Private International law

This subtopic is intended to cover the main areas where private international law (also known as conflict of laws) is relevant to private client practice. Topics covered include the administration of estates, succession, family and matrimonial matters, situs of property, mental capacity and the execution of documents. We shall continue to add content on these and other topics, depending on the needs of our clients.

What is private international law?

The branch of English law known as private international law (PIL), in contradistinction to both the ordinary local or domestic law of England and public international law, is concerned with cases having a foreign element. By a 'foreign element' is meant a connection with some system of law other than English law.

The conflict of laws rules are part of the domestic laws of a particular jurisdiction and can differ from one jurisdiction to another. When events or transactions involving civil and commercial matters are not confined within the borders of a single country, the domestic legal systems of the different countries involved may have substantive laws that govern the subject matter of the legal dispute

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