Due to the globalized nature of modern commerce, arbitrators and legal counsel are often required to interpret contracts according to the rules of legal systems that are different from their own. Thus a thorough comparative examination of the principles of interpretation of contracts in major legal systems and uniform laws, such as this indispensable book provides, becomes an essential resource. The book examines the principles of contract interpretation found in seven legal systems—French, Italian, German, Swiss, Turkish, English, and U.S.—as well as in all applicable uniform laws, drawing on the case law and scholarship aligned with each. In addition to texts intended to unify or harmonize the law at a global level, the European Union’s uniform law texts, which constitute an important reference model for regional codifications, are also presented. The terminology peculiar to each system has been preserved in its language. Specific issues and topics raised include the following: “subjective” versus “objective” interpretation; historical reasons for basic differences in the approaches of individual legal systems; the principle of freedom of contract; good faith and fair dealing; rules that restrict the interpretation of contracts; and commercial usages. The author’s systematic presentation culminates in a proposal of a practical and universal method of interpretation of contracts. Given the importance of the interpretation of contracts in cross-border transactions, every practitioner of international arbitration will welcome this incomparable book’s easy access to the essential literature and case law in the legal systems and uniform laws they are most likely to encounter. Corporate counsel, scholars, and academics will discover the only detailed comparative overview available of the theory and practice of the interpretation of contracts.

This book is a second edition of Interpretation of Contracts (2007). The original work examined various issues surrounding the question of how contracts should be interpreted by courts, in particular focusing on the law of contract interpretation following Lord Hoffmann’s exposition of the principles of contextual interpretation in Investors Compensation Scheme Ltd v West Bromwich Building Society [1998] 1 WLR 896. As with the original, this new edition provides an overview of the subject, concentrating on elements of controversy and disagreement, rather than a detailed analysis of all the contract law rules and doctrines that might be regarded as interpretative in one sense or another. The book will be concerned with interpretation of contracts generally (following the rule that there are not different rules of interpretation for different kinds of contracts), but with reference to commercial contracts in particular, since this is the area in which the contextual interpretative approach was developed, and where it has most relevance. The overall aim of the second edition remains the same as the first – to produce an accessible and readable guide to contract interpretation for law students, scholars and practitioners.

Contracts are relevant, frequently central, for a significant number of investment disputes. Yet, the way tribunals ascertain their content remains largely underexplored. How do tribunals interpret contracts in investment treaty arbitration? How should they interpret contracts? Does national law have any role to play? Contract Interpretation in Investment Treaty Arbitration: A Theory of the Incidental Issue addresses these questions. The monograph offers a valuable insight into the practice and theory of contract interpretation in investment treaty arbitration. By proposing a theoretical frame for seamless integration of contract interpretation into the overall structure of decision-making, the book contributes to predictability, coherence, sufficiency and correctness of the tribunals’ interpretative practices in investment treaty arbitration.

Interpretation or construction is central to the operation of contract law. Despite the fundamental role it plays, there have been limited attempts to explain construction in holistic terms. This important book aims to fill that gap by offering a systematic exposition of the iterative process. It also goes further, suggesting practical solutions to disputes regarding questions of interpretation. The book argues that construction is not simply about establishing what words mean; it is a process through which objective intention is inferred from the choice of words in a contract. The interpretive process involves four steps: formulate the question of interpretation in dispute; explore competing answers to the question; analyse the admissible material supporting each interpretation; and weigh and balance the competing considerations. By so doing, the book offers a simple yet sophisticated framework for interpreting/constructing contracts.

This book seeks to fill a gap in the existing literature by describing the formulation, interpretation and enforcement of the rules on consumer contracts in China and the EU, and by mapping key similarities and differences. The study addresses selected issues regarding consumer contracts: sources of law in the two jurisdictions are first discussed to set the scene. Afterwards, one preliminary issue - how to define the concept of a consumer contract - and two substantive topics - unfair terms and withdrawal rights - are dealt with. Apart from the descriptive analysis, the book also provides possible explanations for these comparative findings, and argues that the differences in consumer contract rules can be primarily attributed to a disparity of markets. The book offers a valuable resource, particularly for researchers and practitioners in the fields of private law and comparative law.

This resource describes and analyses the law of contract interpretation in the United States, offering a strong guide for legal practitioners, judges, and scholars involved in contract law.