By Lucie Olejnikova

GlobaLex July/August 2023 issue is live featuring seven updates: Eritrea, Paraguay, Tajikistan, European Human Rights System, Darfur Crisis, Southern African Development Community, and TRIPS Compulsory Licensing. Webmasters and content managers, please update your pages. We thank all our wonderful authors, new and established, for their excellent contributions and commitment to open access authorship! 

UPDATE: Introduction to Eritrean Legal System and Research by Luwam Dirar and Kibrom Tesfagabir Teweldebirhan at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Eritrea1.html.  

Luwam Dirar is an Assistant Professor of Law at Western New England University School of Law. She received her J.S.D. (2016) and LL.M. (2009) from Cornell Law School and her LL.B. degree from the University of Asmara in 2006. Luwam’s teaching and research interests (SSRN) include International and Comparative Law and African Law.   

Kibrom Tesfagabir Teweldebirhan is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Villanova University School of Law and a Research Fellow at the Harvard Law School East Asian Legal Studies Program. He received his S.J.D from Harvard Law School (2022), his LL.M. degrees from Harvard Law School (2013) and Wuhan University (2010), and his LL.B. degree from the University of Asmara (2006). Kibrom’s teaching and research interests (SSRN) include International and Comparative Law, Human Rights, Labor Law, Chinese Law and Legal Thought, and Law and Social Change in Africa.  

UPDATE: Legal System and Legal Research in Paraguay by Larissa M. Fernández A. at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Paraguay1.html.  

Larissa M. Fernandez holds a law degree from the Faculty of Juridical and Diplomatic Sciences of the Catholic University “Our Lady of the Assumption”. At the same institution, she was a collaborator and writer at the Legal Review of the Faculty of Juridical and Diplomatic Sciences. In 2021, she obtained a scholarship to study Public Policy from the Universidad Comunera where, alongside her studies, she was a lecturer assistant in Political Philosophy; Political Science; and Law and Public Policy. She currently works as an Associate at one of the leading law firms in Paraguay, where she advises numerous important national and multinational companies operating in the Paraguayan market. 

UPDATE: Researching Laws of the Republic of Tajikistan Using Web Based Resources by Bakhtiyor Abdulhamidov at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Tajikistan1.html.  

Bakhtiyor Abdulhamidov is an in-house counsel at a multilateral development bank headquartered in London, UK. Before that, he worked as a partner of a leading commercial law firm in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, which he co-founded in 2003. Prior to practicing law, he spent several years managing a legal reform project in Tajikistan funded by a bilateral donor agency. He studied law at the Tajik National University, Central European University, and Harvard Law School. 

UPDATE: The European Human Rights System by Grigory Dikov and Olga Chernishova at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/European_Human_Rights_System1.html.  

Grigory Dikov is a legal advisor at the Jurisconsult Directorate of the European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg). He previously was Head of Division in the Secretariat of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and a law clerk at the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights.  

Olga Chernishova is a Deputy Section Registrar at the European Court of Human Rights.  

UPDATE: The Crisis in Darfur – Researching the Legal Issues by Andrew Dorchak at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Darfur_Crisis_Research1.html.  

Andrew Dorchak is Head of Reference and Foreign/International Law Specialist at The Judge Ben C. Green Law Library at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law, University in Cleveland, Ohio. He has assisted law students researching international criminal law topics since 2002. 

UPDATE: An Introduction to the Law of the Southern African Development Community by Dr. Frederik Cowell at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Southern_African_Development_Community1.html.  

Dr Frederick Cowell is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Birkbeck College, University of London. He specializes in Public International Law and was previously a legal advisor for human rights NGOs. 

UPDATE: Researching TRIPS and Compulsory Licensing: Access to Innovative Pharmaceuticals for the Least Developed Countries by Do Hyung Kim and Shreenaya Prabu at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/TRIPS_Compulsory_Licensing1.html.  

Do Hyung Kim is the general counsel for Longhorn IP LLC. Mr. Kim earned his J.D. at the University of Houston Law Center and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to his matriculation at the University of Houston Law Center, Mr. Kim worked as a business intelligence consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP and IBM Corporation. 

Shreenaya Prabu is an upcoming freshman and distinguished scholar at Southern Methodist University majoring in Electrical Engineering with a biomedical specialization.  

For more articles, visit https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/index.html.  

By Marcelo Rodríguez

When I teach Foreign, Comparative and International Legal (FCIL) Research at the University of Arizona College of Law, I spend an entire class explaining to students the importance of keeping track of the countries or jurisdictions they are interested in and how to do it. In my experience, researchers are at times working on countries which have been “recently featured” in major international news outlets or which have generated a “sudden” interest in academic and scholarly circles given recent events. In terms of sound analysis and connections with larger themes and literature, where and when the wind blows for these countries is always a balancing act with high degrees of uncertainty and “unknown” sources and trends.

My series, Through the FCIL Lens is a small attempt to help FCIL librarians at the frontlines of this type of work to connect rapidly (d)evolving events around the world with reputable sources and long-term analysis and trustworthy secondary sources. As you can imagine, this is a difficult and massive undertaking. There are innumerable challenges and pitfalls when pursuing FCIL research on current events taking place in other countries. Some of the obvious challenges include evaluating sources, translation, mis- and disinformation, fast sequence of events, etc. From a research standpoint, I believe the major challenge is how to connect the current event(s) with the research that you’re trying to do. There is no simply not enough information or analysis to help you connect the dots. Therefore, this translates into yet another step in your research strategy which you simply can’t ignore.

Furthermore in this series, I’m intentionally selecting “lesser-known” events in the Global South which have not been covered extensively in major media outlets and also events which can be “representative” of what’s happening in neighboring countries and regional trends.

For this post, I have chosen events that took place over this past month of August 2023 in the following countries: Ecuador, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Jordan and Myanmar. As in previous posts, these summaries aim to be descriptive, introductory, and to provide a stepping stone for further comprehensive research. Each summary also includes at least three authoritative secondary sources.

Ecuador’s Rejection of Oil Drilling in Block 43 Hailed as Major Environmental Victory

Gabon is Now Africa’s Ninth’s Coup d’Etat in Three Years

ZANU-PF’s Mnangagwa Consolidates Political Grip in Zimbabwe

Jordan’s New Cybercrime Law Hinders on Country’s Freedom of Speech

Myanmar’s Military Regimes Extends State of Emergency Yet Again

By Juan-Andrés Fuentes

In a recent post from the Library of Congress FCIL news, I learned that the State of the Vatican City recently issued its new Constitution, which replaced the previous, 2000 version (Did you know the LOC FCIL News has a free subscription?).  This news caught my attention for two reasons: the first one is that I was always curious about the unique status of the Vatican City. The second reason is that the Vatican City constitution is a good example of how constitutions are amended over time to respond to the needs and expectations of their constituents.  

Let’s set forth a few interesting facts about the Vatican City. First, in Public International law terms, Vatican City is a state. It is a monarchy headed by the Supreme Pontiff Pope Francis, but unlike others, the Supreme Pontiff is not a hereditary monarch. Vatican City is a relatively new state. Its creation dates to 1929, the year of the signature of the Lateran Agreements between the Kingdom of Italy (at that time) and the Holy See (this last entity represents 2 different subjects of international law: the Vatican State and the Catholic Church).   

According to one of the most relevant theories regarding the creation of states (*), this kind of entity ought to have these four elements to be considered one: population, territory, sovereignty, and government. Let’s talk about population, even though the term is self-explanatory. The population comprises citizens and foreign residents, as indicated in Article 5 of its Constitution. The actual population of Vatican City is estimated to be about 620. 

The territory is the geographical space where the state is located. In this case, Vatican City has a small extension of 0.44 square kilometers and is surrounded by the magnificent city of Rome. As an enclave state, agreements with other states are needed to guarantee the provision of public services and customs services, according to Article 6.4 of its Constitution.  

Regarding sovereignty, it alludes to the capacity of a State to interact with its pairs and other subjects of international law such as international organizations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. In that condition, Vatican City has established diplomatic relations and concluded treaties (Article 6.1).  

The element of government refers to a structure of power in a state, whichever is chosen. The separation of powers principle, a creation by Montesquieu, is followed in the Vatican’s Constitution. The power is divided into three branches: the judiciary (Title I), the legislature (Title II), and the executive (Title 3).   

The judiciary has a system of courts, which administers justice in the name of the Supreme Pontiff. Due process is guaranteed. Specifically, the right of defense and contradiction for each party, and the neutrality of the judgment are mentioned (Article 21.4).  

Whereas the legislature approves laws through the Pontifical Commission, they are submitted to the Pope for his consideration before promulgation (Article 10).   

The executive is exercised by the President of the Pontifical Commission, who is the Chairman of the Governorate. However, for relevant issues, the Pontifical Commission, or the Supreme Pontiff, of course, is consulted (Article 15).   

Amending the Constitution of a country is not “sacred”! Even though the Constitution is a country’s most relevant legal document, it sometimes needs to be modified in part or in total.   

(*) This theory is reflected in the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (Art. 1).

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Deerfield, Illinois, which is a suburb located approximately 28 miles north of Chicago. It was also the place where my parents grew up (they met at the local high school).

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

After law school, I took an associate position at a family law litigation firm in downtown Chicago. The work was intellectually stimulating, and I enjoyed helping people grieve their relationships and assert their rights, but I knew before too long that I did not want to spend the rest of my professional life as a litigator. So, I bought some books on alternative legal careers and, while flipping through the pages, I landed on the page mentioning “Law Librarianship” as a career. I had never heard of such a thing! As I read more, something began to click. The idea that I would be able to make use of my law degree while also teaching law school classes and working in a library really appealed to me. One day, I cold-called the reference desk at Northwestern University’s Pritzker Legal Research Center (PLRC) to get more information about law librarianship as a career. A reference librarian, Marcia Lehr, who has since retired, answered my call and with the warmth of a million suns, invited me to visit her at the PLRC, which I did. Marcia encouraged me to get a Masters in Library Science and, while I was doing that, hired me as a part-time (nights & weekends) reference associate for the PLRC. The rest is history.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

I took Latin during all 4 years of high school and studied modern foreign languages in college, including an extended stint overseas, in Italy. In law school, I was in the international human rights law clinic and studied international law abroad, in Chile and Argentina. This is all to say: I have always been interested in other cultures and languages and, if I had to explain why, I would probably speculate that it is because I wanted to see the world beyond the town my parents and I grew up in (see answer to #1, above). My parents blame my wanderlust on my paternal grandfather, who joined the U.S. Army at the age of 16 and may-or-may not have been a member of the OSS while stationed in Germany during the War (note: he also may-or-may not have been kicked-out of the OSS for initiating a bar fight).

Anyway, when I was working as a reference associate at Northwestern’s PLRC, I met its FCIL librarian, Irene Berkey, and I thought her job was the coolest. She learned something new every day! And she was able to locate relevant materials in foreign languages despite lacking technical fluency. That felt like magic to me at the time. I decided to try to become a FCIL librarian, and once I was in the final stages of getting my MLIS, I applied for an entry-level position at the University of Florida Law School because it was seeking candidates interested in developing FCIL librarian careers. I haven’t looked back since!

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

I am now back in the Midwest, at the University of Minnesota Law School. I’ve worked here for seven years.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

This is a tough question to answer because it reminds me how rusty I’ve let my foreign language skills get over the years. At one point in my life, I was fluent in Italian, and I have also dabbled in speaking Spanish, French, and Danish. But, due to my Latin translation background, I am far better at reading foreign languages than I am speaking foreign languages (and, come to think of it, that’s also true for English).

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Thus far, I’d say it was becoming Chair of the FCIL-SIS! I was very honored to be nominated and it was a great opportunity to meet and collaborate with other FCIL-SIS members.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Whatever isn’t nailed down. I’m a hearty eater.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I knew how to surf!

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

At least one 20+ minute walk, outside.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I’m stoked to head back to Chicago for the next AALL Annual Meeting – hope to see you there!

By Caitlin Hunter

Introducing Asha Moncrieffe (Caribbean Association of Law Libraries)

Each year, the Schaffer Grant enables a law librarian from another country to join AALL and share what law librarianship is like around the world. This year, FCIL-SIS was delighted to welcome Asha O. H. Moncrieffe, for a lively, interactive, and educational presentation on Law Librarianship from a CARICOM Law Librarians’ Perspective: Challenges, Achievements, COVID-19, and the Future. Asha is a native of Jamaica who worked for five years as the law librarian for the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago, before taking on her current role as the Law Librarian at the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. She quipped that she’s not sure which island she’ll go to next, but she looks forward to it.

Asha’s presentation focused on a survey that she conducted of librarians in the Caribbean Association of Law Libraries (CARALL), which brings together librarians from across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a community of twenty Caribbean islands and coastal states. Asha asked CARICOM law librarians about their challenges, achievements, and hopes for the future.  

Familiar Challenges

As Asha noted, most of the problems libraries face are universal. Asha asked audience members to volunteer what they thought the number one problem was for CARICOM librarians and audience members rapidly and correctly shouted “Money!”

Asha described lack of money as the root of most other challenges, hampering libraries’ ability to buy adequate print and electronic resources, get adequate space, and pay attractive wages that will bring more librarians to the profession. She observed that librarians are often caught in a Catch-22, where librarians’ successful efforts to provide excellent service with limited money is taken as proof that they don’t need more money.

Most of the other problems identified by CARICOM law librarians will also be familiar to U.S. law librarians, although some of them take different forms or are especially acute in the Caribbean:

• In a pattern most U.S. law librarians will recognize, law schools, law firms, and government agencies frequently eye the law library when they need more space.
• Caribbean law libraries are facing a succession planning crisis, as most Caribbean university students prefer more prestigious roles as doctors, lawyers, or engineers. Librarians are retiring without being able to recruit or train replacements, leading to a leadership gap and loss of institutional knowledge and expertise.
• DEI challenges are acute in the Caribbean, especially related to disability rights. Computers routinely lack accessibility features, and even recently built libraries like Asha’s own routinely lack ramps and elevators.
• Political interference with libraries takes a different form in the Caribbean because most CARICOM countries have parliamentary systems where power frequently changes hands. Law libraries must cope with regular changes in laws and funding, and librarians affiliated with one political party may find themselves pushed out when the other party takes power.
• Natural disasters are a way of life in the Caribbean, which is subject to earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Disasters damage collections and equipment and disrupt services, as staff struggle to travel over damaged roads and bridges or cope with the damages to their own homes.

Great Achievements

Although Caribbean libraries face challenges, Asha also highlighted major accomplishments and improvements in access to the law:

• The Court Library for the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago offers both free case searching and a subscription TTCASE database, that supplements cases with headnotes written by librarians.
• Likewise, Trinidad and Tobago’s statutes have been digitized back to 1925 and made available for free online.
• The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Law Library worked with vLex to develop an extensive collection of Caribbean case law in the CariLaw database, now part of vLex Justis.
• To maintain services during the disruption caused by COVID, libraries adopted significant innovations in technology and services. This included moving meetings and trainings to Zoom and Teams; offering laptop and tablet rentals; and offering online document delivery and curbside pickup.  

To the Future

Going forward, Caribbean law librarians anticipate exploring the same laundry list of alphabet-soup acronyms that we do in the U.S., including AI, IoT, chatbots, virtual assistants, data analytics, and RFID.

However, one thing will remain the same: the importance of collaboration. To face the challenges of succession planning and limited resources, librarians must collaborate with each other and with library schools and tap into their networks to track down needed materials.  Asha highlighted the development of CARALL as one of the key achievements for librarians in the Caribbean.

Looking to the future, Asha emphasized the need for continuing and increasing regional and international collaboration and praised the Schaffer Grant as a valuable part of this effort. By enabling her to attend AALL, the Schaffer Grant allows us to learn from her about law librarianship in the Caribbean and her to learn about law librarianship in the U.S. She promised to tell her fellow CARALL librarians what a great time she had at AALL!

By Sarah Martin

Moderated by Yemisi Dina, the Chief Law Librarian at the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto, the “Researching South African Government and Legal Information” session on Monday, July 17 consisted of presentations from Sindiso Mnisi Weeks, Associate Professor of Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Public Law at the University of Cape Town, and Michelle Pearse, Senior Research and Data Librarian at Harvard Law School Library. Each discussed unique characteristics of doing legal research in a mixed legal system.

The presentation began by breaking down South Africa’s uniquely hybrid legal system that reflects its history of colonization. In the words of Sindiso: “To tell the story of an African post-colonial country without starting with colonialism is like starting a story by saying, ‘secondly’.” South Africa’s hybrid legal system is influenced by a combination of Roman Dutch civil law and English common law, which have historically governed the white colonizers, customary law, which has historically governed the indigenous people of South Africa, and several different types of religious law.

Sindiso, whose specialty is customary law, specifically the relationship between indigenous South African law and the state legal system, provided an overview of free online legal resources to keep in mind when researching the law of South Africa.

Some examples are:

• The parliamentary website, for parliamentary proceedings, committee meetings, mandates, acts, bills currently before the Parliament and bills passed, as well as a comprehensive collection of constitutional documents,
• The Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), for a record of Parliamentary Committee proceedings 1998-present;
• Google Scholar for legislative text;
•  South African History Online (SAHO),  a comprehensive digital collection on South African history;
• UPSpace, an open-source collection of public submissions compiled by the University of Pretoria (the Early South African Legal Sources section contains statutes and court precedents);
• The South African government website with resources relating to repeals and the latest versions of legislation;
• The Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII), containing case law and consolidating materials of the South African Law Reform Commission;
• Green Gazette, the government gazette of South Africa;
• Polity, which consolidates promulgated legislation and bills, documents for public comment, and regulations, as well as select case law;
• Open Gazettes, open source, publicly accessible municipal regulation and bylaws;
• Gazettes.Africa, the result of a continental effort to make resources available;
• Sabinet, which has an open-source section focusing on law within the Constitutional Court (but even the free area does require registration).

Sindiso also used historical maps to demonstrate a history of geographical changes in South Africa. She demonstrated how the majority indigenous people of South Africa, euphemized as Bantustans, or homeland people, were confined to a small percentage of the land, while the minority white people (12% of the population) were given the rest. There was slow progress in land reform, and the examples provided by Sindiso in the maps demonstrate the relationships between historical and contemporary legislation.

Next, Michelle spoke about premium subscription services. Michelle is the Senior Research and Data Librarian at Harvard Law School Library, where she has been the selector for South African materials for 20 years and has handled collection development for common law jurisdiction for 15 years. She discussed the pros and cons of major platforms such as Jutastat (popular with her students), LexisNexis South Africa (less comprehensive) and Sabinet (steeply expensive but familiar to South African students). Additional examples of subscription-based services covered in Michelle’s presentation, include:

• Dow Jones Factiva, a global news database to find ongoing litigation;
• Pretoria University Law Press, which has open access secondary sources, legal research guides, indexes, and external links to legislation and case law;
• Project MUSE for humanities and social science research;
• Africabib.org for freely accessible African periodicals searchable by region;
• Index Islamicus, Atla, and other religious studies databases for matters influenced by religious law.

Michelle then talked about some of the challenges facing researchers of South African laws. The civil and common law sides of the system haven’t yet been integrated, so the common law remains segregated. In the day-to-day matters outside of legal arenas that are touched in large part by international interests, customary law remains in practice. It isn’t a strict dividing line, but private international law tends to be influenced by the Dutch civil law, while the public international law more by British common law.

Overall, it was a robust and interesting presentation full of a plethora of starting points and options to keep in your tool belt for the next time you get a tough reference question on South African law.

1. Where did you grow up?

I have a pretty long answer to this question. But, the short version is that I spent my adolescent years in the deep south of the United States. Then, when I was getting ready to go to high school, my family moved to Texas.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

A few years back, an idea sparked in my mind during a lively chat with a friend and colleague. He shared an intriguing article about an impending shortage of law librarians. We excitedly discussed the prospect of a job where we could immerse ourselves in research all day, potentially teach legal research strategies, and escape the relentless ticking of the clock that marks our lives in law practice. The idea of law librarianship took root in my mind. Before I knew it, I was enthusiastically embarking on the journey to earn my MLIS!  

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

The initial spark developed while attaining my MLIS at UNT, specifically in Dr. Chandler’s Law Library Management course. That tiny spark was fanned into a flame thanks to the wonderful members of this SIS. So far, everyone I’ve spoken to has provided insight, perspective, and guidance in navigating this awesome space.

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

At the time of submitting this response to the FCIL-SIS, I am employed at Colorado Law’s William A. Wise Law Library. I have worked here since Summer 2020.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

Fluently? I wish! I think my father is still disappointed that I never picked up his mother tongue. But, I try to throw in a few words every now and then like I’m the South Asian Pitbull.  

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

At this time, I do not think I’ve made it yet. I think that for something to be professionally significant, it has to also impact my personal life. As of yet, the achievements I’ve made have not crossed that line.

To clarify, I do appreciate this opportunity to be featured as the member of the month for the FCIL-SIS, and I appreciate every other achievement milestone I’ve hit; e.g.: co-authoring chapters and articles, participating in committees that have a direct impact with Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and teaching at a wonderful law school. There have been plenty of professional achievements that I think back fondly. But, the one significant achievement has not yet been made.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I’m going to go with dessert. At present, I’ve been craving French Vanilla ice cream. But, I have been known to go out of my way for a cupcake.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Sing: J. Cole’s “Power Trip”

Dance: CNCO’s “Pretend”

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I had the ability to read, write, and understand another language perfectly. Thanks to globalization, I think the world is smaller than it ever was. And, having the ability to communicate effectively to more people is an ability that should help navigate this new world.

The good things about abilities, though, is that those are just skills that have been internalized. So, there is still hope to learn another language. At present, I’m learning python.

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

As sappy as it sounds, the one thing I covet more than any other thing is spending time with my family. Even if it’s just five minutes of spending quality time with my spouse, I feel rejuvenated and ready for the world.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I think a lot of people are wondering about Chat GPT and other large language models (LLMs). Particularly, how capable these programs are, and how one may utilize them in their current situation. So, here is a link to a great resource for Chat GPT prompting. I hope this helps someone out.

By Meredith Capps

On Sunday, July 16^th 2023, at the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting in Boston, Victoria J. Szymczak of the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii, Alexander Burdett of New York University Law Library, and Christopher Dykes of the University of Houston Law Library presented a program titled “Researching the Implementation of Foreign and International Law on International Indigenous Peoples.” Szymczak began by introducing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly in 2007.  The declaration was based largely upon the work of Special Rapporteur José Martínez Cobo, whose Study of the Problem of Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations was published between 1981 and 1983.  Four states initially voted against adopting the declaration: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.  Supporters of the declaration raise continuing concerns regarding exclusion of indigenous communities during drafting, and the declaration’s non-binding nature.  The declaration was first cited in a domestic court opinion when Belize’s Supreme Court affirmed land rights of the Maya people in the country.

Dykes then discussed researching the declaration, beginning with several books and articles.  Recommended electronic resources include:

• GlobaLex Guide – Researching Indigenous Peoples International Law (updates forthcoming);
• LLMC Digital – Indigenous Law Portal, which offers jurisdiction-specific resources; 
• materials from the Indigenous Peoples’ Center for Documentation, Research, and Information (DOCIP);
• Pro 169, a site maintained by the Programme to Promote ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, located within the International Labour Standards Department of the ILO), which includes case law digests, as well as the ILO topic page for issues concerning indigenous and tribal peoples;
• materials from Tebtebba (the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy and Research and Education); and
• the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) Indigenous World 2023, a detailed publication offering extensive source citation.

To the extent that researchers must conduct domestic legal research concerning operationalization of the declaration, Dykes noted that some jurisdictions offer sites discussing their own implementation efforts.  IGOs and regional human rights entities may also provide relevant material, including the UN Human Rights Council and Economic and Social Affairs Council, OAS/IACHR, the European Court of Justice (consider utilizing the case digest on CURIA), and the European Court of Human Rights.

Finally, Burdett discussed implementation of the declaration in Canada.  In Canada, the Constitution Act of 1867 conferred exclusive legislative authority to the federal government, but Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 affirms indigenous rights and imposes a federal “duty to consult” when its acts might negatively impact indigenous rights.  Though in considering support for the declaration Canadian leaders expressed concern about the declaration’s potential impact on the breadth of that duty to consult, Canada ultimately endorsed the declaration in 2010 following pressure from indigenous leaders (though offering caveats regarding its aspirational and non-binding nature).  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, whose purpose was to document the experience and legacies of the residential school system, cited the declaration in its 2015 call to action, and in that same year liberal office seekers offered support for implementation of TRC recommendations in their campaigns. 

Subsequent Canadian legislative action in indigenous rights included:

• The Indigenous Languages Act (2019), which recognizes language rights as rights protected by the constitution, requires provision of services and translation in indigenous languages, and establishes an office of indigenous languages;   
• The Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families (2019), which affirms rights of indigenous peoples to exercise jurisdiction over children and family services, and establishes principles of cultural continuity; and
• The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2021), which states that the federal government must take “measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the declaration,” including drafting an action plan (released in June 2023) and annual reports. 

Canadian courts through 2018 held that the declaration did not create rights, but have stated that it may be used as an interpretive aide; courts may soon decide whether the UNDRIP Act does provide such substantive rights. 

By Juan-Andrés Fuentes

Since its release at the end of last year, Chat GPT, an AI chatbot, has created controversy around it within the law librarianship area and the general public.

While some expressed their concerns over losing their jobs (translators are the first professionals whom I could think of) as well as more unthinkable risks; and others highlighted that AI chatbots would transform positively human lives in a way comparable to the invention and universal use of the Internet; Google, and Apple, to name a few, quickly announced they are working on similar products.

In the interim, I learned about a conversation between a Belgian citizen with Eliza, a chatbot created using Eleuther AI’ GPT technology, an open-source alternative to Chat GPT” (El Atillah, 2023).

According to the Belgian newspaper “La Libre”, a father of two kids, worried about climate change, took his own life after six weeks of long conversations with Eliza. Some extracts of the conversation were published and it seems to me that reinforcement of the Belgian man’s suicidal thoughts was performed by the chatbot (Lovens, 2023). At some point, the chatbot said to the man, “We will live together, as one person, in paradise.” What seems to be an isolated incident is not: remember the interaction between ChatGPT and a NYT journalist? Remember when the tool tried hard to convince that the journalist was unhappy because his wife did not love him, that they should be together instead”? (Roose, 2023).

Two things surprised me about this news. The first one is that the Belgian man died after frequent interactions with the chatbot and the second is it seemed to me that the news deserved more coverage in the US media.

However, the objective of these lines is not to determine liability or ethical duties on the part of the technological companies but to adhere to the voices that call for a moratorium until AI systems are reliably controlled and can be predictable (Future of Life Institute), until the tool is “done”. After all, the chatbot is a product by nature.

For that purpose, let’s apply basic consumer law standards. As a rule of thumb, providers do not release to the market a product that has not been tested and deemed safe for consumers. In this case, some would immediately question why this tech product would need to be treated differently and the answer is because this chatbot might cause harm to users at this stage and its scope is bigger. Chatbots are tools that are/will be used by humans of all ages and nationalities.

As in the case of other products, creators of chatbots should:

– release only finished products (the problem in this particular case is that there is neither economic disincentive nor restriction to release work when it is not done).

– release products after thoughtful and rigorous consideration of their audience. This means that AI companies ought to take into account their target groups. Therefore, factors such as the mental fragility of certain people (one in ten Americans suffer depression), and influence of children because of their age need to be considered (After the death of the Belgian citizen, there is a warning now on Eliza that advice to seek help if the user is having suicidal thoughts and refers to a suicide prevention site; clearly, this is not timely!).

Innovative products need to be certified. Even after the release of the product is done, monitoring is necessary. For instance, if AI companies see that specific individuals are interacting for long periods of time and/or “suicide”, “death”, and other worrying terms appear as part of the conversations with the machine, “red flags” must be up and a safety protocol ought to start which could include having no more interactions with the user and/or the IP used to connect devices to the Internet (Lovens, 2023). This is part of following the performance of the product, which in the end will increase the value of the AI tool.

It is true that the creators of chat GPT have been calling for government regulation and I consider it necessary of course, but it is easy to call for regulation when they are the experts. The federal government does not know how this even works! (Kang & Satariano, 2023). For example, Internet was described “as a series of tubes”. In addition, it is clever to ask for regulation now that a few companies have captive consumers and regulation would exclude -at least- some potential competitors.

Why do consumers have to be “guinea pigs” with an invention that seems to pose serious risks at the moment? Isn’t necessary to impose a moratorium? In this case, it seems that the Internet free of regulations, the laissez-faire in economic activities, and/or the freedom of speech arguments have been understood in their more broad and radical sense.

Reference List

• El Atillah, I. (2023, March 31). Man ends his life after an AI chatbot encouraged him to sacrifice himself to stop climate change. Euro News.  https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/03/31/man-ends-his-life-after-an-ai-chatbot-encouraged-him-to-sacrifice-himself-to-stop-climate-.
• Lovens, P. (2023, March 28). Sans ces conversations avec le chatbot Eliza, mon mari serait toujours là. La Libre. https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/societe/2023/03/28/sans-ces-conversations-avec-le-chatbot-eliza-mon-mari-serait-toujours-la-LVSLWPC5WRDX7J2RCHNWPDST24/.
• Roose, Kevin. (2023, February 16). A Conversation with Bing’s chatbot left me deeply unsettled. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/technology/bing-chatbot-microsoft-chatgpt.html.
• Future of Life Institute (2023, March 22). Pause giant AI experiments: An open letter.  https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/.
• Lovens, P. (2023, March 28). Le fondateur du chatbot Eliza réagit à notre enquête sur le suicide d’un jeune Belge. La Libre. https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/societe/2023/03/28/le-fondateur-du-chatbot-eliza-reagit-a-notre-enquete-sur-le-suicide-dun-jeune-belge-VGN7HCUF6BFATBEPQ3CWZ7KKPM/.
• Kang, C & Satariano, A. (2023, March 3). As A.I. booms, lawmakers struggle to understand the technology. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/technology/artificial-intelligence-regulation-congress.html.

By Marcelo Rodríguez

Back to school is upon us! Inevitably, the return of students and faculty to the law school means more research questions to answer for most Foreign, Comparative and International Law (FCIL) librarians. Beyond academia, FCIL librarians working in law firms and the government are also asked to work on research questions concerning international current events in foreign countries on a regular basis. Prior to my current academic role, I had the opportunity of working in the government and in a civil liberties legal organization. Therefore, I know firsthand that these types of questions do come on a regular basis and how difficult they can be, especially when you don’t have the structure and resources you might have in a law school. 

The purpose of this series is to shed some light on rapidly (d)evolving events which can potentially become of interest to FCIL librarians or any researcher interested in this type of work. 

As you can imagine, this is a difficult and massive undertaking. There are innumerable challenges and pitfalls when pursuing FCIL research on current events taking place in other countries. Some of the obvious challenges include evaluating sources, translation, mis- and disinformation, fast sequence of events, etc. From a research standpoint, I believe the major challenge is how to connect the current event with the research that you’re trying to do. There is no simply not enough information or analysis to help you connect the dots. Therefore, this translates into yet another step in your research strategy which you simply can’t ignore.

Furthermore in this post, I’m selecting “lesser-known” events in the Global South which have not been covered extensively in major media outlets and also events which can be “representative” of what’s happening in neighboring countries and regional trends.

For this post I have chosen events that took place over this past month of July 2023 in the following countries: Brazil, Senegal, Niger, Israel and Cambodia. As in previous posts, these summaries aim to be descriptive, introductory, and to provide a stepping stone for further comprehensive research. Each summary also includes at least three authoritative secondary sources.

Bolsonaro Barred from Next Presidential Elections and Further Legal Complications

Between Sall and Sonko: Senegal’s Fragile Balancing Act

The “Coup Belt” Latest Episode Now in Niger

Israel’s Judicial Overhaul Ignites Country’s Identity Crisis

Cambodia’s Sham Elections Lead to “Coronation”

Gabriela Femenia and her colleagues at Temple University Beasley School of Law are pleased to share the launch of a new resource for Israeli case law research, jointly developed by one of their faculty members, Gilat Bachar; her colleague Haim Abraham at UCL; and the NGO Ceasefire.

Their interactive map indexes over 470 Israeli court rulings on tort claims against Israel for losses inflicted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as claims by Israelis against the Palestinian Authority for losses incurred during hostilities. The interface includes geographic mapping, timeline mapping, and multilingual searching through cases spanning over 6 decades.

A recording of the July 19 launch event at UCL Faculty of Laws, featuring such speakers such as Palestinian Advocate Sawsen Zaher, Haaretz Journalist Amira Hass, and Dr. Seth Anizska, is available at: vimeo.com/846995037/be4fe3c36e  Please recommend this resource to any interested researchers, and the creators welcome feedback. (They’re already aware of the “invalid date” field errors and are working on it).

AALL 2023 is over, which means it’s time to start planning for AALL 2024 in Chicago!

The FCIL-SIS Education Committee will have a half-hour long brainstorming meeting on August 10, 2023, starting at 1:15 Pacific/2:15 Mountain/3:15 Central/4:15 Eastern. All FCIL-SIS members are welcome and encouraged to attend!

You can access a calendar invitation and Zoom link here.

Members are also welcome to email suggestions for programs directly to Caitlin Hunter, hunter@law.ucla.edu.

We look forward to putting together a great slate of FCIL programs for next year!

In honor of AALL 2023 this week in Boston, I’m celebrating one year as the New Member Blogger, and officially ending my run. I learned so many lessons over the past year, from conferences to internal meetings, committee work both in the library and with outside organizations, giving presentations, and even working independent of my library on external projects. The focus of this year was professional development, and to celebrate how developed professionally I feel, here are some universal lessons that I’ve learned below and would like to offer observations on to any other new librarians who are still reading.

Say yes.

I know this one gets parroted around every conference and new librarian meeting you attend, but it is true. Saying yes to blogging, yes to being featured in a member post, yes to joining writing groups and meeting new people from across the profession. Saying yes to opportunities opened up my year in ways I hadn’t expected. And while there is a time and a place for no, and setting boundaries is necessary, by being open to possibilities and opportunities I have found myself learning more faster than I would have otherwise.

Put yourself out there and stay out there (when feasible).

I know many of us went to both law school and iSchool or library school, so the concept of networking is not foreign. However, for me it was always one of the more difficult parts of being a young lawyer. The people I have met networking at AALL and in law librarianship are some of the kindest people, and I think having that mutual respect and openness as an industry standard has made it much easier. Even as an extrovert, I’m worried I’ll not know what to talk about or how to connect meaningfully but putting myself out there despite those worries has *almost* always helped. And I strive to stay engaged and transition into active -SIS roles and hopefully take on more of a mentorship angle as I continue in this career. Finding a passion has made my work-life balance feel more balanced, and I hope to help others find that same passion and drive to allow them to have it all, even when their plates are full and their schedules are busy.

You are qualified.

Imposter syndrome is real, and I think especially so in specialized fields like law librarianship (let alone ultra-specialized law librarianship like our FCIL work). Stepping up, saying yes, volunteering, and knowing your worth will all go a long way towards building self-confidence, but it’s worth remembering that you were always qualified to begin with. To get to where we are, even early in our careers, we’ve gone through many classes and credentials programs. Many of us have had prior careers as attorneys or other legal professionals. We’ve become specialists in a constantly shifting research landscape and stayed up-to-date with changes in our profession and in law by attending conferences like AALL. We’re qualified, we’re ready, and we deserve to be here.

Above: A throwback photo to the opening address of AALL 2022 – the beginning of the fun!

I cannot thank you all enough for working with and listening to me over the past year. I know that I don’t know much, but what I do know I’ve learned from all of you. And to take my own lessons to heart, I’m keeping myself active in the SIS and continuing on with the Publicity Committee! So don’t worry – you may still see me puttering around the digital land. While I can’t make it to AALL this year, I hope everyone has fun, and if you’re a new member reading this please reach out if you need anything — I’m sending you a virtual high-five. You’ve got this!

The FCIL librarian community is saddened by the loss of Rob Britt. His colleague, Mary Whisner, wrote the following tribute to his life and work:

I share the sad news that Rob Britt died on June 23, 2023, at home with his siblings, their spouses, and his wife, Sharon. Rob had been diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2022; it probably stemmed from an asbestos exposure decades ago.

Rob had a long career in the East Asian Law Department of the Gallagher Law Library, where he worked from 1987 to 2019. His family reports that Rob mentioned many of his colleagues to them so often that they also felt connected to these colleagues.

Rob grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and earned a B.A. in English literature at Bowling Green State and a master’s in teaching English as a second language from Southern Illinois University. After teaching English in Japan for four years and ESL at a Linfield College for two years, Rob came to the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, where he earned a master’s with a concentration in Japan in 1987.

In his years in the law library, Rob handled all aspects of Japanese legal materials, from selection to ordering to cataloging to reference. Later Rob took on those functions for Chinese and Korean legal materials as well. He prepared thorough research guides for the law library’s website and provided guidance on Japanese legal research in law school classes. Rob helped countless students, faculty members, and visiting scholars with their research. He was also sought after for his expertise beyond the law school, taking calls from people around the country who needed assistance with Japanese legal research.

Rob was active in the Council on East Asian Libraries (an organization with members throughout North America). Among other things, he worked to improve the way U.S. library catalogs (including the UW’s) displayed Japanese characters. His publications included Japanese Laws in English: An Index to the EHS Law Bulletin Series (2d ed. 2000), an index that greatly improved access to Japanese laws in English translation.

Rob was a kind and generous colleague. He will be missed. Following Rob’s wishes, there will be no public memorial. Please contact Mary Whisner (whisner@uw.edu) if you would like Rob and Sharon’s home address.

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Lima, Peru, surrounded by the ocean, gray sky, street music, soccer, and traffic jams. 

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

It was my LLM former professor and law librarian, Faye Jones, who told me I had the potential to be an excellent FCIL librarian. Therefore, after researching the profession, I confirmed it was a good fit for my skills.  

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

International law was always the area that I liked most at law school, so I was naturally inclined to practice it.    

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

My current employer is Harvard Law School Library (HLSL). I have been working at HLSL since January 2022, after graduating from University of North Texas in December 2021. 

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

Besides English, I am fluent in French, which I learned at school, and Spanish, my native language. Nowadays, I am learning Portuguese on my own.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

I was awarded the National Order of Merit of the Peruvian Diplomatic Service “Jose Paz Soldan” in the Degree of “Commander” for my professional contribution to the implementation of the International Court of Justice decision on the maritime dispute between Chile and Peru.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Definitely vanilla milkshakes! 

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Tough question, but I will pick four. “A little respect” by Erasure; “La Ventanita” by Sergio Vargas; “Human” by The Killers; and “J’ai demandé à la lune” by Indochine.

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I could be more tech-savvy.

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

I must start my mornings off with one cup of coffee while listening to political podcasts, and then I will be fine for the rest of the day.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

Gratitude is the mother of all virtues. Therefore, let me thank God, Jennifer Allison, Mia Drut, Rebecca Fordon, Denise Fuentes, Kevin Gerson, Ester Eastman, Edward Hart, Caitlin Hunter, Faye Jones, Jocelyn Kennedy, Mindy Kent, Ryan Metheny, Malinda Muller, Lucie Olejnikova, Jodi Philbrick, Sarah Ryan, Kimberly Rundle, Marcelo Rodríguez, Michele Villagran, and AALL. Muchas gracias a todos!

By Marcelo Rodríguez

During this past month of June 2023, we have all witnessed several foreign and international events which captivated most major media outlets in the world, especially here in the United States. The tragic demise of hundreds of immigrants dying in a shipwreck in Greece, a short-lived Wagner mutiny in Russia, escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine, India’s Modi visit in Washington, DC, and even the implosion of the Titan submersible in international waters are among some of these examples. From a comparative and international research standpoint, it is crucial to connect these events to larger and deeper conversations. There is no way to understand the mutiny in Russia without Prigozhin and Wagner’s important role in Chechnya, Syria and some many African countries or understanding the tragic immigrant shipwreck in Greece without the strong Conservative hold on the latest Greek elections and the desperate situation in the home countries of these immigrant people; and so on. In my opinion, that intersection of connections between current events, trustworthy resources and larger conversations and analysis is exactly one of the most important places where the Foreign, Comparative and International Law (FCIL) librarians should be.

As you can imagine, this is a difficult and massive undertaking. There are innumerable challenges and pitfalls when pursuing FCIL research on current events taking place in other countries. Some of the obvious challenges include evaluating sources, translation, mis- and disinformation, fast sequence of events, etc. From a research perspective, I believe the major challenge is how to connect the current event with the research that you’re trying to do. There is no simply not enough information or analysis to help you connect the dots. Therefore, this translates into yet another step in your research strategy which you simply can’t ignore.

That’s why I created this series, Through the FCIL Lens. Per usual, in this series, I aim to shed some light on rapidly (d)evolving events which can potentially become of interest to Foreign, Comparative and International Law (FCIL) librarians or any researcher interested in this type of work. Furthermore in this post, I’m selecting “lesser-known” events in the Global South which have not been covered extensively in major media outlets and also events which can be “representative” of what’s happening in neighboring countries and regional trends.

Central America’s Latest Hotspot: Guatemala’s Roller Coaster Elections

Mail’s New Constitutional Amendments Paving the Way for Post-Coup Elections in Feb 2024

South Korean Crypto Fugitive Finally Apprehended in Montenegro

Political Paralysis Gives no Respite to Lebanon’s Cascade of Problems

US and China’s Rivalry in the Pacific Makes a Stop in Micronesia

By Lucie Olejnikova GlobaLex May/June 2023 issue is live featuring seven updates: Congo-Brazzaville, Macau, Uruguay, Comparative Civil Procedure, Council of Europe, International Health Law, and Nanotechnology. Webmasters and content managers, please update your pages. We thank all our wonderful authors, new and established, for their excellent contributions and commitment to open access authorship! UPDATE: The […]
http://dlvr.it/SrJJ52

By Lucie Olejnikova

GlobaLex May/June 2023 issue is live featuring seven updates: Congo-Brazzaville, Macau, Uruguay, Comparative Civil Procedure, Council of Europe, International Health Law, and Nanotechnology. Webmasters and content managers, please update your pages. We thank all our wonderful authors, new and established, for their excellent contributions and commitment to open access authorship!

UPDATE: The Legal System of the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville): Overview and Research by Dunia P. Zongwe at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Congo_Brazzaville1.html.

Dunia P. Zongwe is an author, an academic, and a consultant. He currently serves as an Associate Professor at Alliance University, India, and as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Walter Sisulu University (WSU), South Africa. specializes and publishes in the areas of finance and development, and human rights, focusing on Africa and the Global South. He was educated at the University of Namibia (law), Université de Montréal (humanities), and Cornell University (law), where he earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. (foreign investments in mining and infrastructure in Africa).

UPDATE: Macau Special Administrative Region of People’s Republic of China Jurisdiction by Raquel Ferreira Alves at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Macau1.html.

Raquel Ferreira Pedrosa Alves is a Regulatory & Legal Adviser at ANACOM (Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações/National Communications Authority) in Portugal, where she works in the areas of administrative and public law, regulation, and communications. She is also a working member of the Portuguese Space Authority, whose powers are currently vested in ANACOM. Moreover, Raquel represents ANACOM in the European Commission Digital Services Ad Hoc Expert Group for the implementation of the Digital Services Act. Raquel earned her LL.B. from the Faculty of Law at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal (1998-2003) and Advanced LL.M. in International Business Law from Católica Global School of Law, Portugal, and Duke University School of Law, Durham, NC (2015/2016). She also earned a post-graduate degree in Law & Medicine from the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences of Faculty of Law at Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal (2017) and a Master’s in Transnational Law from Universidade Católica Portuguesa Lisbon School of Law, Portugal (2017-2019) with a thesis titled “Advance Directives – What Can We Learn from the American Advance Care Model?” Between 2007 and 2015, Raquel lived and worked in the Macau Special Administrative Region of People’s Republic of China as an associate lawyer at a Luso-Chinese law firm and later as a legal adviser at the Macau Government Health Bureau. Raquel is a permanent resident of Macau and is registered at the Macau Lawyers Association.

UPDATE: Uruguay’s Legal System and Research by Cecilia Orlando and Melanie Ollero at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Uruguay1.html.

Cecilia Orlando is Counsel at the law firm Guyer & Regules in Montevideo, Uruguay. She works in the litigation and arbitration department. She has extensive experience in advising multinational and national companies operating in Uruguay. In 2013, she earned an LL.M. degree from New York University, where she was awarded a merit-based scholarship. She is a practicing attorney of Uruguay and of New York. Her litigation and arbitration practice covers a broad range of complex civil litigation matters. She is highly regarded for her vast experience in handling complex negotiations, lawsuits and domestic and international arbitrations related to civil and commercial matters. Her experience litigating in a common law country is extremely valuable. She is assistant professor at “Universidad de la República” in “Civil Law”. She has attended numerous seminars and both national and international conferences on civil law (with a focus on contractual issues).

Melanie Ollero is an associate of the litigation and arbitration department at Guyer & Regules. She has experience in advising clients on issues related to arbitration and civil and commercial contracts. Melanie develops her duties mainly in the litigation department, participating in litigation and arbitration related to civil and commercial matters. In the academic field, she is an assistant professor on Contract Law at the University of Montevideo. Also, she studied at the Austral University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she obtained a postgraduate diploma on Contracts and International Judicial Litigation in 2021. She participated in representation of the University of Montevideo in the X Latin American Commercial Arbitration Moot that took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the 25th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot that took place in Vienna, Austria and in the Foreign Direct Investment Arbitration Moots that took place in Stockholm, Sweden and Miami, United States. Since 2020, she is coaching the University of Montevideo’s team in their participation in the abovementioned competitions.

UPDATE: Comparative Civil Procedure: Finding Primary and Secondary Sources by Louis Myers at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Comparative_Civil_Procedure1.html.

Louis Myers is a Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Librarian with the Law Library of Congress. He earned an MLIS from Kent State University in 2020, and a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2017.

UPDATE: The Council of Europe by Sophie Lobey at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Council_of_Europe1.html.

Sophie Lobey holds a Master of International Trade and Finance (Paris, 1992) from Institut Supérieur de Gestion (Advanced Institute of Management). She has worked for Council of Europe Publishing for about 10 years, and has been responsible for the Council of Europe Public Relations and Publications Section since 2003.

UPDATE: Researching Global Health Law by Julienne E. Grant at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/International_health_law1.html.

Julienne E. Grant currently serves as Instructor & Reference Librarian at the Louis L. Biro Law Library at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. She previously spent almost eighteen years as the Foreign & International Research Specialist at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Ms. Grant has contributed to published guides on Mexican and Cuban law, and she recently co-authored a chapter (with Teresa M. Miguel-Stearns) in Latin American Collection Concepts: Essays on Libraries, Collaborations and New Approaches (McFarland, 2019). She is a member of the FCIL-SIS of the American Association of Law Libraries and has served as Chair of its Latin American Law Interest Group. Ms. Grant earned a B.A. magna cum laude in Spanish from Middlebury College, an M.A. in Ibero-American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A.L.S. from Rosary College (now Dominican University), and a J.D. cum laude from DePaul University. In 2019, Ms. Grant earned a Certificate in Editing from the Graham School at the University of Chicago, and she is a freelance editor, writer, and translator.

UPDATE: Researching Nanotechnology and Selected Legal and Regulatory Issues by Mohammad Ershadul Karim at https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Nanotechnology_International_Law1.html.

Dr. Mohammad Ershadul Karim is a Senior Lecture at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a non-practicing lawyer enrolled with the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

For more articles, visit https://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/index.html.

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Birtle, Manitoba, a small town on the Canadian prairies.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

After undergrad, I knew I either wanted to become a librarian or a lawyer. After meeting the law school librarians, I realized I could do something related to both. I practiced for a few years then made the jump to law librarianship and haven’t looked back.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

I’ve always loved the challenge of working across legal traditions and learning how different societies address similar issues.

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

I work at the New York University School of Law. I’ve been here since 2022.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I studied French in university and speak and read enough to get by. I took a German class a few years ago – but can only recall the basics.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Overseeing the development of the Indigenous law collection at the University of Victoria Law Library to support the Law Faculty’s Indigenous law degree program and the National Centre for Indigenous Laws.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Bread – too many good loaves to choose from.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Archie Bell & the Drells – Tighten Up

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

Like many other FCIL colleagues, I wish my language skills were stronger.

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

Friends – both human and canine.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I’m looking forward to collaborating with and learning from such amazing colleagues in the FCIL community!

By Marcelo Rodríguez

Welcome back to Through the FCIL Lens series! Several important events took place this past month of May 2023 in different flashpoints all over the world. Per usual, in this series, I aim to shed some light on rapidly (d)evolving events which can potentially become of interest to Foreign, Comparative and International Law (FCIL) librarians or any researcher interested in this type of work.

There are innumerable challenges and pitfalls when pursuing FCIL research on current events taking place in other countries. Some of the obvious challenges include evaluating sources, translation, mis- and disinformation, fast sequence of events, etc. From a research standpoint, I believe one of the major challenges is how to connect the current events with the research that you’re trying to do. There is simply not enough information or analysis to help you connect the dots. Therefore, this translates into yet another step in your research strategy which you simply can’t ignore. In my FCIL class at the University of Arizona College of Law, I try to convey to my students the idea that once you begin working with legal information from other countries, you are really working with ever-changing “living organisms” which require analysis and understanding beyond the law and legal sources. Unfortunately, our legal education in the United States does a terrible job at exposing students to interdisciplinary sources and research methodologies from other areas of knowledge which are crucial to FCIL research.

For this post I have chosen events that took place over this past month of May 2023 in the following countries: Ecuador, Rwanda/South Africa, Turkey, Pakistan and Thailand. As in previous posts, these summaries aim to be descriptive, introductory, and to provide a stepping stone for further comprehensive research. Each summary also includes at least three important authoritative secondary sources.

Ecuador’s Muerte Cruzada Prompts New Elections in the Country

Rwandan Genocide Fugitive, Kayishema Captured in South Africa

Erdogan Consolidates Even More Power in Turkey

Imran Khan vs. Pakistan’s Military Establishment

Thai Elections Give Oxygen to the Country’s Pro-Democracy Forces