A New Approach to Private International Law

1936 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-21
Author(s):  
H. C. Gutteridge

Our English system of Private International Law has for some time past lent itself to accusationsof insularity of conception and stagnation of thought. Dicey's famous work on the Conflict of Laws has threatened to develop into a comfortable niche in which our rules of jurisdiction and the choice of law would be able to dwell in cloistered seclusion undisturbed by criticism from within or by the infiltration of new ideas from without. English legal thought has, undeniably, been dominated for over a hundred years by two text-books. Story's Conflict of Laws reigned supreme until the beginning of this century when it was ousted by Dicey's treatise. Westlake's Private International Law, which in some respects is the most notable contribution which English writers have made to the development of Private International Law, never established itself in a like degree. The somewhat abstruse treatment of the subject by Westlake and his insistence on its comparative aspects involved a departure from current legal tradition which was not wellreceived by the English legal public. Foote's Private International Law which at one time was held in great favour by practitioners was avowedly confined to an analysis of the English casesand as such contained within itself the germs of the obsolescence which has overtaken it. In any event, Dicey's Conflict of Laws was elevated by the Bench and the Bar to a pinnacle of authority which has seldom been attained by a text-book, and the rules in which Dicey stated his propositions have acquired a character which is almost sacrosanct.

Author(s):  
Jonathan Hill

This introductory chapter begins by explaining the nature of the subject known as conflict of laws or private international law, which deals with cases before the English court which have connections with foreign countries. The foreign elements in the case may be events which have taken place in a foreign country or countries, or they may be the foreign domicile, residence, or place of business of the parties. In short, any case involving a foreign element raises potential conflict of laws issues. The conflict of laws is concerned with the following three questions: jurisdiction; choice of law; and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. The remainder of the chapter discusses the various stages of proceedings which raise conflict of laws issues.


Author(s):  
Gebremeskel Fekadu Petros

This chapter reflects on Ethiopian perspectives on the Hague Principles. Ethiopia does not have a codified law regulating matters of private international law, nor is there detailed case law from which one could derive key principles of the subject. While the shortage of private international law in Ethiopia is evident, the problem is most severe in the area of applicable law. In relation to party autonomy in choice of law, the Federal Supreme Court’s Cassation Division has handed down some interesting decisions, and these indeed have the force of law in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the approach of the Ethiopian courts in respect of party autonomy is not very developed and clear, including in the field of international commercial contracts. While it would be prudent for Ethiopian courts to refer to the Hague Principles as persuasive authority, this requires awareness of the existence of the Hague Principles. In the long term, the Hague Principles will surely find their way into Ethiopian law.


Author(s):  
Torremans Paul

This chapter provides an overview of the historical development of private international law as well as current theories on the subject. It first traces the early history and later development of private international law in England before discussing the varied approaches to private international law in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. In particular, it considers the theory of vested or acquired rights, local law theory, and the American revolution. Two general approaches common to most of the ‘revolutionaries’ are highlighted: the first is rule selection or jurisdiction selection, and the second is true and false conflicts. There are several rule-selection techniques such as governmental interest analysis approach, the comparative impairment approach, principles of preference, interpretation of forum policy, and choice of law factors. The chapter also examines the Europeanisation of private international law and concludes with an assessment of the theoretical or doctrinal basis of English private international law.


Author(s):  
Adrian Briggs

This book provides a survey and analysis of the rules of private international law as they apply in England. Written to take account of the various possible outcomes of the Brexit process, it goes as far as is possible to make sense of the effect this will have on English private international law. The volume covers general principles, jurisdiction, and the effect of foreign judgments; the law applicable to contractual and non-contractual obligations; and the private international law of property, of adults (the increasingly complex law of children is described in bare outline), and of corporations. This new edition of the text organizes the existing material in light of European legislation on private international law, reflecting the way in which an accurate representation of English private international law required it to be seen as European law with a common law periphery, instead of common law with European legislative influences. As at the time of writing—and probably for some time to come—the consequences of Brexit are a mystery, the attempt is made to describe the various possible shapes which the subject will assume in the future.


Author(s):  
V.C. Govindaraj

Conflict of laws, or private international law, is an increasingly important subject of study due to increasing movement and relocation of large number of people from one jurisdiction to another for personal and professional reasons. This book is a detailed and up-to-date study of conflict of laws and focuses on its three main areas: the law of obligations, law of property, and law of persons. It provides fresh perspectives on the subject and analyses its significance in the dynamic contemporary world. The work not only lucidly examines the inter-territorial conflicts but also lays a special emphasis on inter-personal disputes in the Indian context. It evaluates the role of various international instruments and conventions including The Hague Convention on private international law designed to resolve international conflicts. The book also discusses critical issues such as habitual residence, domicile, and obligations for shaping foreign contracts and torts. This revised edition elaborates on the recent developments in two areas of the subject, namely Muslim law and the law relating to guardianship.


This collection of essays is written in honour of Adrian Briggs, Professor of Private International Law at the University of Oxford. It recognises his outstanding contributions to the study and practice of the conflict of laws in England and internationally. The essays, written by experts from several legal systems, address topics ranging across the subject’s conventional lines of demarcation (jurisdiction, choice of law and the recognition and enforcement of judgments) and extending to its frontiers. Each of them engages with a particular aspect of the subject’s work. Separately, Professor Briggs’ close colleagues outline his many contributions to teaching and the wider academic community in Oxford and elsewhere.


2013 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth B Crawford ◽  
Janeen M Carruthers

AbstractThis article considers points of connection and coherence between and among the Rome I Regulation, the Rome II Regulation, and Regulation 1215, and relevant predecessor instruments. The degree of consistency in aim, design and detail of conflict of laws rules is examined, vertically (between/among consecutive instruments) and horizontally (across cognate instruments). Symbiosis between instruments is explored, as is the interrelationship between choice of court and choice of law. Disadvantaged parties, and the cohesiveness of their treatment under the Regulations, receive particular attention.


Author(s):  
Justin Leach

To inform those unfamiliar to the subject, private international law is simply that branch of a country’s domestic law, which regulates the relationship between private individuals when foreign legal rules are in some way concerned. This branch generally has three subbranches: Jurisdiction (choice of court), choice of law and recognition of foreign judgments. The discipline of characterisation forms part of the choice of law sub-branch and is explained further below. This article discusses the problem of a ‘gap’ arising from the phenomenon of characterisation in South African private international law, by considering the current case law authorities on the matter as well as the criticisms (and suggested solutions) of legal academics. A general discussion of characterisation, with some alternative suggestions for dealing with the problem, is also mooted for consideration in a bid to air ideas. No short work could do justice to the problem visited here. This work seeks to show that the obsession with characterisation in the choice of law arena is perhaps ill founded and should perhaps be simplified in favour of a ‘most natural results’ approach.


Author(s):  
Torremans Paul

This chapter provides an overview of the definition, nature, and scope of private international law. It first considers the space and time dimensions of private international law as well as three questions with which private international law is always concerned, namely: jurisdiction of the English court, recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, and the choice of law. It then explains the meaning of foreign law and the international variety of private international law rules before discussing two possible ways in which the lack of unanimity among the various systems of private international law may be ameliorated: unification of internal laws and unification of the rules of private international law. In particular, it examines the Europeanisation of private international law and the impact of European Convention on Human Rights on private international law. Finally, it addresses the issue of the name or title of the subject in private international law.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Saloni Khanderia

The Indian court’s rigid application of the last-shot rule to resolve the problem of the battle of forms among conflicting standard terms in domestic disputes has resulted in unreasonableness and has fostered the conclusion of contracts in bad faith. Likewise, although there is substantial evidence to prove the existence of party autonomy in the choice of law and jurisdiction under Indian private international law, its courts have failed to delineate a coherent solution for “battles” arising on these aspects. The paper thus examines the plausibility of employing the solutions prescribed by the unidroit’s Principles on International Commercial Contracts and the Hague Conference on Private International Law’s Hague Principles on Choice of Law in International Commercial Contracts on the subject, as gap-fillers to interpret, supplement or develop the Indian national and private international law.


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