Responsable

Marie-Hélène Gadina
+41 21 692 48 81

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Overview

Explore our legal collection and discover books on all areas of Swiss law, a basic collection of works on international, European and German law, studies of all historical periods, from law in classical antiquity to contemporary legal systems and documents of all kinds: monographs, e-books, printed and digital journals and databases.

The Riponne site houses a law collection aimed at the general public.

VidéoR. A. Reiss, la bibliothèque d’un Sherlock Holmes lausannois

Our collection offers a panoramic view of Swiss law, comprising:

  • documents on all areas of Swiss law, from private to public and criminal law
  • compilations of legislation (laws, ordinances and preparatory works)
  • reviews of jurisprudence (federal court judgments and cantonal reviews of jurisprudence)
  • works on doctrine (textbooks, commentaries, conference proceedings, compilations and reviews of legal theory)
  • the entire collection of Swiss legal theses

Although we have a practically exhaustive printed collection, we also provide access to all databases of Swiss law, including those that allow users to download the full text of documents. Most of these databases can be used on campus or via the Pulse Secure app; some require a password, which can be requested from our counters.

For your legal work:

  • search for a printed book or e-book on law, or a printed or digital legal journal (Renouvaud)
  • search for an article in a legal journal or leading online commentary (Swisslex or Legalis)
  • find the translation of a federal court judgment (SIL)
  • find a commentary on an article in the Civil Code or Code of Obligations (Codexplo)
  • use a model contract (WEKA)

In an ever-more globalised world, questions of international public law are becoming increasingly important and affecting an expanding range of areas. We offer you access to a basic printed collection on the following subjects:

  • human rights
  • international economic law
  • maritime law
  • law of war and international humanitarian law

Our digital collection comprises a number of essential databases in international law, including:

  • Max Planck encyclopaedia of public international law: contains over 1,800 articles covering all aspects of international public law, written by over 800 academics and practitioners.
  • Oxford Reports on International Law: an essential resource for international public law, this database contains key judgments from courts of international law, national courts and ad hoc tribunals.
  • UN iLibrary is home to publications on United Nations activities in the following areas: international peace and security, human rights, development, climate change and international law.

Our main focus is on works in:

  • European law (constitutional law, substantive law, European integration, law on aliens and competition law)
  • German law (constitutional law, civil law and civil procedure)

If you are looking for works on European or German law as it pertains to other areas of law, or documents on other national laws, visit the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, which offers collections of legal literature from all countries around the world.

Numerous printed and digital journals, as well as e-books on foreign law, are accessible via Renouvaud.

You also have access to our databases. Among others, we offer access to:

  • HeinOnline: a database on law and the history of law, mainly concerning countries with a common law legal tradition.
  • Kluwer Law Online Manuals: a gateway to the study of other national laws, this database offers almost two thousand works in English and is regularly updated in all areas of law and all jurisdictions.

As well as a basic collection of the history and philosophy of law, we also have an extensive printed collection of Roman law and numerous digital resources on criminology.

Roman law

Our collection of Roman law comes essentially from the library of Professor Philippe Meylan, who bequeathed us his legal books in the 1970s. It now constitutes an extensive collection of older and more recent works.

Criminal justice

Our digital collection contains some essential resources, including:

If you are unable to find a printed document on criminal justice through us, note that most criminology and forensic science books are kept at the EPFL library, where they can be borrowed.