Drafting International Contracts

Drafting International Contracts is an essential resource for anyone working in international business. It features the latest trends, fostering an understanding of how international contracts are drafted in practice.

"Drafting International Contracts" is an essential resource for anyone working in international business. It features the latest trends, fostering an understanding of how international contracts are drafted in practice.

Resource added for the Global Business program 101381.

Drafting an international contract can be a risky business. Yet with the increasing globalization of markets, these cross-border contracts are becoming a common practice for most traders, as well as for the lawyers assisting them. At the same time, international contracts remain a difficult and mysterious subject for business people as well as their lawyers. In his new book, Drafting and Negotiating International Commercial Contracts, Professor Fabio Bortolotti, a world-renowned expert on contract law, clarifies the issues surrounding these contracts and provides solutions to the thorny problems they raise: choice of the applicable law choice of jurisdiction international arbitration the use of more international drafting techniques hardship, force majeure and liquidated damages As an added feature, this volume provides insights into the basic requirements of a well-drafted contract and analyzes in depth the negotiating process. It concludes with incisive commentary on the model contracts developed by the International Chamber of Commerce. Lawyers and other legal professionals will find in these pages the tools they need to ensure their contracts meet the requirements of a globalized world.

Compared to domestic transactions, the risks associated with international sales are greatly multiplied. It is a rare international sales agreement to rely on minor variations of standard terms, as is so often the case in domestic agreements. Foreign laws, export/import and currency exchange controls, treaties, transit issues, inspection of goods, insurance, tariffs – all these and more – must be taken into account in contract negotiations. This is the third edition of an enormously useful book that guides practitioners through the process of drawing up sound agreements for the international sale of goods. Organized according to the framework of an annotated agreement, with detailed commentary on each provision, it incorporates hundreds of sample clauses designed to cover every contingency, including such factors as the following (and a great deal more): • definitions; • price adjustments; • labelling; • transportation modes; • confidentiality; • INCOTERMS; • documentation; • delivery dates; • limitation of liability; • arbitration; and • corruption. Although the clauses are drawn without reference to any particular country, relevant considerations are covered in the commentary to each clause. Appendices reprint the texts of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), the UNIDROIT Principles, and the Principles of European Contract Law. For lawyers charged with drafting an international sales contract, this book is invaluable. Clause by clause, it clearly details the drafting process, commenting expertly on every issue likely to arise. It would be hard to find a more useful guide.

For well over a decade, this prized guide has served practitioners handling the legal ramifications of international contracting projects. The fifth edition expands on issues discussed in the earlier one, along with new topics that continue to redefine the researching, drafting, and execution of international contracts. All the invaluable features of earlier editions are of course still here, including analysis of key contract issues unique to various types of contracting, common contract clauses, contract checklists, insights gleaned from actual cases and arbitral proceedings, and clear explanation of the principles of good contract drafting. The major relevant international conventions, model laws, pertinent national laws, legal guides, and other documents and instruments are all covered, with primary texts provided in the appendices. Some of the new issues and topics covered include: new potential causes of force majeure and hardship (pandemics and BREXIT); review of Incoterms 2020; new clauses covered (anti-slavery, exclusion, interpretation, no-waiver, sub-contracting, sustainability clauses, among others); rise of new international commercial courts; legaltech, smart contracts, and artificial intelligence; ethics; implementation of technology in legal practice; enforceability of penalty clauses; Internet sales and agency contracts; long-term contracts and goodwill compensation; data protection and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); alliance, collaboration, and cooperation agreements; noncompete and nonsolicitation clauses; e-mail disclaimers; and separation and release agreements. The book acts as a single-volume reference in the negotiating and drafting of international contracts and offers expert insights regarding the reasonableness of many contract clauses and the likelihood of their enforcement in a foreign jurisdiction. An adroit combination of contract theory and contract practice, the book continues to provide guidance to law practitioners and students alike. “International Contracting is an excellent single volume reference that highlights the different issues relating to a variety of contracts. I recommend it to drafting attorneys writing domestic as well as transborder contracts.” – Christopher E. Howard (complex commercial transactions and development projects), Managing Partner, Pierce Atwood LLP, Portland, Maine “The latest edition of Professor DiMatteo's International Contracting constitutes a broad yet detailed coverage of international contract law and laws, as well as international practice. It drills down into the level of detail that supplies invaluable practical guidance of the sort not to be found in other publications.” – Professor Michael G. Bridge, London School of Economics “International Contracting is an ideal source for practitioners whether of the civil or common law. It also provides a concise review of international contracting issues and practices for the scholar and student interested in this area of law. I highly recommend it as a general resource on the topic.” – Michel Cannarsa, Dean & Professor, Lyon Catholic University