The global development of legal information needs and services has continued to stimulate much professional discussion in recent years. This detailed report, and the comparative assessments and analysis it aims to provide, follow from one of the first global surveys of major law libraries around the world to take account of the present period of challenges and change. The report analyses the results of a comprehensive survey of 124 major law libraries world wide undertaken from April to June 2012 - extending a methodology involving both quantitative and qualitative approaches which has proved successful in my previous research on the activities of law libraries across the UK. It is hoped that this comparative data and analysis (gathered from the activities, ambitions and concerns of law libraries in the real world) will provide a useful snapshot of current research support services, capture emerging trends and new service initiatives and encourage major law libraries to develop their services by providing helpful benchmarking and best practice information.