Researching Law in Europe
Channel: Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Webinars
Date: 26/03/2021

The theme of this webinar is researching law in Europe, giving thought to what some scholars regard as the “quasi-federal” legal structure that has emerged in many European countries since the mid-20th century. However, the question will be approached from the perspective of the informed, intellectually curious scholar familiar with a common law system such as that of the United States. How does one research law in jurisdictions where the lines between “federal” and “state” are even less well defined than is sometimes the case in the US? Consideration will be given to the mixture of common law and civil law systems found across Europe, along with some discussion of the post-Brexit landscape and occasional vignettes such as what law looks like in an increasingly devolved United Kingdom. The webinar seeks to be of use to anyone who seeks to know more about law in Europe, from those colleagues with a passing interest in legal research through to experienced legal researchers wishing to learn more about legal sources in those specific jurisdictions. 

Howard S. Carrier is the Copyright Librarian and Liaison Librarian to the Departments of Justice Studies and Political Science at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Although his work and scholarship is principally founded in the areas of copyright and fair use, he maintains strong interests in EU Law, the law of the European Convention on Human Rights, and legal systems and structure.
Mr. Carrier holds an LL.B.(Hons) degree and an LL.M. in the Law of Human Rights and Civil Liberties (both from the University of Leicester), and an M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his work as a professional librarian in JMU Libraries, he teaches JUST 301 Legal Research & Information Literacy in the Department of Justice Studies.

Access slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HXrTdWTE-a4zy4b1vAw5gT4jUBUN2Uig/view?usp=sharing