Monthly updates to the CISG Database
Read the most recent updates to the database.

• "Taming the World-Wide Web: Who Will Govern E-Justice?" presented at online Webinar, Internet Bar Organization (December 2011).

   

• "Judicial Review of Online Arbitration Awards" presented at the Fordham Law School ADR Symposium, New York (November 2011).

   

• "Developments at UNCITRAL Working Group III on ODR" presented at OECD 82nd Session of the Committee on Consumer Policy, Paris (presented remotely) (October 2011).

   

• "Developments in ODR at UNCITRAL" presented to the Information Technology Committee of the New York City Bar Association (September 2011).

   

• Book chapter: History of CISG & CISG at the Present in THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OF INTERNATIONAL SALES LAW (Larry DiMatteo ed.), Cambridge University Press (forthcoming 2012)(co-authored).

   

• Conference paper: Resolution Process Designated by the Draft ODR Rules, Conference Paper (A/CN.9/WG.III/XXIV/CRP.2) distributed at the UNCITRAL Working Group Meeting on Online Dispute Resolution (November 2011).

   

• Book chapter: Developing a Global Online Dispute Resolution System for Commercial Disputes in ONLINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (Ethan Katsh, Dan Rainey, Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab, eds.), Eleven International Publishing (forthcoming 2011).

CISG-Brazil Website Creates the Prof. Albert H. Kritzer Essay Contest on the CISG 

The Essay Competition was created in honor of Professor Albert Kritzer, creator of the CISG Database and scholar in international sales law.  The competition is sponsored by the Arbitration and Mediation Chamber of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce (CAM-CCBC). It is endorsed by the Brazilian Arbitration Committee (CBAr) and the Pace Institute of International Commercial Law. The first prize will consist of a sponsored travel to Cologne, Germany to attend the DIS/CENTRAL Arbitration (or Mediation) Academy, plus EUR 1,500 in books. The second prize consists in EUR 1,000 in books and the third prize consists of EUR 500 in books. All books should relate to the CISG or international commercial law & arbitration.   Submission of essays in Portuguese dealing preponderantly with the CISG may be posted until December 31, 2011. Further contact  information can be found at http://www.cisg-brasil.net/

Conference on International Sales Law
"The Global Challenge of
International Sales Law"
Hilton University of Florida Conference Center
Gainesville, Florida
November 11-12, 2011

The Institute is co-sponsoring a comprehensive conference on the CISG in the United States, drawing leaders from all over the world to speak on various international sales law topics.  To be attended by practitioners and academics.   For further information, click here.

Albert H. Kritzer International Law Conference on the CISG
São Paulo, Brazil
November 3-4

The Conference is organized in conjunction with the annual meeting of the CISG Advisory Council. The programme is at  <http://www.cisg-brasil.net/>. The organizers of the Conference are the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP), the CISG Brazil Website and the Brazilian Arbitration Committee (CBAr). Among the endorsers are UNCITRAL, the São Paulo Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Institute of International Commercial Law.

The Pace Institute of International Commercial Law Announces Winner of the Clive M. Schmitthoff Essay Competition

Rodrigo Momberg Uribe of Utrecht University, the Netherlands is the winner of the 2010 Essay Competition. Mr. Uribe is a PhD Candidate, Molengraaff Institute of Private Law, Utrecht University. The essay is entitled "Change of circumstances in international instruments of contract law. The approach of the CISG, the PICC, the PECL and the DCFR".

Law students whose essays have previously been awarded First Place in this annual event have been from New Zealand, Australia, the People's Republic of China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakstan, South Africa, Spain and the United States. Professors are encouraged to invite their students to consider participating in the Clive Schmitthoff Essay Competition of the Pace Institute and the College of Queen Mary. For more information click here.

Editorial Tribute to the late Albert H. Kritzer

Professor Jacob Ziegel from the University of Toronto included an editorial tribute to the late Professor Albert H. Kritzer in the Canadian Business Law Journal (June 2011). 

Click here to read the editorial.

The Future of Justice
How Technology is Shaping the Dispute Resolution Ecosystem
(IBO) A Webinar brought to you by The Internet Bar Organization
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011, 10am - 11:30 AM (ET)

Program participants will gain greater understanding of the past, present and future of online justice systems, how international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector are positioning themselves to shape the system, and how your business will be impacted as a result. Vikki Rogers has been invited to speak on the topic "Taming the Wild World Wide Web: Who Will Govern E-Justice?".

To learn more about this event go to http://future-justice.eventbrite.com/

The 2nd Working Group session on ODR (WG III) will be held from May 23rd-27th. A panel of leading private and public experts on ODR will report on the work of UNCITRAL as well as provide information on private initiatives in the field.

American Society of International Law
Conference on Teaching International Law Beyond the Classroom
Friday, May 6, 2011

Vikki Rogers will be a speaker at the conference on Teaching International Law Beyond the Classroom: Engaging Students in Experiential Learning, in Web 2.0, and in Historical and Empirical Research to be held at Pace University School of Law on Friday, May 6, 2011.

For more information click here.

Festschrift presented to Eric Bergsten at 18th Annual International Commercial Law Moot

Instituto Latinoamericano de Comercio Electrónico (ILCE)

Vikki Rogers has been invited to participate on two advisory boards for the Instituto Latinoamericano de Comercio Electrónico (ILCE) on initiatives for the Digital Economy. The first is on its Online Dispute Resolution Regional Program and the second is the Trustmark Regional Program eConfianza.

The Eighteenth Annual
Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
Vienna, Austria
April 15-21, 2011

In its 18th year, the Vis Moot is expected to draw to Vienna over 260 teams from approximately 65 jurisdictions.

For more about the Vis Moot click here.

Third Annual MAA Schlechtriem CISG Conference
14 April 2011, Vienna, Austria

The third Annual MAA Schlechtriem CISG Conference will be held on 14 April 2011 in Vienna, just before the start of the Vis Moot.

The conference will include excellent speakers from around the globe, including Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Schwenzer, Dr. Camilla Baasch Andersen, Prof. John Y. Gotanda, Prof. Franco Ferrari, Assoc. Prof. Dr. René Franz Henschel, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bruno Zeller, Dr. Pascal Hachem, Dr. Djakhongir Saidov, and Dr. Nils Schmidt-Ahrendts.

The conference is again sponsored by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and supported by UNCITRAL.

At the inaugural conference in Vienna in 2009, the conference was fully booked, therefore early registration is recommended.
 
Further details can be found in the attached flyer or at www.maa.net on the "conferences" link, where you can also register for the conference. Please direct any queries to Mr Arno Eisen or Ms Kimberley Young at cisg.conference@maa.net
conference flyer

Middle East Pre-Vis Moot
Presenting the Albert H. Kritzer Bridge of Friendship Award
27-31 March 2011, Bahrain

Comments on presentation of award by family and colleagues click here

Pittsburg Post-Gazette article on event click here

AFSIA, the Alumni and Friends of the School of International Arbitration
14 March 2011

In the context of the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court held at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, AFSIA, the Alumni and Friends of the School of International Arbitration at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary University of London, hosted a Roundtable discussion on Current Issues in Investment Arbitration Practice. Vikki Rogers is a member of the Steering Committee of the AFSIA.  Click here for more information.
 

Remembering John Honnold

The Institute is sad to report that Professor John Honnold, a seminal figure in the field of international sales law, died on January 21, 2011. He was a great man whose gentleness of spirit, and instinctive desire to understand the perspective of those with different backgrounds and views, established a culture of cooperation around the CISG that was truly vital to its unparalleled success. He had an unshakeable drive to push forward the development of a true world legal system and an extraordinary faith in the vital importance of that project. For further information posted by the University of Pennsylvania Law School please click here.

"A Practitioner's Guide to the CISG"

Institute fellows Francesco G. Mazzotta and Camilla Baasch Andersen along with Prof. Bruno Zeller recently released "A Practitioner's Guide to the CISG". See <http://www.jurispub.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=6866>. The book, which was produced under the auspices of the Pace Institute of International Commercial Law, "provides an excellent blueprint through the thicket of CISG jurisprudence. It admirably serves the function of a single volume desk book or general reference manual that should find a place on the desk of every international transactional attorney, as well as being a must purchase for law firm and law school libraries." Prof. Dr. Larry A. DiMatteo

Uniform Sales Law Conference
The CISG at its 30th Anniversary
A Conference in Memory of
Albert H. Kritzer
Belgrade, 12-13 November 2010

Vikki Rogers spoke at the Uniform Sales Law Conference held at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law. The title of her presentation was "The Establishment of a Global Jurisconsultorium for the CISG."

Fordham Law School
November 8, 2010

Vikki Rogers was a guest lecturer on November 8th at Fordham Law School, presenting to students on the latest developments on On-line Dispute Resolution (ODR).

ODR and Consumers 2010
Colloquium November 2-3, 2010 in Vancouver, BC

The Institute co-sponsoried a conference on Online Dispute Resolution in November. The ODR and Consumers 2010 Forum was held in Vancouver on November 2 and 3, 2010. For more information click here.

Advisory Committee Meeting
Private International Law at the State Department
October 29, 2010

Professor Rogers was the luncheon speaker at the Advisory Committee Meeting on Private International Law at the State Department on October 29th.  The title of her presentation was: “On-line dispute resolution: Has the future arrived?”

89th Annual Meeting of the American Branch of the International Law Association

Vikki Rogers spoke as a panelist on “Private International Law and Cross-Border Redress” on Friday, October 22nd. The title of her presentation was “Cross-Border Redress from the Seller’s Perspective”

Ewha Woman’s University
Seoul Korea

In October, Professor Rogers was a guest lecturer at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul Korea. She presented to students on international commercial arbitration.

Global Business Dialog on E-Commerce and Society Annual Conference
Tokyo, Japan

Vikki Rogers presented at the Global Business Dialog on E-Commerce and Society annual conference on October 14th , in Tokyo, Japan to leading executives from multinational companies on ODR legislative and system design developments.  Her presentation was entitled  “Economic Growth Opportunities for Consumers & Merchants in the New Millennium: Building a Global Redress System to Enhance Confidence in the Virtual Marketplace”.

She also met on October 15th with several leading Japanese Professors and Consumer Protection officials from the Japanese Government to advise on the International Consumer Advisory Network.

Southeast University Law School
Nanjing, China
September 27-October 12, 2010

Vikki Rogers taught a 10-day seminar on international sales law and arbitration at Southeast University Law School, China, as an invited guest professor, from September 27-October 12th.

Building a Global Small Claims System for Cross-Border Transactions

Vikki Rogers presented a paper “Creating New Gateways for Redress for Online Commercial Disputes: Recent Updates at the OAS and UNCITRAL” at a meeting hosted by The Gould Center for Negotiation at Stanford University on September 23rd at Stanford Law School.

Cross-Border Commerce and Online Dispute Resolution: Emerging International Legislative and Systemic Developments

Vikki Rogers and recent Pace graduate Christopher Bloch published Cross-Border Commerce and Online Dispute Resolution: Emerging International Legislative and Systemic Developments for the NY State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Journal (Fall 2010).

Vikki Rogers has been invited to serve as a member of the new Education Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association. 

The Institute of International Commercial Law was the instrumental NGO working on the recent assignment of online dispute resolution to a Working Group at UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Vikki Rogers authored a paper which was submitted to UNCITRAL in support of the assignment, and achieved endorsements from approximately 40 leading inter-governmental organizations and NGOs around the world.  Research assistant Nicole Sardinha was instrumental in the creation of the paper.  Pace graduate Nadine Yavru-Sakuk (2005) attended the UNCITRAL Working Group meeting on behalf of the Institute.  Pace graduate Gerard Mekjian (2004) also attended the Commission meeting as a member of the Armenian delegation.

Professor Albert Kritzer’s work is being presented at the International Academy for Commercial and Consumer Law

Professor Albert Kritzer’s work on General Principles for International Commercial Contracts was presented at the International Academy for Commercial and Consumer Law at the latest Academy meeting in Toronto, Canada.  Professor Kritzer was a member of this prestigious Academy.

ODR at UNCITRAL and the creation of a global ODR system

Vikki Rogers was interviewed and quoted in the Legal Tribune, an online legal journal of Der Spiegel (leading German magazine) on the recent developments on ODR at UNCITRAL and the creation of a global ODR system.

Institute a co-sponsor of the ODR conference by the Latin American E-commerce Institute
June 4, 2010 - 9am-12.15pm
Buenos Aires City, Argentina

"Designing a Global Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) System
for Cross-Border, Small Value e-Commerce Claims"

Vikki Rogers, Director of the Institute will present on the recent ODR Colloquium held at UNCITRAL in March.

 For Invitation click here

Professor Kritzer was honored with the 2010 ASCML Career Achievement Award at the the 4th Arab Conference for Commercial & Maritime Law, ACCML 2010

“The Economic and Legal Aspects for the Development of Seaborne Trade in the Euro-Med - In Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the CISG”

For full program, click here

On-Line Podcast
April 28, 2010 at 10:30AM

Damon Schwartz, Pace Law School and Vis Moot alum, currently clerking at the U.S. Court of International Trade for the Honorable Judge Delissa A. Ridgway, will be interviewing Professor Dr. Klaus Peter Berger, LL.M., author of the Creeping Codification of the New Lex Mercatoria, about his latest project -- the Trans-Lex.org website. Click here for more information about the podcast.

Below are links related to the participants in the pod-cast:

Professor Berger links:
http://www.trans-lex.org
http://www.central-koeln.de
http://www.private-dispute-resolution.com

Click here for more on Damon Schwartz

Second Annual International Commercial Law Lecture
with Alejandro Garro
Professor of Law
Columbia Law School
April 7, 2010, 3:30PM
Classroom Building, Room G02, Pace Law School
Co-sponsored by the IICL and the Pace International Law Society

>> View lecture video

Professor Garro spoke on "The Emerging International Rules on Cross-border Secured Financing and Registration: Challenges and Prospects" 

UNCITRAL and the Global Consumer Law Forum
Present a Colloquium on
A Fresh Look at online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and Global E-Commerce: Toward a Practical and Fair Redress System for the 21st Century Trader (Consumer and Merchant )
March 29-30, 2010
United Nations Vienna International Centre
Vienna, Austria

For a conference Program, click here.
For Podcasts click here.

Partnership between IACCM and Pace University School of Law's Institute of International Commercial Law

The International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) and Pace Law's Institute of International Commercial Law are partnered to conduct research regarding the drafting of escalation ("step") clauses in international contracts. This research aims to provide best practices clauses for insertion into international commercial contracts.

There is an upward trend towards the use of multi-step clauses, also known as escalation clauses, as the preferred alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") clause.  The IACCM and Pace Law's Institute of International Commercial Law partnered to conduct a survey of IACCM members on the subject, and prepared a manual for drafting multi-step clauses which examines legal and academic sources as well as the results from the line of surveys conducted.  This project sought to compare the content of the survey and assess the effectiveness and general use of multi-step clauses in the context of international commercial contracts.

The project team consisted of Christopher Bloch, Rebecca Emory, Roberto Pirozzi and Leslie Nadelman; and produced a drafting manual entitled "Drafting Step Clauses: An Empirical Look at their Practicality and Legality" and presented their results to an Ask the Expert Call on March 12, 2010.

Cick here for presentation of Pace Law and IACCM Step Clause Drafting Manual 
Click here for Pace Law and IACCM Step Clause Presentation

Pace Institute and JAMS co-sponsor a round-table discussion with
Renaud Sorieul, Director of UNCITRAL
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 8am-9am
JAMS, 620 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10018-1664

The Pace Institute of International Commercial Law and JAMS are co-sponsoring a round-table breakfast discussion with Renaud Sorieul, Director of UNCITRAL. Director Sorieul will be reporting on the current work of UNCITRAL, and possible future work, followed by a question and answer period. Persons interested in attending should contact Vikki Rogers (vrogers@law.pace.edu) or Adam Rosenfeld (arosenfeld@jamsadr.com). Space is limited.

Adj. Prof. Christopher Kee, LL.B. BA. (Hons) (Deakin), Grad Dip Laws (UQ) presented A Guide to Oral Argument in International Moot Competitions lecture.  It is intended for students, coaches, and professors involved in International Moot Competitions, with a particular emphasis on the Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and the Jessup International Moot. For more, click here.

Kathleen Scanlon, Esq. (KMS Law Offices), Professor Albert Kritzer (Pace Law School), and Professor Mark Shulman (Pace Law School) will discuss the results of the Institute’s study of over 300 CIETAC arbitral awards on the CISG, as well as Professor Shulman’s paper, The Diligent will be Shown the Path to Heaven: China’s Implementation of the UN Sales Convention, with Lachmi Singh, 48:2 Columbia Journal of Transnational Law.

CISG Advisory Council Meeting and
Conference: International Congress: Contract Law & International Commercial Arbitration
November 5-8, 2009
La Rioja, Spain

The next meeting of the CISG Advisory Council will take place in Logroño, the capital of the Province of La Rioja in Spain. The meeting will coincide with an international conference hosted by the University of La Rioja, organized by Prof. Pilar Perales Viscasillas. The conference will focus on the CISG, INCOTERMS, the UNIDROIT Principles and the future of harmonized trade law.

For further information on the CISG Advisory Council, see http://www.cisgac.com

Click her for further information on the International Congress and call for papers

One-Day CLE Program: Managing Your First Arbitration
September 22, 2009, 8:30am - 5:00pm
6 CLE Credits
Pace University, One Pace Plaza, New York, NY 10038
Co-sponsored by The College of Commercial Arbitrators, Institute of International Commercial Law, Pace Law School, The American Arbitration Association ®, JAMS, and the New York State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section.

This one-day event will provide attorneys who are new to arbitration with the skills, knowledge and confidence to handle the arbitration process from the case filing to the hearing.

For further information click here

Institute of International Commercial Law granted observer NGO status at UNCITRAL

The Institute of International Commercial Law at Pace Law School has been granted observer NGO status at the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).  Patrizia Netal is representing the Pace Institute at the UNCITRAL National Correspondent meeting on July 16th, in Vienna, Austria.  The Institute has had a long-standing relationship with UNCITRAL, partnering with UNCITRAL on various initiatives to collect and promote the dissemination of information on the UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG).  Both organizations are also co-sponsors of the upcoming conference, International Congress: Contract Law & International Commercial Arbitration, on November 5-8, 2009, to be held in La Rioja, Spain (http://www.congresomercantilrioja.es/). UNCITRAL is also one of the sponsors of the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot, directed by Pace Professor Emeritus Eric Bergsten.

April 14, 2009, 3:30PM
Inaugural International Commercial Law Lecture
with Dr. Ingeborg Schwenzer
Director of the Global Sales Law Project and Professor of Private Law
University of Basel Faculty of Law (Switzerland)

View lecture video

"The CISG – Success and Pitfalls"
Tudor Room, Preston Hall, Pace Law School
Co-sponsored by the IICL and the Pace International Law Society

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) has now gained worldwide acceptance. Today the CISG has 72 member states, nine out of ten leading trade nations being member states. It can be estimated that about 70% to 80% of all international sales transactions are potentially governed by the CISG. For more information click here.