International Arbitration Law Library, Volume Number 57 Collaboration between multiple parties from different countries is one of the main challenges of almost every international undertaking, and this is especially true in the case of large and complex construction projects, such as airport terminals, interchange subway stations, distribution centers, industrial processing and manufacturing facilities or hydropower plants. This comprehensive analysis of key legal issues arising from interdependencies between multiple contracts methodically lays out, from a Swiss law perspective, the way in which coordination of works in construction projects could or should occur. It also examines the legal consequences of coordination failure and various related aspects of dispute resolution. Topics covered include the following: interfaces and interdependencies across the system boundaries of multiple contracts coordination responsibilities derived from the principle of good faith and from a contextual interpretation of interdependence-related FIDIC Red Book provisions; delegation scenarios; liability for breach of contract and legal remedies in case of delay, disruption, defects, destruction and performance impossibility; direct claims against third parties; taking of evidence under substantively intertwined contracts; and coordination of interrelated arbitration proceedings. The detailed analysis draws on numerous specific real-life examples as well as illustrative Swiss and Unites States case law. An appendix offers very useful practice pointers. Although considering Swiss law, which is a frequent choice for the law governing international construction contracts, the analysis deals with an array of conceptual aspects of multiple contracts and coordination, thereby addressing a great number of issues beyond the limits of national law. With its practical examples, the book is sure to be welcomed by those seeking to avoid or resolve disputes to which project coordination may give rise. It will prove of particular value to practitioners negotiating international construction contracts, arbitrators, in-house counsel representing owners and contractors involved in international construction projects, members of dispute review boards and project managers.

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.

This book provides a systematic presentation of the most important commercial contracts under Swiss law, i.e., the contract of sale, the contract for work and services, the simple mandate contract, and the commercial agency contract, as well as the licence agreement, the exclusive distribution agreement, and the settlement agreement. The book also contains an in-depth introduction of the Swiss law of obligations, covering topics such as the fundamental principles of contract law, the obligation (as the effect of the contract), the formation of contracts, contract interpretation, validity of contracts, agency, general terms and conditions, and breach of contract. After English law, Swiss law is deemed to be the most attractive law applicable to the parties' contract in an international context. At the same time, English is usually chosen as the language of the arbitration proceedings. This book will therefore be an indispensable resource for all English-speaking lawyers interested in international commercial arbitration.

Due to the globalized nature of modern commerce, arbitrators and legal counsel are often required to interpret contracts according to the rules of legal systems that are different from their own. Thus a thorough comparative examination of the principles of interpretation of contracts in major legal systems and uniform laws, such as this indispensable book provides, becomes an essential resource. The book examines the principles of contract interpretation found in seven legal systems—French, Italian, German, Swiss, Turkish, English, and U.S.—as well as in all applicable uniform laws, drawing on the case law and scholarship aligned with each. In addition to texts intended to unify or harmonize the law at a global level, the European Union’s uniform law texts, which constitute an important reference model for regional codifications, are also presented. The terminology peculiar to each system has been preserved in its language. Specific issues and topics raised include the following: “subjective” versus “objective” interpretation; historical reasons for basic differences in the approaches of individual legal systems; the principle of freedom of contract; good faith and fair dealing; rules that restrict the interpretation of contracts; and commercial usages. The author’s systematic presentation culminates in a proposal of a practical and universal method of interpretation of contracts. Given the importance of the interpretation of contracts in cross-border transactions, every practitioner of international arbitration will welcome this incomparable book’s easy access to the essential literature and case law in the legal systems and uniform laws they are most likely to encounter. Corporate counsel, scholars, and academics will discover the only detailed comparative overview available of the theory and practice of the interpretation of contracts.

Drawing on a large and varied body of judicial and arbitral case law, this book provides a comprehensive, original, and up-to-date account of the role of equity in international law.

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.