At head of title : European Commission Research Project on Judicial Cooperation in Matters of Intellectual Property and Information Technology.

What legal principles apply when courts in different jurisdictions are simultaneously seised with the same dispute ? This question — of international lis pendens — has long been controversial. But it has taken on new and urgent importance in our age. Globalization has driven an unprecedented rise in forum shopping between national courts and a proliferation of new international tribunals. Problems of litispendence have spawned some of the most dramatic litigation of modern times — from anti-suit injunction battles in commercial disputes, to the appeals of prisoners on death row to international human rights tribunals. The way we respond to this challenge has profound theoretical implications for the interaction of legal systems in today’s pluralistic world. In this wide-ranging survey, McLachlan analyses the problems of parallel litigation — in private and public international law and international arbitration. He argues that we need to develop a more sophisticated set of rules of conflict of litigation, guided by a cosmopolitan conception of the rule of law. Quels principes juridiques font foi lorsque des tribunaux de différentes juridictions sont saisis simultanément pour le même litige ? La problématique de la litispendance internationale a longtemps été controversée. Mais, de nos jours, elle devient de plus en plus importante. La mondialisation a entrainé une augmentation sans précédent de surenchères judiciaires entre les tribunaux nationaux, ainsi qu’une prolifération de nouveaux tribunaux internationaux. Les problèmes de litispendance ont engendré quelques uns des litiges les plus dramatiques des temps modernes, allant des batailles d’anti-suit injunction lors de litiges commerciaux aux appels des prisonniers dans le couloir de la mort devant les tribunaux internationaux des droits de l’Homme. La manière dont nous faisons face à ce défi a de grandes implications théoriques pour les interactions des systèmes judiciaires dans notre monde pluraliste. Dans cette étude de grande envergure, McLachlan analyse les problèmes de litiges parallèles au niveau du droit international privé et public, ainsi que l’arbitrage international. Selon lui, nous devons concevoir de nouvelles règles plus sophistiquées concernant les conflits de litiges, tout en respectant une conception cosmopolite de l’Etat de droit.

The settlement of interstate disputes through recourse to courts and tribunals has grown gradually over the years, not only through the creation of new mechanisms to that effect, but also by using existing courts and tribunals. How these different international dispute settlement mechanisms operate in theory and practice is the subject of this comparative analysis by academic and practicing lawyers. The book takes stock of the procedure applicable in various interstate dispute settlement bodies, including international and regional courts and tribunals, and arbitration. This comparative view is essential to a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the various procedural rules and regulations and the practical operation of international litigation. This book is aimed not only at scholars, but also at the courts and tribunals themselves, assisting them in revising their procedures, and at States and organisations developing future international legal mechanisms.

This is a carefully structured, practice-orientated textbook. The strong comparative component provides a thought-provoking international perspective, while at the same time allowing readers to gain unique insights into international commercial litigation in English courts.

"The law governing international civil litigation has changed dramatically in the five years since the fourth edition was published. Recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court have had a significant impact on fields such as personal jurisdiction, sovereign immunity, and extraterritoriality. This current edition reflects those changes and raises important questions about the broader implications of those decisions ... Developments in this field are of course not limited to the United States. While the book still focuses primarily on United States law, the current edition deliberately incorporates more excerpts, more extensive references, and more questions concerning foreign law, especially European law. In part, this reflects an important reality--that successful practice in this area, even for the United States lawyer, requires a keen understanding of other legal systems". -- PREFACE OF THE FIFTH EDITON.

Twenty-first century lawyers practice law in a global village. They represent clients in negotiations for oil concession leases. They attend international treaty negotiations on behalf of sovereign states and environmental NGOs. They act as mediators in international child custody disputes and arbitrators for title to artworks displaced in war. They search the world for the right forum to bring claims for human rights violations, piracy prosecutions, and intellectual property protection. The successful 21st century lawyer is prepared to practice international dispute resolution, and this book is designed to assist in that preparation. It is a comprehensive treatment of the full range of dispute resolution processes, including negotiation, mediation, inquiry, conciliation, arbitration, and adjudication. The second edition updates and expands the first edition. It includes additional materials on international commercial arbitration as well as recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court, the International Court of Justice and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. New problems have been added and reading lists have been revised. Despite the new additions, the book remains highly teachable in a two or three credit-hour format. The law book market has many titles on arbitration and transnational litigation. This is the only casebook, however, that introduces students to all of the dispute resolution mechanisms available internationally. Lawyers today need this information as much as they need the standard first year required course on civil procedure.