“International Commercial Transactions” Center for Business Law conference
(Boston, Revised 2/22/13) New England Law | Boston: When goods are sold across borders, what laws apply if parties fail to choose? What are the choices? How do these choices affect warranties, disclaimers, remedies, and dispute resolution?
Leading authorities from the United States, Canada, and Ireland considered these and other key questions in the Center for Business Law’s spring conference, International Commercial Transactions: Sales of Goods and Cross-Border Financing, on Thursday, February 21.
Panelists also discussed laws governing financing across borders, addressing security interests, problems of enforcement, and how to avoid pitfalls. The event was cosponsored by the Center for International Law and Policy, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest.
“Today we can’t just rely upon our domestic law to guide commercial transactions,” observed panelist Edwin E. Smith, partner, Bingham McCutchen LLP, Boston, and co-chair, Financial Services Area. “So many transactions touch more than one country, and disputes may be resolved in U.S. or foreign courts. This program focused on international secured transactions and explored planning and enforcement issues, as well as planning techniques, that take into account cross-border concerns that need to be addressed.”
Panelist Harry Sigman, attorney, Los Angeles, added, “With increasing globalization and the growth in number and complexity of cross-border transactions, it is increasingly important for lawyers to inform themselves about developments in foreign law and international efforts at harmonization.”
Other featured experts included Caterina Gardiner, lecturer, National University of Ireland, Galway, School of Law; Professor William P. Johnson, co-director, Center for International and Comparative Law, Saint Louis University School of Law; Professor Curtis W. Nyquist, New England Law; Antonin I. Pribetic, litigation counsel, Steinberg Morton Hope & Israel LLP, Toronto; Professor Ingrid Michelsen Hillinger, Boston College Law School; and Richard M. Kohn, principal, Goldberg Kohn LTD, Chicago.