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.

In this volume Mitchell examines case law, academic debate and the resurgence of interest in formalist contract interpretation in the US to explore the meaning of contextual interpretation, arguments for and against it and suggestions on how parties may influence the interpretation methods applied to their agreement. Identifying controversial issues, arguments and analyzing possible future developments, this book addresses a range of questions, including: How far should it be possible for courts, through the process of interpretation, to control the bargain made between parties? Are judges applying the principles of interpretation in the same way? What is the relevant context of an agreement? Should contracting parties be able to opt out of a particular interpretative approach by use of mechanisms such as entire agreement clauses? Short and concise, this is a useful reference tool for those interested in contract and tort law.

"As the book clearly explains, there are situations in which questions of contract law need to be examined by investment tribunals - mainly as preliminary or incidental questions, to determine issues such as contract liability or breach of contract, that in turn are assumed as a basis for the issues of investment law in dispute"--

The 5th edition provides thorough treatment of one of the most fundamental areas of law - the interpretation of contracts. All those drafting, revising or advising on written agreements will benefit from its detailed discussion of the rules of contract interpretation.

Lawyers involved in international commercial transactions know well that unforeseen events affecting the performance of a party often arise. Not surprisingly, exemptions for non-performance are dealt with in a significant number of arbitral awards. This very useful book thoroughly analyzes contemporary approaches, particularly as manifested in case law, to the scope and content of the principles of exemption for non-performance which are commonly referred to as 'force majeure' and 'hardship.' The author shows that the 'general principles of law' approach addresses this concern most effectively. Generally accepted and understood by the business world at large, this approach encompasses principles of international commercial contracts derived from a variety of legal systems. It's most important 'restatements' are found in the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (UPICC). Establishing specific standards and "case groups" for the exemptions under review, the analysis treats such recurring elements as the following: contractual risk allocations; unforeseeability of an impediment; impediments beyond the typical sphere of risk and control of the obligor; responsibility for third parties (subcontractors, suppliers); legal impediments (acts of public authority) and effect of mandatory rules; involvement of states or state enterprises; interpretation of force majeure and hardship clauses; hardship threshold test; frustration of purpose; irreconcilable differences; comparison with exemptions under domestic legal systems (impossibility of performance, frustration of contract, impracticability) The book is a major contribution to the development of the use of general principles of law in international commercial arbitration. It may be used as a comprehensive commentary on the force majeure and hardship provisions of the UPICC, as well as on Art. 79 of the CISG. In addition, as an insightful investigation into the fundamental question of the limits of the principle of sanctity of contracts, this book is sure to capture the attention of business lawyers and interested academics everywhere.

This is an overview of interpretation and gap filling mechanisms in international commercial contracts covering CISG, UNIDROIT Principles, PECL and DCFR.

This book is a unique and extensive comparative study of commercial contract interpretation across 14 selected jurisdictions, namely Croatia, England and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. Using a dynamic comparative case method, the focus is centered on the discussion of key legal problems, further examined in a detailed and comprehensive comparative analysis. Contributions written from a law and economics, and European private law perspectives place the key legal issues into context and make Interpretation of Commercial Contracts in European Private Law a coherent and valuable resource for academics and practitioners with a European or International focus.

With the growing complexity of international trade, practitioners in commercial law increasingly need access to scholarly sources and foreign case law. A goal of the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG) has been the standard of a “global jurisconsultorium,” where judges and arbitrators would share resources and consult what has been done in foreign jurisdictions. However, without the prior work of material-collecting, proper translation into English, and organization of the resulting abundance of material, compliance with this goal would be impossible. The Practitioner’s Guide to the CISG is a direct answer to that need and a decisive step toward fulfilling that goal. Written by three scholars from six different countries, the book represents the best analyses of CISG cases available anywhere. The chapters that follow provide legal counsel with easy, organized access to key, legal case abstracts drawn from multiple jurisdictions and valuable, summary comments on each article of the CISG.