Agency in Private International Law

Book excerpt: The Hague Agency Convention is of great importance for every lawyer involved (or interested) in international business and finance. Its provisions become relevant whenever one is dealing with agency relationships in the broadest sense in an international context. Its scope is not confined to the `traditional' commercial agency relationships between principals and their agents, but extends to many other situations where agency takes place, both directly and indirectly. The rules of the Convention are applied to find the laws governing both the internal and external agency relationships in all areas of international business and finance. The Convention has currently been ratified by four states (the Netherlands, France, Portugal and Argentina), but several countries have enacted legislation inspired by it, for the interpretation of which the Convention may have significance. Moreover, now that it has entered into force (in 1992), it is not unlikely that it will be ratified by more states. Agency in Private International Law presents a detailed analysis of the Convention, with references to the laws of various jurisdictions. References to legal systems other than that of the Netherlands have been checked by local lawyers.