International Business Transactions

As suggested by its title, this e-book presents student-oriented materials focused on legal issues common to international business transactions. With an emphasis on sales of goods and services, the materials review international transactions from both the private law and governmental regulatory perspectives, domestic and international.

Several features of the book distinguish it as a teaching tool from more traditional law school offerings. First, the book is offered in an electronic format which is designed to make extensive use of web-based resources. Among other advantages, this format (1) provides much cheaper, flexible and more accessible learning materials for students; (2) takes advantage of the excellent web-based resources that students are accustomed to using, including multi-media content; and (3) creates a flexible framework that allows professors to adapt, improve or otherwise modify content to suit their needs during successive iterations of the course. Second, the materials and format are designed to encourage students to take a more active role in their learning with an emphasis on skills building. Each chapter presents a problem and typically asks students to address legal issues as a practicing lawyer would, working through primary materials — cases, statutes and treaty texts. Third, the materials are written and prepared for the uninitiated and uninformed. Basic background explanations are always provided and all questions posed in the text are meant to be answered by the students — there are no abstract, obtuse or unanswerable questions set out in the materials. With guidance from their instructor, students are required to examine the material provided not only to learn the relevant law but also to build the essential skills of effective lawyering.