International Law

One of the most important challenges facing lawyers in Pakistan, Asia, and around the world is the increasingly important need to be familiar with the law of other nations. As people travel with greater frequency and across greater distances, their interactions with foreign legal jurisdictions increase. With the advent of the internet, billions of people are now capable of acting in ways that have effects thousands of miles away in other countries.

International trade also continues to increase in magnitude. Contracts are entered between parties of different nationalities with different legal systems. Liability for various torts or breach of contract can be very different depending on which nation’s law is controlling. While many of these issues can be resolved by the parties when entering into a contract, there are still many other choice of law issues that arise routinely in resolving disputes that may arise.

For this reason, Law and Lawyers has provided this very brief review of some important legal websites from around the world. This is by no means an exhaustive collection but it will hopefully serve as a first step for further research.

United Kingdom

This is an interesting time for those interested in the practice of law in England and Wales. The House of Lords has recently ended its role as the highest court of appeal in the United Kingdom. As of October 1, 2009, that role will pass to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom which will assume jurisdiction over all matters formerly before the House of Lords.

This change will separate the legislative branch from the judicial branch. The current Law Lords, or Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, will become the first twelve justices of the new Supreme Court. Judges serving on the court may no longer serve in the House of Lords or participate in votes, although they may return to the House of Lords upon retirement from the Court.

United States

The highest court of the United States federal government is the United States Supreme Court. The official website provides a great deal of information on the Court including opinions from past cases. Also included is an automated docket which tracks cases pending before the Court.

There is a great deal of other information offered including the Court’s rules, bar membership, and visitation. From there you can also learn more about the history of the court and biographies of justices who have served on the bench.

One site that appears to be focused on content that is tailored to lawyers is Hieros Gamos. There are sections on legal employment and information useful to law students. There is also a Legal Business Center and an area dedicated to associations of law firms.

The content on Hieros Gamos is not limited geographically to the United States. There are areas that focus on international matters including law firms worldwide. The information is organized in a number of different ways including by country and by practice area.

There are also websites that target law students specifically. Lawnix hosts an assortment of case briefs and law school outlines in several different fields including contracts, constitutional law, and torts. While most of the cases are opinions from the state and federal courts of the United States, there are also several cases from England and other countries.