I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few Asia-specific subscription based databases.
- Chancery Law Chronicles (Bangladesh), http://www.clcbd.org/
As the first Bangladesh online case law database, CLC has its work cut out to catch up with developing its coverage and interface. However, content is added regularly and the foremost emphasis is on case law and legislation. It also contains investment and double taxation treaties, policy documents from the government and legal forms!
- SCCOnline (India), https://www.scconline.co.in/
SCCOnline provides access to case law from the Supreme Court, Privy Council and Federal Court, High Courts, Tribunals and Commissions in India, statutory law, constituent assembly debates, reports from the Law Commission; and a limited selection of law journals. With so much freely available online for India, SCCOnline’s real value is its editorial enhancements that include headnotes, case notes, topic and statute guide and their trademarked true-print (exact reproduction or facsimile of the print reporters) access to the case law as the accepted standard in Indian courts. However, the real bonus is that it contains primary and secondary sources from Singapore and Bangladesh!
- CLJ Law (Malaysia), http://www.cljlaw.com/
CLJ is a Malaysian owned company and a leading legal database providing access to Malaysian case law from the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court as well as cases that have not been published in the Malaysian Current Law Journal. It has a case citator and the original print (PDF) access to case law. Access to legislation and secondary sources is also included.
- PakistanLawSite (Pakistan), http://www.pakistanlawsite.com/
This database includes case law reported in the numerous print reporters from Pakistan. Users can also access statutes and regulations and limited coverage of analysis and commentary from various secondary source outlets.
- Hukukturk (Turkey), http://www.hukukturk.com/ (Turkish-only)
As Turkey’s first subscription based legal database, HukukTurk, provides access to decisions from the Supreme Court of Appeals, Council of State, Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights. Legislation and draft laws and a searchable official gazette is also available. Users can search for decisions by a statutory article and, similarly, annotations to cases are provided when browsing legislation. However, what may be most valuable, especially, to an academic audience, is the bibliography of secondary sources dating back to 1928!
Aslihan Bulut