International Commercial Litigation

Three main questions arise when civil and commercial disputes before the English courts contain an international element. These are the questions that you will tackle in this thought-provoking module:

How do we decide which court can legitimately claim jurisdiction in relation to the dispute?

Which system of law will the court claiming jurisdiction apply to the dispute?

And, once a decision has been reached by the courts in one country, under what circumstances will that decision be recognised or enforced in the other country or countries?

For example: a contract between an English company and a French company is to be performed in Germany. Should the French, the German or the English courts hear the dispute? Should the contract be governed by French, German or English law? And, if the dispute is decided in England by an English court applying French law, can this decision be enforced against a German defendant in Germany?

This module is delivered through a series of seminars which aim to facilitate the discussion between you, your peers, and the lecturer who is typically in the field of commercial conflict of laws. The module is informed by the lecturer's research on issues of legal knowledge. You will be encouraged to form your own considered views on contentious issues