Column

Twitter for Foreign, Comparative, and International Law (FCIL) Work

Twitter is a major source for breaking international legal news. It is often the first place where you can find links to recent court cases, new legislation, and international documents. Many blogs have Twitterfeeds so you’re immediately alerted to new posts. Twitter can inform you about legal developments worldwide and upcoming conferences. You can use Twitter to find out about new books, and new law library acquisitions. You can also track news from foreign sources and in foreign languages. Twitter is not only a great source for law, library, and technology news, it also gives you a way to network with colleagues, share ideas, and crowd source.

Of course, Twitter is only as good as the people in it, so if you don’t have a Twitter account, please join today, and let me know so I can follow you. Take part in the international legal information conversation on Twitter!

Selected FCIL Folks on Twitter

Legal Information Professionals, Libraries, Associations, Publishers

@atweber (Andrew Webber, Law Library of Congress)

@AustLawLibAssoc (Australian Law Librarians Association (ALLA))

@biall_uk (British & Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL))

@bnaitax (BNA International)

@Chinese_Law (Laney Zhang, Law Library of Congress)

@clsellers (Christine Sellers, Law Library of Congress)

@cottinstef (Stephane Cottin; French law librarian)

@ecarr42 (Emily Carr, Law Library of Congress)

@HanibalGoitom (Law Library of Congress; Eritrea, African law)

@itspoppet (Clare Feikert, Law Library of Congress; UK law specialist)

@juriconnexion (French law databases/electronic resources)

@kiwi_in_dc (Kelly Buchanan, Law Library of Congress; NZ, Pacific law)

@KluwerLaw (Kluwer Law International)

@kurtcarroll (Law Library of Congress)

@law_book (New Law Books)

@LawLibCongress (Global Legal Monitor, In Custodia Legis blog, FCIL events)

@LyoLouisJacques (Foreign & International Law Librarian, Chicago)

@nats10mil (Mark Strattner, Law Library of Congress)

@peacepalace (international legal news, new library acquisitions, e-alerts)

@precisement (French law documentation specialist)

@rbharrington (Yale Law Library)

@sergiostone (Stanford Law Library)

@sioslo (Foreign and International Law Librarian, Texas)

@susankurtas (Librarian; United Nations documents)

@teresamiguel (Yale Law Library)

@thelawbod (Bodleian Law Library, Oxford)

@UNLibrary (United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library)

@yalelawlibrary (new foreign and international law books, databases, exhibits)

News & Articles

@BBCNews

@CFR_org (Council of Foreign Relations)

@CompPolicyInt (Competition Policy International)

@TheEconomist

@ForeignAffairs_

@FP (Foreign Policy magazine)

@FT (Financial Times)

@GdnLaw (The Guardian – law news, commentary, analysis)

@JURISTnews (foreign and international legal news)

@legalnewsfrance (daily French law news)

Foreign & International Law, Trade, Human Rights

@AmnestyOnline (Amnesty International)

@anticorruption (Transparency International)

@asilorg (American Society of International Law (ASIL))

@BIICL (British Institute of International and Comparative Law)

@bundesgericht (Bundesgerichtshof = Federal Court of Justice, Germany)

@BVerfG (Bundesverfassungsgericht = Federal Constitutional Court, Germany)

@ChathamHouse (Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA))

@clarinette02 (privacy law)

@CyndeeLaw (Canadian international trade & sales tax lawyer)

@dandrezner (Foreign Policy columnist; global politics, economics; international affairs)

@DanHarris (international lawyer, China law blogger)

@Donald_K_Anton (international lawyer, Australian National University)

@echrclfrance (European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Case-Law – France)

@ecre (European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE))

@EILBlog (Joshua Lenon, Everyday International Law)

@forcedmigration (Forced Migration Online (FMO))

@humanrights1st (Human Rights First)

@humanrightsblog (Human Rights in Ireland)

@hrwnews (Human Rights Watch)

@intltradelawyer (Martha Harrison, Canada)

@IntLawGrrls (women’s voices in international law, policy, practice)

@JusticePortal (Hague Justice Portal; international courts; peace, security)

@lsolum (Lawrence Solum, Legal Theory Blog; SSRN international law articles)

@netlex (French lawyer)

@NicolasJondet (UK, US, French digital copyright laws)

@opiniojuris (Opinio Juris international law blog)

@privacyint (Privacy International, London-based civil liberties group)

@slaw_dot_ca (Slaw.ca, Canadian law blog)

@STF_oficial (Supremo Tribunal Federal, Brazil)

@STJBrasil (Superior Tribunal de Justiça, Brazil)

@SusanneUre (Web Editor for Amnesty International, Canada; human rights)

@tradelawyer (John Boscariol, Canada, NAFTA/WTO/FTAs)

@UKHumanRightsB (UK Human Rights Blog)

@USIP (United States Institute of Peace; transitional justice; constitutions)

@WorldTradeLaw (WorldTradeLaw.net; international trade law, WTO)

@wrcommission (Women’s Refugee Commission; detention, asylum, families)

There are many other international law and international relations-related Twitterers. See for instance, Foreign Policy magazine’s Twitterati 100 (login required), a list of think tanks and international organizations on Twitter. Also, Justia has a list of international law “Legal Birds: Legal Professionals on Twitter.” For more general information about Twitter, check Lyonette Louis-Jacques, “Twitter for Law Librarians: Real Life Happens Between Blog Posts and E-Mails,” CALL Bulletin, No. 209, Fall 2008, at 38.

Comments

  1. Just wanted to let you know about the Law Librarians News Twitter Account lawlibsnews –

    tweets that keep you up to date with legal KM and library issues via our blog House of Butter

    all the ebst Sean

  2. This list is an amazing resource–thank you, Lyo! I’ve been lecturing everyone within earshot on the need to pull together RSS feeds and filtering them to create focused, subject-specific current awareness.

    Each of these twitter accounts has its own feed; these could be pulled together nicely via a feed reader or widget. Nice.

  3. just one more demonstration that however narrowly defined the field, there is way more information available about it than anyone can possibly digest! I suppose we’re better off getting our flood of information directed to a single access point, via Twitter, than having to go to various sources with a bucket…

  4. Fernando Villarreal

    Excellent initiative! Congratulations on the result! The comparative law course at Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey, Mexico has a tweet account and is following most of the international and comparative accounts you kindly compiled… Regards