The Law Library has recently subscribed to the Parker School of Foreign & Comparative Law…
It can be challenging to know how to begin legal research in a foreign or international jurisdiction. BYU Law Library’s new vLEX Vincent AI platform uses AI (generative and rules-based) trained on vLex’s global repository of statutes, case law, and secondary sources. Vincent AI can be used to access collections of legal materials from the U.S., U.K., European Union, Latin America, and several other jurisdictions. It features automatic English translations, but also includes original source materials.
vLEX Vincent AI
Vincent AI allows you to compare legal principles across different foreign jurisdictions. You can compare up to 15 jurisdictions (or sub-jurisdictions, including states) at a time.
When you have completed your prompt, press ‘Submit Question’. Your answer will automatically be displayed in a table below your question. The table will be split by jurisdiction with the summary of your answer, a link to the expanded answer, and the list of Legal Authorities cited. You can choose to view the answer in ‘tab’ format to flick between jurisdictions. If you have chosen to view your answer in tab format, it will show you expanded answer and Legal Authorities for each jurisdiction and allow you to move between the tabs.
The law library has a limited number of users who can access Vincent AI. If you are interested, please contact Kristen Kellems (kristen.kellems@law.byu.edu).
While Vincent AI is a useful tool for comparative research, the library has a wide variety of FCIL ebooks that can give you a deeper dive into a particular topic.
Elgaronline Law Journals
BYU Law Library’s recent purchases of Elgaronline Law Journals provides law students with access to specialized legal fields, including international law, environmental law, intellectual property, competition law, and human rights. For example, the Journal of Global Health Law discusses international health law, bioethics, and is a great resource for for researching international health regulations and public policy. The Journal of Human Rights and the Environment analyzes the intersection of human rights and environmental policies and is helpful for students interested in the legal interplay of those two fields of law. These journals offer authoritative sources that enhance legal scholarship and strengthen research for coursework and substantive research papers.
Elgaronline journals can be accessed from Elgaronline’s homepage or through HeinOnline. Contact a librarian if you have questions about using these databases.