Private International law

Whenever a dispute involves more than one country, questions are likely to arise about the applicable law, the courts with competent jurisdiction, the enforcement of judgments or awards, or international procedural questions of service or evidence. The rules of law which govern these issues are the rules of private international law (or 'conflict of laws').

A very high proportion of the work undertaken by members of 20 Essex Street has an international element and private international law is therefore relevant to much of our work. A number of members of chambers specialise in this increasingly complex area of the law.

Members of chambers are experienced in dealing with matters involving the Brussels I Regulation (and the associated Brussels and Lugano Conventions) on jurisdiction and judgments, the Rome I and Rome II Regulations on the law applicable to contracts and to non-contractual obligations respectively, and all other aspects of private international law. They often appear on applications for stays, injunctions or declarations concerning jurisdiction or service.

Several of us have experience in conducting litigation on these issues before the ECJ.

Members of 20 Essex Street have written extensively on Private International Law.