New York City Bar Association Publishes Valuable eGuide to Online Sources of Law Relating to Latin America

December 10, 2009

(Note: I am a member of the Committee that published this eGuide.)

Lawyers, investors, law students, and others, should welcome the arrival of an incredible service by the New York City Bar Association. The Bar’s Committee on Inter-American Affairs has released its eGuide to Online Sources of Law Relating to Latin America. The eGuide is an incredibly comprehensive, active, live, HTML listing of global, regional, and national websites relating to law and government, as well as bar associations and law schools. Within each country there are links to the major branches and agencies of government and law finding resources. A full index of the eGuide is reproduced at the end of this post.

The Colombia Law & Business Post links to many of these resources as they relate to Colombia, in the list to the right on this and every page of this site, and readers are invited to submit suggestions to include additional resources. The New York City Bar’s eGuide identifies the following resources relating to Colombia:

Colombia

Executive

Presidencia de la Republica de Colombia
http://web.presidencia.gov.co

Official website of the President. Click “Normas” for links to the text of the Constitution, laws, decrees and directives.

Legislative

Senado http://www.senado.gov.co	Official website of the Senate. Click “Ley 5a. /92 Reglamento” for the law establishing legislative function, power, and organization.
Secretaria del Senado http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co	“Leyes y antecedentes” links to the text of legislation, bills and background, the Congressional Gazette, legislative studies and other information.
Camara de Representantes http://www.camara.gov.co	Official website of the House of Representatives. Click “Manual Conducta Etica” for the Manual of Ethical Conduct for civil servants.

Judicial

Juridica Colombiana http://www.juridicacolombiana.com	The primary legal website with more than 700.000 documents including legislation, bills presented to Congress, decrees, national and local case law, national and local legal codes.
Republica de Colombia – Rama Judicial Consejo Superior de la Judicatura http://www.ramajudicial.gov.co	Click “Leyes” for links to the text of the constitution, selected laws (including the civil and commercial codes) and jurisprudence, as well as the full text of the most recent Diario Oficial and a searchable database of past issues.

Ministries, Agencies and Other Governmental and Quasi-Governmental Websites

Embassy of Colombia – Washington, D.C. http://www.colombiaemb.org	In English.
Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo http://www.mincomercio.gov.co/ eContent/home.asp	Searchable database of commerce, industrial and tourism legislation, including bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional http://www.mindefensa.gov.con	Searchable database of defense and national security policies, including military and police forces.
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores www.cancilleria.gov.co/wps/portal	Contains information about international policies and cooperation programs, as well as a searchable database of embassy and consulate offices around the world.
Colombian Government Trade Bureau http://www.coltrade.org	In English. A service of the Colombian Embassy in Washington. Information regarding trade with Colombia, including text/descriptions of various commercial laws (free trade zones, dumping and countervailing duties, government procurement and intellectual property) and trade agreements.
Banco de la Republica http://www.banrep.gov.co	Website of the Central Bank. Click “Juriscol-Informacion juridica” for a searchable online database of general legislative materials, including the 1991 Constitution, legislative acts since 1991, laws and decrees since 1990, resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank since 1991 and resolutions of the Monetary Board from 1863 to 1991. Click “Reglamentacion” for a dropdown menu categorized by industry sector which links to the text of laws, regulations and other norms governing each of the named sectors.
Programa Presidencial de Modernizacion, Eficiencia, Transparencia y Lucha Contra la Corrupcion http://www.anticorrupcion.gov.co	Click “Marco Legal” for links to anti-corruption and related regulations.
Comision de Regulacion de Telecomunicaciones http://www.crt.gov.co	Click “Normatividad” for links to the text (downloadable PDF files) of relevant resolutions, concepts, circulars, decrees and laws. Click “Jurisprudencia” for a searchable database of relevant laws, resolutions, circulars, decrees and case law.
Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural http://www.minagricultura.gov.co	Click “Normatividad” for links to the text of relevant resolutions, decrees and laws.
Ministerio de Ambiente http://www.minambiente.gov.co	Click “Normativa y Documentos” for a searchable database of environmental legislation .
Ministerio de Comunicaciones www.mincomunicaciones.gov.co	Click “Legislacion” for a searchable database of communications-related legislation.
Ministerio de Educacion http://www.mineducacion.gov.co	Click “Asesoria Juridica” for links to the text of laws, decrees, resolutions and directives governing the Ministry and education policy.
Ministerio de Minas y Energia http://www.minminas.gov.co	Click “Normatividad “ for a searchable database of mining and energy legislation.
Ministerio de Transporte http://www.mintransporte.gov.co	Click “Normatividad” for links to the legislative and regulatory framework governing the Ministry and the transportation sector.
Ministerio de la Proteccion Social www.minproteccionsocial.gov.co	Click “Normas” for the text of relevant resolutions, decrees and laws.
Ministerio del Interior y de Justicia www.mininteriorjusticia.gov.co	Click “Servicios de Consulta,” then “Biblioteca“, for links to newly passed legislation and the text of Official Gazettes published between 1997 and 2001. Click “Decretos Recientes” for the text of newly issued Ministerial decrees.
Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia www.superfinanciera.gov.co	Click “Normativa” for links to the text of laws, regulations, circulars, resolutions and decrees, as well as jurisprudence.
Superintendencia Industria y Comercio http://www.sic.gov.co	Click “Normatividad” for the text of the Constitution and relevant resolutions, decrees and laws.
Superintendencia Nacional de la Salud http://www.supersalud.gov.co	Click “Normatividad” for links to the text of the Constitution and relevant resolutions, decrees and laws.
Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro www.supernotariado.gov.co	Click “Normatividad” for the text of the Constitution and relevant resolutions, decrees and laws.
Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte www.supertransporte.gov.co	Click “Nuestra Institucion” – “Marco Legal” for the text of laws and decrees governing the Superintendency and the administration of the ports and transport.
Superintendencia de Servicios Publicos Domiciliarios http://www.superservicios.gov.co	Click “Servicios a cuidadanos “-“Normatividad y Jurisprudencia” for links to the text of legislative and regulatory documents governing the Ministry and its portfolio.
Superintendencia de la Economia Solidaria http://www.supersolidaria.gov.co	Click “Normatividad” for links to the Constitution, laws, decrees and other provisions, as well as links to “Normas de Supersolidaria”.
Superintendencia del Subsidio Familiar http://www.ssf.gov.co	Click “Normatividad de Subsidio Familiar” for links to relevant laws and regulations in connection with family subsidies.

Self-Regulatory

Bolsa de Valores de Colombia
http://www.bvc.com.co
/pps/tibco/portalbvc

Website of the Colombian Stock Exchange. Click “Regulacion” for the access to the text of laws and regulations governing the stock market, as well as a database of disciplinary proceedings.

Other Databases, Directories and Portals

Derecho Colombiano http://www.derechocolombiano.com	Links to the text of the constitution, codes, statutes, laws, decrees, jurisprudence, court decisions and other materials.
Juridica Colombiana http://www.juridicacolombiana.com	Subscription-based access to legislation, bills, court information and decisions, arbitral awards, regulations, codes and other information.