There is an urgent need to better understand the legal issues pertaining to alternative dispute resolution (ADR), particularly in relation to mediation clauses. Despite the promotion of mediation by dispute resolution providers, policy makers, and judges, use of mediation remains low. In particular, problems arise when parties lack certainty regarding the legal effect of a mediation clause, and the potential uncertainty regarding the binding nature of agreements to pursue mediation is problematic and threatens the growth of ADR. This book closely examines the importance and complexity of mediation clauses in commercial contracts to remedy this persistent uncertainty. Using comparative law methods and detailed empirical research, it explores the creation of a comprehensive framework for the mediation clause. Providing valuable insight into the process of ADR and mediation, this book will be of interest to academics, law makers, law students, in-house council, lawyers, as well as parties interesting in drafting enforceable mediation clauses.

This book tackles one of the most challenging fields of research and practice in the current global trade environment: integrating doctrines of private and public law for the purpose of international commerce and trade. Traditional concepts of obligatory and proprietary claims and rights reach their limits when placed within an international context of litigation funding, liability and securitisation. Across disciplines, scholars and practitioners are seeking new ways of expanding and reconnecting novel products and services such as data; and the use of international dispute settlement with indispensable constitutional values and democratic processes is also growing. This book combines contributions on current issues in commercial contract and contract law, making an important contribution to the areas of substantive contract law and arbitration procedure that connect issues across disciplines. Exploring both substantive and procedural laws, the book explores unfair terms in non-consumer contracts, which is complemented by a broader contextual discussion of the regulation of platform operators in the European Union; while a discussion of the procedural role of public reporting of investment arbitration awards by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) expands on the procedural aspects of arbitration within the wider context of the rule of law debate. Debating policy issues in general private law reform, and including a juxtaposition of a traditionalist continuation-oriented approach and a call for radical reform of entrenched and outmoded private law concepts to suit global commerce, this book will be of interest to students, academics and practitioners working in the area of commercial contract law and arbitration.

Any practising lawyer and student working with international commercial contracts faces standardised contracts and international arbitration as mechanisms for dispute settlement. Transnational rules may be applicable, but national law is still important. Based on extensive practical experience, this book analyses international contract practice and its interaction with the various applicable sources: which role is played by the contractual regulation, which by national law, which by transnational sources, what is the interaction among these factors, and how does this all apply to contracts that refer disputes to international arbitration?

The vast bulk of claims in international commercial arbitration are contractual in nature. Viewed through that lens, what comes to occupy centre stage in the arbitration of disputes is the choice of applicable contract law. This book breaks new ground by for the first time focusing in depth on the contract law chosen by the parties to be applied to disputes. The author uses a comparative-inductive methodology to analyse why – according to statistics of the International Chamber of Commerce – English, New York, and Swiss contract law outperform transnational and other contract law regimes in the choice-of-law provision of business contracts. He finds that these three bodies of law share a firm commitment to enforcing the contract as written, thus prioritizing certainty, stability, and predictability, and clearly recognizing the parties’ right to determine for themselves (and have arbitrators and courts respect) central issues such as risk allocation and price. Starting from a detailed comparative examination of traditional and contemporary theories of contract, the author develops a minimalist approach that is acceptable to lawyers with a civil or common law background and that facilitates dealmaking by providing a clear set of hard-edged rules in four areas – formation of contracts, invalidity and public policy, contract interpretation, and damages for breach – and showing how each of the three contract regimes that are dominant in practice manifests his approach. With its emphasis on pragmatic adjudication grounded on facts and consequences rather than on conceptualisms and generalities, the book greatly enhances the ability of arbitrators to make decisions based on legal arguments that fit the setting of international commercial arbitration. It is sure to become established as a tool to achieve the defined objective of facilitating cross-border commercial transactions as well as providing arbitrators with a set of rules for the interpretation of contractual provisions and the quantification of damages. ‘Peter Sester confronts the reality that disputes in commercial arbitration are overwhelmingly contract-based, and properly directs our attention away from the contract by which the parties agreed to arbitrate to the contract by reference to which they intended their disputes to be adjudicated. This is a most welcome move and one that cannot help stimulate those whose interests are similarly situated on the frontier between the law of arbitration and the law of international contracts.’ Prof. George A. Bermann Columbia University, New York City ‘This is a book that is not only useful but also close to market expectations. ... Summing up, I would like to congratulate Peter Sester for giving us a free-market society book. He provides his readers with much food for thought and a remarkable admonition not to replace the parties’ work with public policy considerations.’ Prof. Dr Peter Nobel Emeritus Universities St. Gallen and Zurich, Switzerland

Swiss contract law is among the most frequently chosen laws for commercial contracts. This practice-oriented book provides a comprehensive description of the basics of Swiss contract law with an emphasis on topics and contracts that are frequently in dispute between commercial parties. Grounded in a remedies-based approach, the analysis draws primarily on a thorough examination of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court’s case law. With numerous references to decisions of that court and informal translations of the most important parts, the issues and topics covered include the following: relationship between the Civil Code and the Code of Obligations; legal capacity to enter into a contract; required scope of the parties’ mutual expressions of intent; defects in consent; amending the content of a contract due to changed circumstances; performance of contractual obligations; concluding a contract via a third party; multiple creditors and/or debtors; breach of contract and legal remedies; termination of contracts; and specific contracts of particular commercial relevance (sales contract, contract for work, mandate agreement, settlement agreement). The remedies at the centre of the book make its details particularly accessible to foreign practitioners, notably those with a common law background. With its focus on dispute resolution, the book will equip practitioners with a confident understanding of how Swiss law regulates the creation, performance, termination, and enforcement of commercial contracts. It will prove of immeasurable value to corporate counsel and international law firms.

By means of the analysis of more than 20 national jurisdictions of different legal and geographical origin this book provides a general understanding of the developments that civil and commercial mediation is currently undertaking across the world. The book combines 25 national reports with a General Report analyzing the major trends in civil and commercial mediation worldwide. A number of the key variables that make mediation so effective are studied in depth in the book. The concept of mediation, that varies from country to country. Its legal framework and the branches of public and private law in which it is used. The legal condition of the mediation agreement and its relevant conditions of form and content, the responsibilities of the parties in the event that they violate this agreement and the effects of this agreement on potential recourse to the courts or to arbitration, as well as with regard to pending cases. As well as the role played by the mediator, his or her appointment or designation, legal and ethical responsibilities, and the role of institutions in mediation. As well as the mediation process, its applicable rules and principles and its costs are analyzed on comparative basis. The book also pays special attention to the outcome of mediation. The enforceability of the settlement reached both in domestic and cross-border mediations constitutes a basic element for the success of the institution and is thoroughly studied. This volume constitutes a unique instrument for those interested on mediation, either practitioners, judges or academics.

An original, comprehensive study of the legal and regulatory issues surrounding commercial mediation across numerous jurisdictions.