Legal Research: International and Foreign

Limit: 20 students

This course explores strategies for conducting research in Foreign, Comparative and International Law, using primarily electronic resources. The course begins by examining the sources of international law, including treaties, cases from international courts and tribunals, documents from international organizations, and scholarly publications. We will also explore finding the law of foreign nations, gaining an understanding of civil legal systems, and learning “work-arounds” when the sources are not in English. Using a problem-based approach, the class will incorporate the following topics while reviewing the sources of international law: international environmental law, international litigation and dispute resolution, international trade and investment law, and international human rights. The class meets for the first 9 weeks of the term. Grading will be based on weekly in-class or out-of-class exercises and a final exam consisting of research problems. This class is a requirement for the international law certificate.

The American Bar Association accreditation standards require students to regularly attend the courses in which they are registered. Lewis & Clark expects students to attend classes regularly and to prepare for classes conscientiously. Specific attendance requirements may vary from course to course. Any attendance guidelines for a given class must be provided to students in a syllabus or other written document at the start of the semester. Sanctions (e.g., required withdrawal from the course, grade adjustment, and/or a failing grade) will be imposed for poor attendance.