General principles of law are basic concepts of fairness and justice applied by legal systems around the world. These are often procedural in nature (good faith, laches, impartiality of judges, etc.). This source of law is particularly useful to help “fill in the gap” when there is a lack of other authority on an issue. It's generally recommended that you find general principles through other sources such as treaties, international jurisprudence (case law), books, or journal articles. If those are not helpful, the sources listed below for researching foreign may be useful.
Raimondo, Fabián. General Principles of Law in the Decisions of International Criminal Courts and Tribunals, 2008. (Library for International and Public Affairs KZ6304 .R35 2008). E-book also available using your USC ID.
A good treatise on the subject is available at the Library for International and Public Affairs.
A USC Gould research guide on researching the law of other countries.
This link opens in a new windowResearching the law in other countries and legal systems can be helpful for researching the general principles of law. The Foreign Law Guide, a subscription resource available from the Law Library's Online Resources page, has both primary and secondary source legal information for more than 170 jurisdictions from major nations to crown colonies, semi-independent states, and supra-national regional organizations. The Foreign Law Guide is an excellent source to begin any foreign law research.
The site from the Law Library of Congress is a portal of Internet sources of interest to legal researchers for countries worldwide.
This searchable database has law from over 128 jurisdictions. The information comes from a variety of Legal Information Institutes throughout the world, including Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII), British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII),Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII), Hong Kong Legal Information Institute (HKLII). Legal Information Institute (Cornell) (LII (Cornell)). Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII), Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII) and other sources.