Real property law

Search engines are very effective tools for conducting online research. However, due to language ambiguities and the manner in which search engines seek out information on the Internet, significant information may be missed.
Some areas of online knowledge have been carefully catalogued by means of conscious human effort rather than indiscriminately compiled by web crawlers based on the number of links to related sites or popularity of hits. Such ‘directories’ often include authoritative collections of information, and can save valuable time when performing legal research and identifying foreign language resources.

Learning Synopsis

This exercise illustrates the use of directories in lieu of search engines to find specific and general legal information in English.

Exercise

One of your firm's leading clients is involved in the forestry and paper pulp business, primarily in the Nordic countries. Due to expensive labour and timber, and very stringent environmental controls in the Nordic countries, your client is seeking to expand outside of the region and is considering a number of options. One country under consideration for development is Belarus. The economic climate and availability of cheaper labour, together with the presence of substantial agricultural areas, make it worth further scrutiny.

Your client is interested in acquiring large tracts of land from which to harvest timber and to construct and operate paper mills operated by local labour. Before your client embarks on a more extensive (and costly) analysis of its options, the partner responsible has asked you to conduct preliminary research on the following:

1. Is it possible for a foreigner to acquire and privately hold land in Belarus?


2. Is there any general legislation regarding environmentally hazardous industries?


3. Is there any specific legislation regarding the paper pulp industry?


Further to the above questions, the partner has asked you to prepare a list of
directories of foreign law that you find during your research, which can be emailed
to your colleagues.

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