Private International Law Research

The purpose of this lesson is to guide students who are not experienced in researching private international law. After providing some background on the definition and sources of private international law, this lesson will suggest the initial and follow-up steps that a researcher of a typical issue related to private international law generally should take.

This lesson should be helpful to law students who need to do research in areas such as transnational commercial law (sales, investments, intellectual property licenses, etc.), litigation between U.S. and non-U.S. parties in foreign courts or international arbitral tribunals, cross-border family law matters, cross-border tort liability, etc.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the main sources of private international law.
2. Demonstrate the usefulness of research guides in private international law.
3. Prepare research strategies for private international law research projects.