When ICA researchers consider national laws, they are typically referring to a nation's laws with respect to arbitration. S. I. Strong, Research and Practice in International Commercial Arbitration, §3.11 (2009). Although a growing number of nations have based their national laws on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law's Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, the UNCITRAL Model Law is not itself binding. Id. at §5.15. Researchers should take caution with this type of research, since some jurisdictions do not include all relevant provisions in one place. Id. at §3.11. Strong maintains that it is absolutely critical for researchers to have experienced local counsel when conducting research beyond the basic laws of a foreign jurisdiction. Id. This section will contain links to guides with compilations of national laws, with the caution that this may serve to provide a basic understanding of the laws of a foreign jurisdiction.
Researchers can now utilize WestlawNext to search certain national arbitration statutes, including the following jursidictions: European Union, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, and the United Kingdom. To access these materials, look for "International Materials" under the Browse feature of WestlawNext. On the right-hand navigation bar, select "International Arbitration Materials." When you reach that screen, you can choose the appropriate jurisdiction or conduct a search in "All International Arbitration Legislation."
Researchers may also choose to conduct research on National Arbitration Statutes through Kluwer International. Kluwer's database of legislation is organized by jurisdiction, and is nicely organized to allow researchers to quickly pinpoint the targeted legislation. Researchers should note that some of the legislation remains in the native language. To locate legislation for a particular jurisdiction, select the "jurisdiction" tab from the home page and then select the appropriate jurisdiction. NOTE--Legislation materials are not available for every jurisdiction.
Here are some links to compilations of legal materials through various Legal Information Institutes. These links may be helpful for finding national laws or case law specific to a particular jurisdiction.