Recueil Des Cours, Collected Courses, Tome 388

The Law Governing International Commercial Contracts: Hard Law Versus Soft Law by Michael Joachim Bonell
and
The Private-Public Divide in International Dispute Resolution by Burkhard Hess
About the Author: Michael Joachim Bonell, born 1 April 1945 in Ritten, Südtirol, Italy.
Emeritus Professor of Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, University of Rome I "La Sapienza" (since 2013); former Director of the Institute of Comparative Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Rome I "La Sapienza"; former Director of the Center for Foreign and Comparative Law Studies, Rome; law degrees honoris causa, University of Louvain-La-Neuve (1996); University of Basel (2001); Associate Professor of Commercial Law, University of Camerino (1972-1979); full time Professor of Commercial Law, University of Camerino (1980-1982); full time Professor of International Trade Law, Catholic University of Milan (1983-1986); full time Professor of Private Comparative Law, University of Rome I "La Sapienza" (1987-2013).
Visiting Professor at the University of Mainz (1984); Columbia University School of Law (1993, 1999, 2001); University of Oxford (1996); University of California School of Law at Davis (1998); University of Würzburg (2016, 2017); Temple University School of Law (Summer Programme) (2000, 2002); University Panthéon-Assas Paris II (Summer Course) (2009); University of Fribourg (Master Course) (2009, 2010).
General Reporter at the XVth International Congress of Comparative Law (Bristol, 1998) and at the XIXth International Congress of Comparative Law (together with Olaf Meyer) (Vienna, 2014); Consultant at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), Rome (since 1978); Chairman of the Working Group for the preparation of the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (1994, 2004, 2010 and 2016 editions).
Member of the Italian delegation to the Diplomatic Conference for the adoption of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (Vienna, 1980); Representative of Italy to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) (1980-2000); Chairman of the XXIIIrd Plenary Session of UNCITRAL (1990); Member of the Commission for European Contract Law ("Lando Commission") (1981-2001); Advisor to the Study Group for a European Civil Code (2001-2008); Member of the Research Council of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG-AC) (since 2001); Member of the International Academy of Commercial Law and Consumer Law (since 1986); Corresponding Member of the Institute of International Business Law and Practices (ICC, Paris) (since 1987); membre titulaire of the International Academy of Comparative Law (since 1990); Member of the American Law Institute ("Member of the Legal Profession from Foreign Countries") (since 1995); Member of the Austrian Academy of Science ("Korrespondierendes Mitglied der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften") (since 1998).
Editor in chief of the database UNILEX - International Case Law and Bibliography on the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (http: //www.unilex.info).

Burkhard Hess, born on 17 July 1961 in Worms, citizen of Germany.
Since September 2012 (founding) Director of the Max Planck Institute, Luxembourg, for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law. Honorary Professor at Heidelberg University and the University of Luxembourg.
Universities of Würzburg, Lausanne and Munich. First and Second State Exams (with distinction) (in 1987 and in 1992). Assistant at the University of Munich (1989-1991 and 1992-1995). PhD (summa cum laude) (1990); Dr. jur. habil. at the University of Munich (venia legendi in civil law, civil procedural law, private international law, European law and public international law) (1995).
Professorship for civil law at the University of Erlangen (1995-1996). Chair for civil law, civil procedure and private international law at the University of Tübingen (1996-2003). Dean of the law faculty (2000-2002). Professor of law at Heidelberg University, Faculty of Law, and Director of the Institute for Private International, Foreign and Economic Law (2003-2012), dean (2006-2008). Judge at the Higher Court of Appeal Karlsruhe (2009-2012).
Doctor honoris causa at the University of Ghent (2015) and at the International University of Thessaloniki (2016).
Guest Professor at Renmin University (Beijing) (2002); Guest Professor (professeur invité) at the University of Paris I (Sorbonne) (2006-2009); Guest Professor at the University of Georgetown, Washington DC (2009); Scholar-in-Residence at the New York University School of Law (2016 and 2017).
President of the German Association of International Procedural Law (Wissenschaftliche Vereinigung für Internationales Verfahrensrecht) (since 2009); Member of the Presidium of the International Association of Procedural Law; Chairman of the ILA Committee on the Protection of Privacy in Private International and Procedural Law; Member of the Board of the German Branch of the International Law Association (Deutsche Vereinigung für Internationales Recht); Member of the Council of the German Society of International Law; Member of the Advisory Board on Private International Law (German Federal Ministry of Justice); External Member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts; Associate Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law; Member of the Academia Europaea; Honorary Corresponding Fellow of the "Associazione italiana fra gli studiosi del processo civile" (since 2015); Corresponding Non-Resident Foreign Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Bologna Institute (since 2016); Member of the "Comité français de droit international privé" (2017).
Acts regularly as an expert for private international and procdural law for the European Commission, the European Parliament, Council of Europe, Deutscher Bundestag and the IMF. Extensive practice and experience as a consultant and legal expert in international litigation and arbitration.