U.S. implementation of the 2005 Hague Convention on Choice-of-Court Agreements

In a panel discussion, several executives shared their views on the US implementation of the 2005 Hague Convention on choice-of-court agreements. According to Keith Loken of the US Department of State, on Jan 19, 2009, the US signed the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements (Hague Convention). To date, Mexico is the only other country to have taken action with regard to the Convention, having acceded in 2007. However, it is expected that the European Community will sign the Convention next week in The Hague, and other nations such as Canada and Australia are reportedly considering how the Convention might be implemented in their domestic legal systems. Peter Trooboff of Covington & Burling, added that in the limited time available, he wanted to focus on what should be the objectives of the implementation of the Convention for the US and what would be the principal challenges in carrying out those objectives. He addressed this subject from a practitioner's perspective.