Comparative Contract Law: An Introduction

National legal systems have their own principles and rules on contract law. The trans-nationalization of trade and legal practice involves acting in the context of legal diversity.

This book provides an introductory overview of the main issues of contract law from a comparative perspective, focusing on the legal traditions of civil law and common law.

Featuring short theoretical overviews, followed by cases selected from various jurisdictions, the book shows the concrete application of the principles and rules involved.

Civil law and common law represent two different models of dealing with contract law issues. The book focuses on the French, German, and Italian experiences and on the English legal system, the latter being the main source of inspiration for other common law countries, with some significant exceptions. Topics covered include the structure of contract law and the rules about its formation and interpretation, the role of pre-contractual negotiations, the consequences of mistakes, and breach and supervening events (including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic). Readers will learn about common problems that are faced when contracting with parties coming from different jurisdictions, whilst also acquiring a deeper understanding of the approach of their own legal system.

This book will be key reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of comparative contract law, and contract law more generally.

Ermanno Calzolaio is Full Professor of Private Comparative Law since 2006. He was Dean of the Department of Law at the University of Macerata, Italy, between 2012 and 2018, and has also been a visiting professor at universities around the world (Australia, China, France). He is also a member of the board of the Italian Association of Comparative Law (AIDC), the International Academy of Comparative Law and the Italian Evaluation Board for research in law.