【Out Now – Open Access】Commercial Private International Law in Southern Africa: Comparative and International Perspectives: Essays in Honour of Professor Christopher F Forsyth KC
Professor Christopher F. Forsyth is undoubtedly one of the leading figures in private international law in Africa, particularly in Southern Africa, where his scholarship has had a profound and lasting influence. His seminal work, Private International Law – The Modern Roman-Dutch Law Including the Jurisdiction of the High Courts (5th ed., Juta, 2012), is not only an indispensable reference for scholars and researchers, but also an authoritative work before Southern African courts, where it is frequently cited with approval.
Registration Open for Bonn Conference on “International Filiation Law in the EU”, 24 / 25 September 2026
Registration is now open for the already announced conference on “International Filiation Law in the EU” dealing with questions of filiation law resulting from the EU Parenthood Proposal. More information and the registration link can be accessed at the website of the conference. Registration is esp. important for the conference dinner as spots are limited and will be provided on a first come basis.
CoL.net: New Editors
We are delighted to welcome two new editors to the Blog’s Editorial Board.
Janaína Albuquerque Azevedo Gomes is an attorney admitted in Brazil and Portugal focusing on international family law. She has experience across numerous countries and sectors, including the Brazilian government and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).
Gustavo Ferraz de Campos Monaco is professor of private international law at the University of São Paulo, where he works at the intersection of private international law and general legal theory.
We are looking forward to their contributions.
Webinar on the New ICC Arbitration Rules
On 8 July, King&Spalding will be hosting a webinar on the new ICC Arbitration Rules, which entered into force last month.
The webinar will feature contributions from multiple members of the firms arbitration practice as well as a Q&A.
More information and an option to register can be found here.
Conference on Wills Substitutes (Lausanne, 8 September 2026)
On 8 September 2026 Andrea Bonomi and the Centre for Comparative, European and International Law of the University of Lausanne are organizing a conference titled „Wills substitutes” in comparative and private international law.
Speakers include: Michael W. Galligan (New York), Edward Reed (London) and Jeffrey Talpis (Montreal), Charlotte Wendland (Munich), Sophie Lambert (Aix-Marseille), François Derème (Mons), Angelo Chianale (Turin), Francesco Schurr (Liechtenstein) and Julien Perrin (Lausanne).
Discussions will be held partly in French and partly in English.
The full programme is available here.
Participants may join onsite in Lausanne or online. The registration form can be found here. University scholars may contact the organizer for discounted rates (at andrea.bonomi@unil.ch).
Online Book Launch – Choice of Law for Consumer Contracts in Theory and Practice
The following announcement has kindly been shared with us by Dr. Benedikt Schmitz.
Save the Date: 4 November 2026
Online Book Launch – Choice of Law or Consumer Contracts in Theory and Practice
We are pleased to announce an upcoming virtual book launch for Dr. Benedikt Schmitz’s new monograph, Choice of Law for Consumer Contracts in Theory and Practice (Edward Elgar Publishing). The event is hosted by the WEAKER PIL research line (weakerparties.eu).
- Date & Time: 4 November 2026, 15:00 – 17:00 CET, online
- Topic: The event will examine cross-border consumer protection and the complex conflict-of-laws frameworks regulating the global surge in online shopping. Panelists will discuss many aspects of Article 6 Rome I Regulation, including the historical dimensions of consumer protection in applicable law, the targeting test and consumer definition, the restriction to party autonomy, its ex officio application, and the US American approach to cross-border consumer contracts.
Second LJUBLJANA PIL Conference – express registration up to 30 June!
On 10 September 2026, the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, in cooperation with the Institute for Comparative Law, will host the Second Private International Law Conference, a regional forum dedicated to current developments and emerging challenges in private international law. The conference will bring together leading academics, judges, attorneys, arbitrators, and legal practitioners from Slovenia and across Europe to discuss some of the most significant issues arising in cross-border legal practice. With the aim of engaging the international private international law community while also fostering the development and use of Slovenian legal terminology, the conference programme is divided into two parts: a morning session in Slovenian and an afternoon session in English. Abstracts of all presentations will be available in both languages.
Praxis des Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts (IPRax) 4/2026: Abstracts
The latest issue of the „Praxis des Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts“ (IPRax) features the following articles:
Virtual Workshop (in English) on July 7, 2026: Christopher Whytock on “Conflict of Laws Through a Human Rights Lens”
On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, the Hamburg Max Planck Institute will host its monthly virtual workshop Current Research in Private International Law at 03:30 p.m. – 05:00 p.m. (CEST).
Christopher Whytock (University of California) will speak, in English, about the topic
“Conflict of Laws Through a Human Rights Lens”
The relationship between human rights and conflict of laws (private international law) is the subject of extensive scholarship in Europe, but almost entirely neglected in the United States. Inspired by European scholarship, this project attempts to extend human rights-oriented analysis to conflict of laws in the United States. It proposes a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between human rights and conflict of laws in the abstract, applies the framework to conflict of laws in the United States, and offers comparative insights.
The presentation will be followed by open discussion. All are welcome. More information and sign-up here.
If you want to be invited to these events in the future, please write to veranstaltungen@mpipriv.de.