Foreign Law: B

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bénin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi

Bahamas

Constitution

Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).
Constitution (Georgetown University).
Constitution (Lex Bahamas).
Constitutional Review Commission (Lex Bahamas).

Legislation

Lex Bahamas provides a comprehensive listing of legislation from the Bahamas, including some full-text.

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Judicial Decisions (Lex Bahamas).
Privy Council Decisions (from BAILII).

Subscription Service

Legislation The Bahamas Financial Services Board also offers a CD-ROM product of Bahamas legislation for a fee.

Government

Bahamas Government. Official Website. Includes draft laws for 2003 such as E-Commerce, consumer protection, telecommunications, etc.
Central Bank.
Compliance Commission. This site provides access to full-text of many different pieces of legislation related to money-laundering, mutual assistance in prosecuting criminal acts, etc. Also includes relevant regulations.
Office of the Prime Minister.

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.
Corporate Issues (Riser Report).
Electronic Commerce and Bahamian Digital Agenda Policy Statement (Jan. 2003) (Lex Bahamas).
Investment, Competition and Commercial Law Summaries (SICE).
National Investment Policy (Office of the Prime Minister).

Bahrain

Constitution

Constitution (in Arabic) (Government of Bahrain).
Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).

Legislation

Bahrain: Legislature A summary by United Nations Development Programme.

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Bahrain: Judiciary A summary by United Nations Development Programme.

Government

Government of Bahrain in English (official website).
Legal Affairs (in Arabic) Note: viewable in INTERNET EXPLORER ONLY. Includes Constitution, Legal Affairs Decree, and a searchable database of laws from 1970 to present.
Ministry of Finance and National Economy in English (official website).
Ministry of Health in English (official website).
Monetary Agency in English (official website).
Telecommunications Regulation Authority in English (official website).
U.S. and Country Contacts (from Chap. XI of the 2001 Country Commercial Guide).

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.
Bahrain - Country Study (Info Prod Research).

Bangladesh

Constitution

Constitution (Bangladesh Parliament).
Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).

Government

Government of Bangladesh (official website).
Bangladesh Parliament (official website).

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.
Bangladesh Parliament Rules of Procedure (Bangladesh Parliament).

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.
Bangladesh The Asian Development Bank provides a number of fact sheets, country reports, project summaries including legal initiatives and more. (Asian Development Bank).

Barbados

Constitution

1966 Constitution (Georgetown University).
Constitution (Barbados Government Information Center).

Government

Ministries, Agencies and Institutions (Political Database of the Americas).
Barbados Government Information Center.
Barbados Parliament (official website).

Laws by Subject

Companies Act (Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office).
Company Law and Tax (summaries) (Low Tax network).
Investment, Tourism, Customs, E-Transactions and more. Full-text. (Ministry of Industry and International Busines).
Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Privy Council Decisions.

Guides

Guides to Caribbean Law Research (LLRX).

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Belarus

Constitution

Constitution (National Center of Legal Information).
Constitution (President's official page).
Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).

Legislation

Legal Acts of the Republic of Belarus (in English or Russian) (from the National Centre of Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus): includes selected acts. The Russian version of this database contains a complete set of acts. This site also includes the National Register of Legal Acts, an index of laws by date.
Presidential Ordinances, Decrees and Orders (President's official page) (2001-2003).
Registr is the bulletin of normative legal information which is printed under the authority of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic Belarus, the Belorussian Republic Union of Jurists and the Belorussian Scientific and Industrial Association. It provides juridical analysis and is published 4 times per month. Basic headings include: news; facts and commentary; current legislation monitor; and other themes. (in Russian) (official website).

Codes

Electoral Code (Legislation Online).
Investment Code (Supreme Economic Court).

Laws by Subject

Economic Legislation (economic activity, banking, investment and tax) (President's official page).
Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Supreme Economic Court of the Republic of Belarus This version is in English. The Russian version also has added features including a search. (official website).

Government

Government of Belarus (official website).
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (official website).
Ministry of Justice (in Russian) (official website).
Ministry of Statistics and Analysis (official website).
National Centre of Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus (official website).
Parliament A summary of the functions and authority of Parliament and the House of Representatives. (Government official website).
Patent Office (official website).
President (in English and Russian) (official website).

Guides

The Belarus Legal System (LLRX).

Subscription Databases

JUSIAS. This online database is updated weekly and includes weekly legislative updates via email. Databases are searchable separately or as a whole and include: tax, customs, VED, commentaries, and more. Includes free access to system laws, edicts the decrees of the President, and the Constitution. New features include: search by publication source, logical search, searching within results, ordering search results according to the date of adoption, organ, the form of document, etc. Note: Harvard does not have a subscription to this database (in Russian).

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Belgium

Constitution

Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).

Legislation and Laws

E-Justice (from the Ministry of Justice): This legal database includes an Index Législatifs which allows searching of individual laws by date or title, and Legislation Coordonnee which allows searching for full-text of codified laws by date, number and keyword.
Documents Parlementaires (from the Chamber of Representatives): proposed legislation.
Documents Législatifs (from the Senate): proposed legislation.
Vlaamse Codex (official website): codified Flemish regional legislation. Updated regularly.
Wallex (Ministry of the Wallon Region): Wallon regional legislation.

Codes

Civil Code (Matthias Strome): in Flemish.

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Cour d'Appel (Cour de Cassation).
Cour d'Arbitrage (official website).
Cour de Cassation (official website).
Cours des Comptes(Court of Audit official website).
Cours et Tribunaux Provides a clickable map of the various Belgian courts (in progress)(Cour de Cassation).
Decisions of Belgian Courts Searchable database includes decisions from Cour de Cassation, Cour d'Arbitrage, Cour d'Appel, Cour du Travail, Commission Aide aux Victimes d'Actes Intentionnels Violence, Commission pour la Protection de la Vie Privee, Tribunal de Premiere Instance, Tribunal du Travail. (Cour de Cassation).
Justices de Paix (Cour de Cassation).
Supreme Administrative Court (Conseil d'Etat): from 1994-present in full-text.
Tribunaux de Premiere Instance (Cour de Cassation).
Tribunaux de Commerce (Cour de Cassation).
Tribunaux du Travail (Cour de Cassation).

Government

Belgian Federal Portal (from the Federal Information Service).
Federal Parliament (official site).
High Council of Justice (official site).
House of Representatives (official website): includes Bulletins des Questions et Réponses, Journal des Seances Plenieres, and other official publications.
Ministry of Justice (official website): contains ministry circulars, selected proposed legislation and other interesting information.
Senate (official website): contains pending legislation - click on "Journalistes" or "Senateurs", then "Dossiers Legislatifs".

Regional Entities

Binnenlandse Aangelegenheden.
Council of the German-Speaking Community (official website).
Parliament of the Flemish Community - Vlaams Parlement (official website).
Parliament of the French Community (official website).
Wallon Parliament - Parlement Wallon (official website).
Wallon Government - Gouvernement Wallon (official website).

Guides

Research Guide to Belgian Law (from LLRX): Excellent description of Belgian legal sources and websites.

Legal Directories

Belgium Law Portal.
Belgian Legal Network (from Lexnet): includes a directory of Belgian lawyers. (Site under construction May 6, 2003.)
Juriwel law portal.

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.
Bibliography of Belgian Law (from the Bibliotheek Rechtsfaculteit Leuven).

Belize

Constitution

Constitution of Belize (from Georgetown University).
Constitution of Belize (from the Belizelaw.org/e-library website). Updated 28 Oct. 2002 (PDF format)
constitution of Belize (from the Belizelaw.org/e-library website, continued). Updated 28 Oct. 2002 (PDF format)

Legislation

Bills (from the House of Representatives): not complete, just recent.
Laws of Belize Revised Edition 2000. This is a wonderful, searchable database with an efficient search engine. The search results are full-text pdf versions of the statutes contained in the most recent revision for Belize. (Link not working 01/12/2003).

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions This is a very useful full-text html index arranged in reverse chronological order. This site actually contains full-text of judgments from the 1970s to the present. (BelizeLaw) (Link not working 01/12/2003).

Government

Government of Belize (official website).
Appendix E U.S. and Belize Contacts (at pg. 38 from the Country Commercial Guide FY 2000 by the Department of State).
Compendium of Legal materials for Belize.

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Bénin

Constitutions

Constitution de la République du Bénin Loi Nº 90-32 du 11 Décembre 1990 (source: Journal Officiel de la République du Bénin, 102ème année, n°1, 1er janvier 1991) (in french) (Afrikinfo).
Constitution du Bénin du 1990-12-11 (Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie) (in French).

Legislation

Bénin Législation. Provides chronological legislation from 1969 - 1995. Full-text. (in french) (Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie).
Textes Juridiques - Bénin. This website provides a list of laws arranged by subject matter. The site provides citations to the law including the law or ordinance number. An email address is provided where pdf versions can be obtained on request. Costs are not clear from the site. (in french) (Afrikinfo).

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Cour d'appel Full text of cases in chronological order from 1985 to 1991. (in french) (Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie).
Cour Constitutionnelle (summary).
Cour Suprême. Full text of cases in chronological order (1972, 1988, 1991, 1993) (in french)(Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie).
La Haute Cour de Justice du Bénin. (in french)
Recueil de textes fondamentaux du Bénin. Laws and ordinances pertaining to the authority and arrangement of the Cour Constitutionelle. (in french) (Beningate).

Government

Bénin National Assembly (in french) (official website).
Portail du Gouvernement du Bénin.

Other

Africa South of the Sahara - Bénin (Stanford University) Index to Bénin news and institutions on the web.
Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Bermuda

Constitution

The Bermuda Constitution Order 1968 (Section 88) (Bermuda Auditor General).
The Bermuda Constitution (Amendment) Order 1989 UK Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 151.
The Bermuda Constitution (Amendment) Order 2001 UK Statutory Instrument 2001 No. 2579.

Legislation

Bermuda Laws Online. This is an impressive, functional database of full-text Bermuda laws in English on a variety of subjects. "Bermuda Laws Online (BLO) is the result of an ongoing commitment of the It contains all consolidated laws as amended up to 1998 plus the Acts and Statutory Instruments from 1992 – 2002."

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Government

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Bhutan

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Other

Guide to Caribbean Law Research. (LLRX)
Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.
Bhutan The Asian Development Bank provides a number of fact sheets, country reports, project summaries including legal initiatives and more. (Asian Development Bank).

Bolivia

Constitution

Constitutions This attachment works only in IE. (from the National Congress).
Constitutions (from Georgetown University).

Legislation

National Congress (from the NC): includes recent legislation, important laws by subject area, and a database of abstracts for laws from 1979 to 2005, as well as information about the congressional system.
Gaceta Oficial de Convocatorias The left hand tool bar takes several minutes to load. Once the tool bar loads, click on Gaceta. (from the Ministry of Government Information): beginning Dec. 1999.
Laws promulgated under President Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert (from the Ministry of Government Information).
Laws and Codes (from Unidad de Modernización Judicial de la Comisión Andina de Juristas): Various laws and codes full-text in Spanish.

Government

National Congress (official website).

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Constitutional Court (from the Constitutional Court): includes selected cases under "jurispredencia."

Government

Appendix E - U.S. and Country Contacts (from the Country Commercial Guide FY 1999 by the Department of State).

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Constitution

Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).
Constitution (from the Constitutional Court).

Law by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Jurisprudence

Decisions of the Human Rights Chamber (from Rule of Law Through Technology): selected decisions.
Constitutional Court of Bosnia Herzegovina (official website).

Government

Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Oversees the civilian implementation of the Bosnian Peace Agreement. Website includes decisions. articles, news, speeches and other information about OHRBH.
Institution of the Ombudsman of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (from Chicago-Kent Law School): the ombudsman receives complaints of human rights violations. The website includes reports and information about complaints.

Regional Entities

Republic of Srpska (official website): includes business laws.

Other

Botswana

Laws by Subject

Banking Act. (National Bank of Botswana).
Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Government

Bank of Botswana.
Botswana Government Ministries Index (Government of Botswana).
Republic of Botswana (Government website).
The Parliament of the Government of Botswana (official website).

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Brazil

Constitution

Constitution (from the Senate).
Constitution (from Georgetown University).
Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).

Legislation

Federal Legislation (from the Senate): database searchable by type or number.
Laws (from the Office of the President): Including Leis Ordinarias organized by date, Leis Complementares, Leis Delegadas, and legislation by subject. Also includes list of ministries and their authorization.
Laws and Decrees (from the National Press).
Diario Oficial (from the National Press): most recent issue only.
Legislação Online: Access to Brazilian codes, legislation and jurisprudence in Portuguese.
Base de Dados Legal e Jurisprudencial (from the AMATRA).
Codes and Laws (from Juridica Online).

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Codes

Codes (from Presidencia da Republica Federativa do Brazil): Including the civil code, commercial code, penal code and many other codes.

State Law

State Legislation (from Interlegis).

Jurisprudence

Supremo Tribunal Federal (official website): this website includes abstracts of court jurisprudence in a searchable format, as well as texts of historical judgments which must be downloaded. Also included is the Diario da Justica, a gazette of the courts decisions, since 1999.
Decisions of the Superior Tribunal de Justica (official website): to view text you must download a plug-in. Also available is a searchable index of jurisprudence with links to full-text documents. The website also has a searchable index of abstracts of decisions of the Tribunal Federal de Recursos.
Tribunal Superior do Trabalho (official website): the website includes abstracts of the tribunal's jurisprudence.
Decisions of the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (official website).
Decisions of the Superior Tribunal Militar (official website): appears to include decisions from 1997 to the present.

Government

Executive Institutions (from Georgetown University).
Federal and State Courts (from the Attorney General).
House of Representative (official site).
Ministry of Justice (official website): this site has a great deal of very interesting information including various law reform projects.
Brazilian Government Document Digitalization Project (from the Center for Research Libraries): Includes presidential reports and messages and ministerial reports from early 1800's to late 1900's.
Senate (official website).

Legal Directory

AMATRA: English language site with links to Brazilian law, legislation and jurisprudence.

Guides

Doing Legal Research in Brazil (LLRX): Excellent overview of Brazilian sources with both paper and internet sources.

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Brunei Darussalam

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.

Government

Government of Brunei (official website).

Other

Please also visit the sites listed under Foreign Law Metapages.

Bulgaria

Constitution

Constitution (Universität Bern Institut für Öffentliches Recht).
Constitution (from Bulgarian Institute for Legal Development).

Legislation

Online Bulgarian Legislation (from the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Development): legislation in the vernacular searchable by section number and full-text.
Translated Bulgarian Legal Acts (from the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Development): English translations of selected Bulgarian legislation.
Bills (from the Bulgarian Government website): not currently full-text.
Bills (from the Parliament website): full-text in Bulgarian.

Laws by Subject

Please also visit the sites listed under Subject Specific Foreign Law Metapages.
Securities Laws (from the Securities and Stock Exchange Commission): in English.
Education Laws (from the Ministry of Education and Science): in English.