criminal law, and a unique resource for research papers in legal history.  Be sure to check out the "Other Famous Trials" section for bibliographies and links on trials under development for addition to the site. 
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Research Resources: Foreign Law Guide

If you are interested in international law and researching primary and secondary sources of law of a particular country, take a look at Foreign Law Guide. This comprehensive database contains codes, cases, legislation, treaties, as well as other legal documents for more than 170 jurisdictions in the world.

To access the Foreign Law Guide:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "Foreign/Comparative Law" link
• Scroll down to "Foreign Law Guide"

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Encyclopedia of Associations

Need background information on fingerprints, balloons, scents or just about anything under the sun?  There is a good chance that there is an association/organization/society on the subject.  People who join such groups for professional or personal reasons are interested and usually knowledgeable about their subjects.  They are a good source for both basic and advanced information in their areas of interest.

So how to find them?  Use the Encyclopedia of Associations to locate local, state, regional, national or international associations.  This is a subscription database available through the Law Library website under "Online Resources" - "Directories / Reference". 

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HeinOnline Canada Supreme Court Reports

HeinOnline recently added the Canada Supreme Court Reports Library to its collection.  HeinOnline’s Canada Supreme Court Reports is a primary source for Canadian high court decisions.  This collection contains more than 9,400 cases which include background information, statutes and regulations, authors cited, analysis and the decision. Cases can be searched by citation or browse by year and case name.  Click here to learn more about this new collection or click here to search it.

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