The book provides the commercial lawyer with a detailed analysis of the various statutory and contractual requirements relating to the law of guarantees. It also examines the guarantor's liability and right against both creditors and debtors. A thorough knowledge of the law and practice surrounding guarantees is essential for lawyers in all areas of commercial law, given the complex borrowing and finance requirements of modern industry and institutions. This is the 6th edition of the highly successful book on Guarantees by Geraldine Andrews QC and Richard Millett QC. The book is considered the pre-eminent treatise on the subject of guarantees in the UK.
A number of practical implications and issues can arise in the daily functioning of independent (first demand) guarantees and standby letters of credit. Bank Guarantees in International Trade provides a comprehensive, highly readable study of the legal and practical aspects and implications of these instruments, broadening the reader's understanding of the law on the subject. This work comprises all reported case law from the Netherlands, Germany, France, The United Kingdom, and Belgium and also takes into account the law in certain other European countries And The United States. it examines the governing law of bank guarantees in numerous regions, particularly within the Middle East and North Africa. The Appendix includes, among other materials, The text of the 1992 ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees, The 1995 UNCITRAL Convention, and many sample texts. Its transnational perspective enhances the value of this work, making it useful in other jurisdictions. This second edition contains thoroughly revised, updated, and amended material which reflects new developments in the law and changing patterns in practice and accounts For The introduction of new techniques and problem areas. Bankers and lawyers in particular will find Bank Guarantees in International Trade an insightful and informative work.
This volume provides coverage of syndicated bank credit agreements and loan transfers, international bond issues including equity-linked bonds, note programs and high yield notes, bondholder trustees and collective action clauses and more.
This book is the first to provide an extensive analysis of the range of defences to payment under letters of credit and demand guarantees. It considers the extent to which different defences undermine the abstraction of these instruments. This is a fundamental issue, since letters of credit and demand guarantees are designed to be abstract, or autonomous, from the underlying contract that called for their use. The purpose of that abstraction is to provide certainty of payment, but the various defences diminish that certainty. The book examines the spectrum of defences that are frequently litigated and debated in international practice: fraud in the documents, nullity, fraud affecting deferred payment letters of credit, fraud as no honest belief, unconscionable conduct and illegality. Vitally, the book provides analysis of the relevant judicial decisions and offers clear practical guidance on which defences are most suitable for each instrument. As the instruments are heavily used in international trade, this work is particularly suited to financial and commercial law practitioners who draft agreements, as well as those who advise on disputes concerning these instruments. Accessible and engaging, the book is also relevant for academics and students.
A refund guarantee is an essential component of almost every shipbuilding project, without which the buyer will be unwilling or unable to proceed. There is no standard form of refund guarantee in universal usage, and both the form and substance of refund guarantee instruments vary widely from case to case. The ambiguity or uncertainty of the meaning of refund guarantee instruments, against a backdrop of a sharp downturn in the shipping markets, has led to numerous disputes in recent years concerning refund guarantees, which have been the subject of a number of important decisions of the English Courts. This is the first English law text book dedicated to the subject of refund guarantees. It provides essential guidance as to the issues arising and the pitfalls to be avoided. It analyses the specimen form of guarantee annexed to Bimco’s NEWBUILDCON form, and covers topics such as the circumstances in which the liability of the guarantor may be discharged, and when a builder may be entitled to obtain an injunction to restrain payment under a refund guarantee. It will be an essential and practical guide for those engaged in the shipbuilding industry, including shipbuilders, shipowners, banks and insurance companies, P&I clubs, and those advising them.
The First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution begins: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ." The Supreme Court has consistently held that these words, usually called the "religion clauses," were meant to prohibit laws that violate religious freedom or equality. In recent years, however, a growing number of constitutional law and history scholars have contended that the religion clauses were not intended to protect religious freedom, but to reserve the states' rights to legislate on. If the states' rights interpretation of the religion clauses were correct and came to be accepted by the Supreme Court, it could profoundly affect the way the Court decides church-state cases involving state laws. It would allow the states to legislate on religion-even to violate religious freedom, discriminate on the basis of religion, or to establish a particular religion. This book carefully, thoroughly, and critically examines all the arguments for such an interpretation and, more importantly, all the available historical evidence. It concludes that the clauses were meant to protect religious freedom and equality of the individuals not the states' rights
The Shared Responsibility in International Law series examines the underexplored problem of allocation of responsibilities among multiple states and other actors. The International Law Commission, in its work on state responsibility and the responsibility of international organisations, recognised that attribution of acts to one state or organisation does not exclude possible attribution of the same act to another state or organisation, but has provided limited guidance on allocation or reparation. From the new perspective of shared responsibility, this volume reviews the main principles of the law of international responsibility as laid down in the Articles on State Responsibility and the Articles on Responsibility of International Organizations, such as attribution of conduct, breach, circumstances precluding wrongfulness and reparation. It explores the potential and limitations of current international law in dealing with questions of shared responsibility in areas such as military operations and international environmental law.
Letters of credit and bank guarantees are the most important financial instruments in international exchange. Matti S. Kurkela, a leading expert in the field, presents an advanced, extensive study and guide to letters of credit. The author analyzes the material rules and principles applicable to them; conflict of laws as well as law merchant applied regardless of place of operation or nationality of the parties involved. Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees under International Trade Law is the only true guide whose focus is on international law and choice of applicable law, with comparisons of the UCP, the UCC and selected national laws. Bank attorneys, international bankers, commercial bankers, international trade and finance attorneys in law firms, in-house counsel, financial institutions, and academia will find this a clearly written, invaluable guide to the latest rules, case law and practice relating to these financial instruments. The new, expanded Second Edition includes: - Analysis and comparison of commercial and standby credits, bank guarantees and bonds in use in international exchange - Introduction to the various sets of rules in use in international operations and banking - Changes made to the UCC Article 5 and UCP 600 - New development and landmark decisions and case law since the publishing of the first edition - Guidance to and analysis of inter bank relationship, indemnity agreements and reference to sample documentation, and numerous sample clauses - Reference to statutory laws of lcs in various countries
Familiarity with guarantees and how they function under various national jurisdictions are essential for principals, guarantors, and beneficiaries of international contracts. This enormously useful handbook provides a practical overview of the guarantee regimes in twenty-eight European countries, with country-by-country contributions from regional expert practitioners and academics. For easy comparison, each country report follows the same structure, from preliminary discussion on the provisions of a guarantee to its negotiation, drafting, and enforcement. Focusing on specific issues to consider at every stage, each chapter provides detailed information and guidance on such aspects as the following: . who can issue guarantees; . limitations as to the type of obligations which may be subject to a guarantee; . issues relating to the protection of the contracting parties; . formal requirements which need to be complied with; . stamp duties or other tax payable; . presence of implied terms; . legal framework applicable to joint and several obligations; . modification of the situation; . conditions for release and actions to be taken to ensure a valid release; . opening of bankruptcy proceedings against the principal; . court enforcement; and . incorporation of uniform rules. Each chapter includes references and model guarantee forms that readers can use to draft their own documents. Invaluable to corporate counsel and law firms with an international practice, this peerless handbook will prove the first order of business in trade negotiations across Europe, among European nations themselves as well as with their global partners.