Contracts


Book Description

This text covers the materials used in a two semester Contracts course and a Sales course covering U.C.C. article 2. It blends classic common law contract cases with 21st-century opinions and draws heavily upon the problem method of instruction. It compares and contrasts the common law of contracts, the Restatement of the Law Second-Contracts, and Uniform Commercial Code Article 2 rules, as well as the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, and explores their evolution and application. It emphasizes the importance of context to the application of legal principles and discusses the overlap between the knowledge and skills of a litigator and those of a transactional attorney. The fifth edition includes updates covering further developments in the parol evidence rule and evolution of contract doctrine in the wake of technological progress in the twenty first century.




The Future of Commercial Law


Book Description

The reform of commercial law through harmonisation, unification, codification and other means remains one of the most important projects in developing the institutional architecture for the global economy. This edited collection engages with the challenges and contributes to a greater understanding of the problems faced by states, international organisations, and private sector actors in this ongoing reform project for commercial law. The volume takes stock of the project to date and looks towards a restructuring of the agenda to deal with new challenges. The primary aim of the collection is to understand the future of commercial law reform in a way that offers ideas and strategies for innovation as well as in methodologies for project selection and evaluation. In so doing, the collection informs the debate on the global reform of commercial law and will be of interest not only to academics, but also to those involved in the reform of commercial law around the world. The volume collects papers presented at the UK Society of Legal Scholars Annual Seminar 2017.




Model Rules of Professional Conduct


Book Description

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.




The Interpretation and Uniformity of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration


Book Description

Numerous jurisdictions worldwide have augmented their ratification of the New York Convention of 1958 with the UNCITRAL Model Law 1985 (UML), which takes a giant step forward toward global uniformity in legal application and understanding of the arbitration process. This book develops a standard or benchmark for the UML objective of uniformity, using the relevant legislation and case law of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia to consider whether a uniform approach to implementation of the UML and its interpretation is being achieved across those jurisdictions. The author’s methodological tools are eminently adaptable to other jurisdictions. Given the importance of the ability to set aside an arbitral award, the body of case law on setting aside and the directly related area of enforcement, the emphasis throughout is on Article 34. In addition, the study considers: - the meaning of uniformity in law and in the context of the UML; - the correct approach to interpretation of the UML pre and post Article 2A; - the interpretational relationship between the UML and the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG); - the relationship between the UML and the New York Convention; - the degree of textual uniformity of Article 34 with the three jurisdictions focused on; and - the degree of applied uniformity of Article 34 both in terms of juristic methodology and similarity of results. The author, with more than thirty years of practice in the field of commercial arbitration in Hong Kong, has had access to voluminous cases spanning decades and brings his specialist expertise to the subject. This book considers whether the UML has succeeded in its aim of achieving uniformity. It serves as a guide, both academic and practical, to exploring and adopting the correct approach to the interpretation of the UML as well as to the method of classification of court decisions under the UML. This study is of immeasurable academic and practical value.




Uniformity in the Application of the CISG


Book Description

More than ninety countries are now parties to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) recognised as the pre-eminent legislative achievement aimed at harmonising commercial law on a global scale but uniformity in the treaty’s application remains unsettled and controversial. This book, in addition to offering a detailed assessment of tools designed to promote such uniformity, draws on issues raised during over thirty years of case law from all over the world and from other CISG-related materials to clearly delineate a path to more uniform application. The practical implications to be found in this book emerge from deeply informed discussion of such issues and topics as the following: causes of non-uniformity, whether based on overall scope or on particular CISG provisions; detrimental effect of non-uniformity on both the legal and economic benefits provided by the CISG; effectiveness of implemented tools to combat non-uniform application; problems arising from trading imbalances between developed and developing countries; and proposed efforts to promote uniform application. Drawing on its many sources, the analysis concludes with recommendations and observations about how to improve the organisation and mode of operation of existing and proposed tools. Legal practitioners, judges and arbitrators called upon to argue under or apply the CISG, as well as all those with an interest in international commercial law, will greatly appreciate the book’s incisive guidance in navigating the issue of uniformity in the application of the treaty. By extension, as a comparative analysis, the book will be of informative value for jurists and policymakers interested in what can be done to heighten the level of uniformity in the application of any international convention.




Contract Law Minimalism


Book Description

Commercial contract law is in every sense optional given the choice between legal systems and law and arbitration. Its 'doctrines' are in fact virtually all default rules. Contract Law Minimalism advances the thesis that commercial parties prefer a minimalist law that sets out to enforce what they have decided - but does nothing else. The limited capacity of the legal process is the key to this 'minimalist' stance. This book considers evidence that such minimalism is indeed what commercial parties choose to govern their transactions. It critically engages with alternative schools of thought, that call for active regulation of contracts to promote either economic efficiency or the trust and co-operation necessary for 'relational contracting'. The book also necessarily argues against the view that private law should be understood non-instrumentally (whether through promissory morality, corrective justice, taxonomic rationality, or otherwise). It sketches a restatement of English contract law in line with the thesis.




The ABCs of the UCC.


Book Description

This compact volume puts the complete text of the Uniform Commercial Code including Revised Article 9 and its conforming amendments to other articles right at your fingertips.




The CISG and its Impact on National Legal Systems


Book Description

In force in 70 countries around the world and covering more than two thirds of world trade, the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is considered to be the most successful convention promoting international trade. According to many commentators, this success is due, among others, to the fact that the Convention does not directly impact on the domestic law of the various legal systems, as it applies only to international - as opposed to purely domestic - contracts. The Convention, in other words, does not impose changes in the domestic law, which makes it easier for States to adopt the Convention. This does not mean, however, that the Convention does not have any impact on the domestic law at all. This book analyzes - through 24 country reports as well as a general report submitted to the 1st Intermediate Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law held in November 2008 in Mexico City - to what extent the Convention de facto influences domestic legal systems. In particular, the book examines the Convention's impact on the practice of law, the style of court decisions as well as the domestic legislation in the area of contract law.




Keeping Pace with Change: Fintech and the Evolution of Commercial Law


Book Description

This note explores the interactions between new technologies with key areas of commercial law and potential legal changes to respond to new developments in technology and businesses. Inspired by the Bali Fintech Agenda, this note argues that country authorities need to closely examine the adequacy of their legal frameworks to accommodate the use of new technologies and implement necessary legal reform so as to reap the benefits of fintech while mitigating risks. Given the cross-border nature of new technologies, international cooperation among all relevant stakeholders is critical. The note is structured as follows: Section II describes the relations between technology, business, and law, Section III discusses the nature and functions of commercial law; Section IV provides a brief overview of developments in fintech; Section V examines the interaction between technology and commercial law; and Section VI concludes with a preliminary agenda for legal reform to accommodate the use of new technologies.