RESEARCH GUIDE SOURCES:

General Print Sources:

For an overview, more information, and definitions on this complex subject:

Ralph H. Folsom et al., International Trade and Investment in a Nutshell   K 3943 .F64 2000

The International Lawyer's Deskbook; /Section of International Law and Practice, ABA, 1996.  K559 .I57 1996

Dictionary of International Trade; REF HF 1373 .D 53

Economic development, foreign investment, and the law : promoting economic
development through private sector involvement, foreign investment, and the rule of law / editor, Robert Pritchard.
London ; Boston : Kluwer Law International : International Bar Association, 1996.
K 3830.4 .E27 1996

Germain's transnational law research : a guide for attorneys / Claire M. Germain.
Ardsley-on-Hudson, NY : Transnational Juris Publications, c1991-
K 85 .G47 1991

International Legal Materials. American Society of International Law, Vol 1 begins Aug. 1962-.
It is often the first place that international law documents can be found. The Table of Contents from 1997 on can be found on the ASIL site.  International legal materials-ASIL
It is on Lexis and Westlaw
The print verson is at:  KZ 64 .I58

General Internet Sources:

The Guide to Foreign and International Legal Databases at NYU provides a menu of links to guide sites and information sites that can be used as starting points. Eye on International Business Law (LawEye) is an important link for it is a comprehensive set of well-organized sites for areas of International Trade/Commercial Law, Private International Law, and International Commercial Arbitration.

The American Society of International Law (ASIL) provides separate chapters on in-depth research in the following areas: International Economic Law; by Jean W. Wenger. It encompasses international trade law, private international law, financial and international business regulation. Private International Law by David Levy is also a good starting point to gain an understanding of the basic sources. International Commercial Arbitration by Charlotte Bynum explains the different arbitration bodies that resolve disputes.
The new Electronic Information System for International Law (EISIL) has been set up and may be a good starting point for basic research in the following areas: Private International Law,  International Economic Law and International Dispute Settlement.
ASIL also provides E-Newsletters: ASIL INSIGHTS and INTERNATIONAL LAW IN BRIEF. Both focus on timely topics in international law and give summaries and evaluations of cases. They are delivered via email.

LLRX includes the Revised Guide to International Trade Law Sources by Marci Hoffman, focusing on the starting points, international agreements, U.S. government sources, country guides, statistics and commentary for this area.

Hieros Gamos, the portal to many international law resources, has a  Guide to Global Trade Law,  which provides extensive links to agreements, country information and other sources of information. It has a link to international Commercial Law sources as well. Especially useful is the Law and Government Resources link to 230 countries with helpful legal guides to the laws of many countries.

Findlaw: International  Provides many links to international business and trade information, including statistics and economic analysis, country information and other data.

COMPREHENSIVE WEB SITE:

Lex Mercatoria, the International Trade/Commercial Law Monitor, is the most comprehensive web site for information and documents for all areas of private internationl law.

BEGINNINGS:

Unification trends in private international law began largely through theHague Conference  on Private International Lawof 1902. Issues concerning areas of civil or domestic law, which crossed borders of countries, were the first to be resolved through Hague Conventions. The international conventions  began evolving into transnational areas of trade, commercial business .

INTERNATIONAL TRADE:

TheWorld Trade Organizationis the guiding force in setting democratic word trade standards and resolving trade disputes. As a result, more unifying trends in terms of Multilateral trade agreements are formed globally and regionally through the international organizations involved in trade matters.

COMMERCIAL LAW:

The beginning trend was the Vienna Sales Conventionalso known as the CISG for international Sale of Goods, which brought uniformity to international contracts in transnational business.
 UNCITRAL, established in 1966, by the U.N., set up the CISG and it has met with wide acceptance in the global business arena.
UNIDROIT,with origins in the League of Nations set up Principles of International Commercial Contracts, also aimed at providing States with uniform rules of private law.

The U.S. government has its Dept of State Private International Law database, helpful in providing guidance and forms in transnational matters. There is a "Background Notes" section contains reports on information about all of the countries with which the U.S. has relations. Agencies such as the U.S. Dept of Commerce and International Trade Administration also provide much information.

ARBITRATION

Arbitration   and its most important treaty, the "New York Convention".  has become increasingly important as more private international law issues must be addressed. Multilateral arbitration treaties are the framework for resolving international commercial disputes, as through the International Court of Arbitration of the ICC :  The International Chamber of Commerce is the leading arbitral body and an important source for information. The site includes the rules of arbitration as well as general information on arbitration.  Harmonization of the international community's interests toward a unified goal is the trend. Trade and Economic-related organizations are becoming key figures in recommending compromise methods among parties involved in transnational disputes.

International ADR  treaties and conventions have assisted in providing alternative methods of resolving disputes. Foreign arbitral awards are being favored over foreign court judgments and are increasing harmonization trends.

CURRENT AWARENESS:

The importance of updating information and keeping current on all international law issues in one's research cannot be over-emphasized. There are a variety of resources, both general and specific, as aids in evaluation and analysis of the topic.

PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW RESOURCES:
The more complete guide which is listed on the Index page provides more resources.