Comparative Commercial Law Project

This project is run by Professor Jeffrey Wool, and aims to address common gaps in courses teaching Transnational Commercial Law.

This project is run by Professor Jeffrey Wool.  It is a joint undertaking between the Commercial Law Centre, Harris Manchester College, the University of Oxford, and the Global Business Law Institute, the University of Washington.  It has two aims: first, to develop materials for the global teaching of Comparative Commercial Law (CCL); and secondly, to address common gaps in courses teaching Transnational Commercial Law (TCL).

The development and publication of materials suitable for an advanced CCL course is a main objective of the project.  That course may stand alone or be joined with, or connected to, a course on TCL.  Work on and publication of these materials will undertaken by the Commercial Law Centre.  Teaching and developing a global teaching network for CCL will be undertaken by the Global Business Law Institute.  These research and teaching activities will be interactive, enhancing each.

TCL is taught in many universities and law schools worldwide.  However, there is often a critical gap in the knowledge of students who take these courses.  First, students often have limited knowledge about the underlying transactions that are the subject of transnational commercial instruments (particularly beyond contracts).  Secondly, students are often unfamiliar with the basis legal principles that govern such transactions in jurisdictions other than their home jurisdiction.

Knowledge of the basic legal principles and the underlying transactions is central to understanding the process of creating, and the content of, transnational commercial instruments.  There is a need for a set of basic materials on CCL that TCL teachers can provide to students.  Research developed through the project aims to fill these critical gaps.

The materials developed through the project may be used in connection with the teaching of a standalone course on CCL.  This course is increasingly important, as lawyers are increasingly called upon to operate in a global market.

This is an open project, and collaboration with interested others is invited.

Progress on, and he results of, the project will be shared globally, including with teachers of CCL and TCL.  It will also be shared on this website, with the first major posting scheduled for the summer of 2017.