Charting The Legal Systems Of The Western Pacific Islands A Legal Research Guide

The Pacific region holds a cluster emerging nations that are attempting to reconcile a British-styled legal system with indigenous customary law. This union often creates conflict especially in areas of criminal law, human rights, family law, hereditary rights and property law. This guide provides a framework to support historical and current research on the legal systems of Pacific island nations which were under control of the British High Commissioner of the Western Pacific prior to their independence in the latter half of the 20th century: Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Parts I and II highlight difficulties researching these legal systems and suggests solutions. Part III reviews the legal history of the former British dependencies including the roles of prerogative instruments, British Parliamentary laws, localized legislation, and case law. Part IV provides strategies to fill gaps in documentation. Part V assesses research tools in the current legal system. The guide concludes with an appendix of primary resources for both pre-independence and post-independence legal authority.--Publisher.

A comprehensive reference providing an overview of the laws, legal structures, and governmental institutions of each of the nations and territories of the South and Central Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii are not considered directly because their systems have been sufficiently described

This Legal Research and Writing text is designed for paralegal/legal assistant studies programs in colleges and universities at both the associate degree and the baccalaureate levels. It is anticipated that users of such text will introduce the matter in the student’s first or second semester once the student has entered his/her core courses or requirements.

This document contains the report of the workshop and the background papers commissioned for the meeting. The report, and in particular the 'Key Points' adopted by the workshop, will serve as basis for further work on developing technical guidelines for the design, implementation and review of MPAs.

The Legal Desk Reference is a comprehensive source of legal information which includes approximately 9,000 definitions of legal words and phrases and an extensive legal bibliography. It offers Quick Cite to selected statutes and cases, abbreviations, charts, tables, maps and much more!

"Formerly known as the International Citation Manual"--p. xv.