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.

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.

For over half a century Arthur T. von Mehren has been a luminary in the fields of comparative law, private international law, and legal education. Here, fifty-eight of the world's leading scholars and jurists honor his work and outstanding contributions to the advance of knowledge and reform. The volume is divided into four illuminating sections: Part I: Jurisdiction & Judgment Part II: Choice of Law Part III: International Arbitration Part IV: Comparative & European Law Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

Private international law has long been understood as a doctrinal and technical body of law, without interesting theoretical foundations or implications. By systematically exploring the rich array of philosophical topics that are part of the fabric of private international law, Philosophical Foundations of Private International Law fills a significant and long-standing void in the legal and philosophical literature. The contributions to this volume are testimony to the significant potential for interaction between philosophy and private international law. Some aim to expand and rethink classical jurisprudential theories by focusing on law beyond the state and on the recognition of foreign law and judgments in domestic courts. Others bring legal and moral theories to bear on traditional debates in private international law, such as legal pluralism, transnational justice, the interpretation of foreign legal policies, and the boundaries of the legal system. Several engage with the history of both private international law and legal and political philosophy. They point to missed opportunities when philosophers ignored law's transnational dimensions, or when private international law scholars failed to position their theories within broader philosophical schools of thought. Some seek to complete past attempts to articulate the philosophical dimensions of private international law that were never carried through. Thought-provoking and topical, this volume displays the varied themes cutting through the disciplines of private international law and philosophy.

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.

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.

The purpose of this book is to explore what role ethical discourse plays in public and private international law. The book seeks (1) to delineate the role of ethical investigation in creating, sustaining, challenging and changing international law and (2) to open up a conversation between two related disciplines - public and private international law - that frequently labor in different vineyards. By examining the role of ethical discourse in international law's public and private dimensions, this volume will hopefully open new avenues for cross-disciplinary exchange in these important fields and related disciplines. The chapters in this book show that there is a way to engage the ethical dimension of international law without seeking to use ethics as raw politics and the will to power.

Argues that the Founders intended the Constitution to be interpreted according to the text's meaning and its framers' original intentions.

This book examines the convergences, divergences and reciprocal lessons that the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) share with one another in developing the principles of private international law. The chapters provide a thematic understanding of the cornerstones of private international law in each of the BRICS countries: namely, (1) the procedure to initiate claims in civil and commercial matters, (2) the law that would govern such matters in litigation and arbitration, as well as (3) the mechanism to recognise and enforce foreign judgments and arbitral awards. Written by leading private international law scholars and practitioners, the chapters draw on domestic legislation and its interpretation through cases decided by the courts in each of these emerging economies, and explicitly cover the rules applicable in contractual and non-contractual concerns and issues of choice of court agreements. Issues around marriage, divorce, matrimonial property, succession and surrogacy are also addressed, considering the implication of such aspects through the increased movement of persons. The book is a useful comparative resource for the governments of the BRICS countries, legislators, traders, academics, researchers and students looking for an in-depth discussion of the reciprocal lessons that these countries may have to offer one another on these issues.

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.