Choice of Law provides an in-depth sophisticated coverage of the choice-of-law part Conflicts Law (or Private International Law) in torts, products liability, contracts, forum-selection and arbitration clauses, insurance, statutes of limitation, domestic relations, property, marital property, and successions. It also covers the constitutional framework and conflicts between federal law and foreign law. The book explains the doctrinal and methodological foundations of choice of law and then focuses on its actual practice, examining not only what courts say but also what they do. It identifies the emerging decisional patterns and extracts predictions about likely outcomes.

This book focuses on the subject of choice of law as a whole and provides an analysis of its various rules, principles, doctrines and concepts. It offers a conceptual account of choice of law, called "choice equality foundation" (CEF), which aims to flesh out the normative basis of the subject. The author reveals that, despite the multiplicity of titles and labels within the myriad choice of law rules and practices of the U.S., Canadian, European, Australian, and other systems, many of them effectively confirm and crystallize CEF's vision of the subject. This alignment signifies the necessarily intimate relationship between theory and practice by which the normative underpinnings of CEF are deeply embedded and reflected in actual practical reality. Among other things, this book provides a justification of the nature and limits of such popular principles as party autonomy, most significant relationship, and closest connection. It also discusses such topics as the actual operation of public policy doctrine in domestic courts, and the relation between the notion of international human rights and international commercial dealings, and makes some suggestions about the ability of traditional rules to cope with the advancing challenges of the digital age and the Internet.

This book offers a contractual framework for the regulation of party autonomy in choice of law. The party autonomy rule is the cornerstone of any modern system of choice of law; embodying as it does the freedom enjoyed by parties to a cross-border legal relationship to agree on the law applicable to it. However, as this study shows, the rule has a major shortcoming because it fails to give due regard to the contractual function of the choice of law agreement. The study examines the existing law on choice of law agreements, by reference to the law of both common and civil law jurisdictions and international instruments. Moreover, it suggests a new coherent approach to party autonomy that integrates both the law of contract and choice of law. This important new study should be read with interest by private international law scholars.

The distinguished international lawyer Michael Pryles, who launched a meteoric career as an arbitrator after many years of teaching and writing on conflicts of law and other topics, has made a mark on arbitral law and practice that is recognized worldwide. In this book, over forty prominent arbitrators and arbitration scholars offer insightful essays on the thorny matters of jurisdiction, admissibility and choice of law in arbitration – topics which have long interested Professor Pryles and are of wide interest. Among the specific issues and topics examined are the following: • res judicata; • investment arbitration; • free trade agreements; • party autonomy; • application of provisional measures; • issue estoppel; • evidentiary inferences; • interim measures; • emergency and default proceedings; • the intersection of financing and jurisdiction; • consolidation of cases; and • non-contractual claims. Remarkable for its roster of highly distinguished contributors, this book is the only in-depth treatment of its subject. By turns thought-provoking and practical, it is bound to appeal to and be put to use by arbitrators and other lawyers who handle international cases. It will also prove of great value to global law firms and companies doing transnational business.

This thematic volume in the series Studies in Private International Law – Asia outlines the general choice of law and recognition rules relating to family matters of 15 Asian jurisdictions: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India. The book examines pressing questions and proposes ways in which their systems may be reformed. A concluding chapter considers the extent to which Asian cross-border family law systems can and should be harmonised. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of cross-border family law challenges, including child surrogacy, child abduction, the recognition of same-sex unions, the recovery of maintenance, and the regulation of intercountry adoption. These are among the matters now testing Asian institutions of private international law and acting as forces for their modernisation. With contributions by leading Asian private international law experts, the book proposes necessary reforms for each of the jurisdictions analysed as well as for Asia as a whole.

Highly acclaimed by practitioners all over the world, Law & Practice of International Commercial Arbitration has deservedly become the leading text in its field. With its comprehensive review of the legal context within which international commercial arbitration operates, Redfern & Hunter is the ultimate user-friendly explanation of how arbitration, and in particular international commercial arbitration, works. The 4th edition has been expanded to give a wider global scope to the work. Readers can also benefit from the expert insight and advice of world-renowned international practitioners. international practitioner * Contains a comprehensive review of the international commercial arbitration process from start to finish * Includes commentary on suitable places of arbitration, developments in international trade law and the increasing harmonisation of national laws governing international arbitration * Appendices include the major international rules of arbitration and conventions * Explains how arbitration should be conducted to be cost effective and profitable * Fully updated to take account of the latest developments all over the world - including a new chapter on investment arbitrations

Law in the United States, Second Edition, is a concise presentation of the salient elements of the American legal system designed mainly for jurists of civil law backgrounds. It focuses on features of American law likely to be least familiar to jurists from other legal traditions, such as American common law, the federal structure of the U.S. legal system, and the American constitutional tradition. The use of comparative law technique permits foreign jurists to appreciate the American legal system in comparison with legal systems with which they are already familiar. Chapters in the second edition also cover such topics as American civil justice, criminal law, jury trial, choice of laws and international jurisdiction, the American legal profession, and the influence of American law in the global legal order.

The principle of party autonomy in contractual choice of law is widely recognised in the law of most jurisdictions. It has been more than 30 years since party autonomy was first accepted in Chinese private international law. However, the legal rules provided in legislation and judicial interpretations concerning the application of the party autonomy principle are abstract and open-ended. Without a critical understanding of the party autonomy principle and appropriate interpretations of the relevant legal rules, judges have not exercised their discretionary power appropriately. The party autonomy principle has been applied in a way that undermines its very purpose, that is, to protect the legitimate expectations of the parties and promote the predictability of outcomes in transnational commercial litigation. Jieying Liang addresses the question of how, when, and with what limitations, parties' choice of law clauses in an international commercial contract should be enforced by Chinese courts.

The application of private international law to electronic consumer contracts raises new, complex, and controversial questions. It is new because consumer protection was not a private international law concern until very recently and e-commerce only became an important commercial activity within the last ten years. E-consumer contracts generate original questions which have not been considered under traditional private international law theories. It is complex because it has to deal both with difficulties raised by consumer contracts and the challenges of e-commerce. Reasonable resolutions to consumer contracts may prove inappropriate in e-commerce, while effective approaches to resolving private international law problems in e-commerce may be improper for consumer contracts. It is controversial because it concerns the conflicting interests of consumers and businesses in a fast-moving commercial environment - a fair balance is therefore hard to achieve. Without proper solutions provided by private international law, consumers will not be confident about purchasing online, and businesses will face unreasonable risk and participation costs in e-commerce. Updated and properly designed private international law rules are essential to the further development of e-commerce. This book aims to provide an answer to the urgent requirement for legal certainty, security and justice in e-consumer contracts. It is primarily concerned with existing approaches to jurisdiction and choice of law issues in e-consumer contracts in the European Community and England, but some typical approaches in other jurisdictions are also examined. Based on the analysis and the comparative study of the existing law, the book seeks to provide a proposal as to what the law should be in order to provide certainty to both parties, to provide reasonable protection to consumers, and to promote the development of e-commerce.