Fundamentals of Transnational Business Law (Volume 1)

This book is born out of a teacher’s frustration with the scarcity of textbooks on transnational commercial law which are specifically aimed at students without a legal background. Its aim is therefore not to provide readers with the legal knowledge and tools necessary to solve international disputes but to give law beginners and non-lawyers a basic understanding of the legal issues associated with international trade, from a global perspective. The five Chapters of this book explore the nature of transnational law and find out who adopts it, who is subjected to it, as well as how it is applied. There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about transnational law making, even amongst law students. For example, few can distinguish the Council of Europe from the European Union and ignorance about the activities of entities in the United Nations’ System is widespread. Outside law faculties and other legal circles, legal matters enjoy little popularity except for criminal investigations and trials. This is unfortunate because law, and especially transnational law, has many practical and theoretical dimensions which can appeal to people with a wide range of interests. Where possible, these dimensions have been pointed out. It is very difficult to make law simple, in particular transnational law with its many layers of rules. But the subject can be presented in a somewhat systematic way which underlines its main features and patterns. Repeating the same basic notions also promotes the understanding of law. Accordingly, this book revisits the same legal elements or reasoning methods from different angles. Finally, a number of charts guide the reader through the maze of legal concepts and mechanisms. Due to its author’s background, this account of transnational law is centred on a European (possibly civil law) vision of law