CURRICULUM VITAE

Michael Joachim Bonell

born in Bozen (South Tirol), Italy, in 1945
Professor Emeritus at the University of Rome I "La Sapienza"
e-address: mj.bonell@unidroit.org

Awards

Law Degrees Honoris Causa of the Universities of Louvain-La-Neuve (1996), Basel (2001) and Würzburg (2022)

Teaching Experience

Full time Professor of International Trade Law, Catholic University of Milan (1983-1986)
Full time Professor of Private Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, University of Rome I "Sapienza" (1986 - 2015)
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), Temple University School of Law Summer Programme (2000, 2002), University Panthéon-Assas Paris II (Summer Course) (2009), University of Fribourg (Master Course) (2009, 2010), University of Würzburg (2016, 2017, 2018).
Butterworth Lecture 1994, Queen Mary College London; Cassel Lecture 1996, University of Stockholm; Miller Lecture 1996, University of Edinburgh; Annual Lecture of Comparative Law 1998, Boalt Hall, Berkeley; General Reporter at the XVth International Congress of Comparative Law (Bristol, 1998); General Reporter (together with Olaf Meyer) at the XIXth International Congress of Comparative Law (Vienna 2014); Opening Lecture at The Hague Academy of International Law 2017
Lectures and seminars at the Universities of Munich, Augsburg, Regensburg, Warsaw, Cracow, Milan, Freiburg, Köln, Oslo, Bergen, Jerusalem, Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Mexico City, Valencia, Vienna, Moscow, Tokyo, Kyoto, Los Angeles, Würzburg, New Orleans, Budapest, Recife, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne.

Other Professional Activities

Consultant at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (Unidroit) (since 1978)
Member of the Italian delegation to the Diplomatic Conference for the adoption of the U.N. 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)
Chairman of the Working Group for the preparation of the first edition (1994), second edition (2004), third edition (20010), and forth edition (2016) of the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts
Chairman of the Working Group for the preparation of the 2013 Model Clauses for the Use by the Parties of the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts
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 European University Institute, Florence (1996-2002)
Member of the Founding Committee of the School of Economics, Bozen (1998-2001)
Founding Member of the Advisory Council of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG-AC) (since 2001)
Counsel for the defence of the Italian Government before the International Court of Justice in the case of Raytheon-ELSI (1989)
Member of the First Panel for Category "F" Claims at the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva (1996-2001)
Sole Arbitrator or Member of the Arbitral Tribunal in numerous domestic and international arbitration proceedings.
Editor in chief of the database UNILEX - International Case Law & Bibliography on the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts & the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) (at http://www.unilex.info)
Member of the Editorial Board, Uniform Law Review (since 2013)

Professional Associations

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)

Publications

Books

Le regole oggettive del commercio internazionale, Giuffrè, Milan, 1976.
Partecipazione operaia e diritto dell'impresa, Giuffrè, Milan, 1983.
Commentary on the International Sales Law. The 1980 Vienna Sales Convention, Giuffrè, Milan, 1987 (Co-editor together with C.M. Bianca and Co-ordinator).
An International Restatement of Contract Law - The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts, Transnational Publishers, Inc., Irvington, NY, 3rd ed. 2005.
A New Approach to International Commercial Contracts. The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts. XVth International Congress of Comparative Law, Bristol, 26 July - 1 August 1998, The Hague, London, Boston, Kluwer Law International, 1999 (Editor).
The Impact of Corruption on International Commercial Contracts, Springer International Publishing 2015 (Co-editor together with O. Meyer).

Selected articles

Verso la creazione di un titolo cambiario internazionale, in Rivista del diritto commerciale 1973, I, 146-160.
L'art. 17 della Convenzione di Bruxelles sulla competenza giurisdizionale ed il diritto transnazionale, in Rivista del diritto commerciale, 1977, II, 213-230.
Prime osservazioni in ordine alla recente legge tedesca sulle condizioni generali di contratto, in Giurisprudenza commerciale, 1977, I, 479-494.
The Relevance of Courses of Dealing, Usages and Customs in the Interpretation of International Commercial Contracts, in: New Directions in International Trade Law, Oceana Publications, Dobbs Ferry, NY, 1977, I, 109-137.
The Unidroit Initiative for the Progressive Codification of International Trade Law, in: International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 1978, 413-441.
Arbitration as a Means for the Revision of Contracts, in: Italian National Reports to the Xth International Congress of Comparative Law, Milan 1978, 221-243.
Das autonome Recht des Welthandels – Rechtsdogmatische und rechtspolitische Aspekte, in: RabelsZeitschrift, 1978, 485-506.
Norme ed usi uniformi relativi ai crediti documentari, in Enciclopedia del diritto, Vol. XXVIII, Giuffrè, Milan 1978, 533-543.
Die allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen nach italienischem Recht. Ihre Regelung im innerstaatlichen und internationalen Rechtsverkehr, in: Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft, 1979, 1-19.
Some Critical Reflections on the UNCITRAL-Draft on International Sale Contracts, in Uniform Law Review, 1979, 1-15.
Unificazione del diritto e politica di riforma: due momenti non necessariamente coincidenti, in: Rivista del diritto commerciale 1980, I, 1-11.
La nouvelle Convention des Nations Unies sur les contrats de vente internationale de marchandises, in Droit et pratique du commerce international, 1981, 7-35.
La crisi delle tradizionali procedure concorsuali: uno sguardo oltre frontiera, in Giurisprudenza commerciale, 1981, I, 680-703.
Le Nazioni Unite e l'arbitrato commerciale internazionale, in Rivista di diritto internazionale privato e processuale, 1982, 269-289.
A proposito dei “profili comparatistici” (e storici) della partecipazione operaia nelle imprese. Dialogo fra Gino Gorla e Michael Joachim Bonell, in: Rivista di diritto civile, 1984, II, 654-668 (with G. Gorla).
The 1983 Geneva Convention on Agency in the International Sale of Goods, in: 32 The American Journal of Comparative Law, 1984, 717-749.
It is Feasible to Elaborate Uniform Rules Governing the Relations between Principal and Agent? in: Uniform Law Review 1984, I, 52-70.
Die Bedeutung der Handelsbräuche im Wiener Kaufrechtsübereinkommen vom 1980, in: Juristische Blätter, 1985, 385-395.
Methodology in Applying Uniform Law for International Sales under the U.N. Convention (Vienna 1980), in: Italian National Reports to the XIIth International Congress of Comparative Law, Sydney 1986, Giuffrè, Milan, 1986, 43-66.
A "Restatement" of Principles for International Commercial Contracts: An Academic Exercise or a Practical Need? in: Revue de droit des affaires internationales, 1988, 873-888.
Uniform Law and Party Autonomy: What is Wrong with the Current Approach, ibidem, 433-439.
Le corti inglesi e i contratti commerciali internazionali: English law and jurisdiction über Alles?, in: Diritto del commercio internazionale, 1989, 329-350.
“Force majeure” e “Hardship” nel diritto uniforme della vendita internazionale, in: Diritto del commercio internazionale, 1990, 543-571.
Vertragsverhandlungen und culpa in contrahendo nach dem Wiener UN-Kaufrechtübereinkommen, in: Recht der internationalen Wirtschaft, 1990, 693-702.
Harmonization of the Law between Civil and Common Law Jurisdictions: The 1968 Brussels Jurisdiction and Judgements Convention - An Example to Follow, in: Italian National Reports to the 13th International Congress of Comparative law (Montreal 1990), Giuffrè, Milan, 1990, 69-94.
International Uniform Law in Practice - Or Where the Real Trouble Begins, in: 38 American Journal of Comparative Law, 1990, 865-888.
Das Unidroit-Projekt für die Ausarbeitung von Regeln für internationale Handelsverträge, in: 56 RabelsZeitschrift, 1992, 274-289.
Unification of Law by Non-Legislative Means: The Unidroit Draft Principles for International Commercial Contracts, in: 40 American Journal of Comparative Law, 1992, 617-633.
La moderna Lex Mercatoria tra mito e realtà, in: Diritto del commercio internazionale, 1992, 315-331.
Unificazione internazionale del diritto, in Enciclopedia del diritto, vol. XLV, Giuffrè, Milan, 1992, 720-734.
Legal Studies in Today's Europe: Towards a European Lawyer? in: 41 American Journal of Comparative Law, 1993, 489-499.
Il diritto uniforme sulla vendita e lo Uniform Commercial Code nord-americano: due modelli a confronto, in VV.AA., Scintillae Iuris - Studi in memoria di Gino Gorla, II, Giuffrè, Milan, 1994, 1189-1215.
UN-Kaufrecht und das Kaufrecht des Uniform Commercial Code im Vergleich, in: 58 RabelsZeitschrift, 1994, 20-39.
The 1968 Brussels Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Convention and the 1980 Rome Convention on Applicable Law, in B. Markesinis (ed.),The Gradual Convergence. Foreign Ideas, Foreign Influences and English Law on the Eve of the 21st Century, Oxford,1994, 146-164.
The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts and CISG: Alternative or Complementary Instruments? in: Uniform Law Review, 1996, 26-39.
The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts and the Principles of European Contract Law: Similar Rules for the Same Purposes? in: Uniform Law Review, 1996, 229-246.
The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts? Towards a new lex mercatoria? in: Revue de droit des affaires internationales, 1997, 145-163.
The Need and Possibilities of a Codified European Contract Law, in: European Review of Private Law, 1997, 505-518.
General report, in: M.J Bonell (Ed.), A New Approach to International Commercial Contracts - The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts. XVth International Congress of Comparative Law, Bristol, 26 July - 1 August 1998, The Hague, London, Boston, Kluwer Law International, 1999, 1-17.
The Unidroit Principles: first practical experiences, in 1 European Journal of Law Reform, 1998/1999, 183-202.
The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts prepared by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (Unidroit), in: Transnational Law in Commercial Legal Practice. Edited by Center for Transnational Law. Münster, Quadis Publishing, 1999, 7-44. Unidroit- Principles: a significant recognition by a United States District Court, in: Uniform Law Review, 1999, 651-663.
Do we need a global commercial code? in: 106 Dickinson Law Review (2001), 87-100.
The Unidroit Principles and transnational law, in: K.P. Berger (ed.), The Practice of Transnational Law, The Hague, London, Boston, Kluwer Law International, 2001, 23-41.
A ‘Global’ arbitration decided on the basis of the Unidroit Principles: In re Andersen Consulting Business Unit Member Firms v. Arthur Andersen Business Unit Member Firms and Andersen Worldwide Société Coopérative, in: 17 Arbitration International 2001, 249-261.
The Unidroit- Principles as a Means of Interpreting and Supplementing International Uniform Law, in: ICC International Court of Arbitration Bulletin, 2002, Special Supplement, 29-38.
Pre-contractual Liability, The Brussels Jurisdiction Convention and ... the Unidroit- Principles, in: Mélanges offerts à Marcel Fontaine, Larcier, 2003, 359-370.
Unidroit Principles 2004 – The new edition of the Principles of International Commercial Contracts adopted by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law [résumé in French], in: Uniform Law Review, 2004, 5-40.
Unidroit Principles of international commercial contracts and Principles of European Contract Law: A Synoptical Table, in: Uniform Law Review, 2004, 315-396 (with R. Peleggi).
Unidroit Principles 2004 - A Further Step Towards a Global Contract Law, in: Uniform Commercial Code Law Journal, 2004, 49-90.
Soft Law and Party Autonomy: The Case of the Unidroit Principles, in: 51 Loyola Law Review, 2005, 229-252.
The Unidroit Principles and CISG - Sources of inspiration for English Courts? in: Uniform Law Review, 2006, 305-318.
La lex mercatoria e i Principi UNIDROIT: un dialogo con Francesco Galgano, in: VV.AA., Seminari di aggiornamento professionale, Giuffrè, Milan, 2006, 1-10.
Il diritto europeo dei contratti e gli sviluppi del diritto contrattuale a livello internazionale, in: Europa e diritto privato, 2007, 599-638.
Towards a legislative codification of the Unidroit Principles? in: Uniform Law Review, 2007, 233-245.
CISG: European Contract Law and the Development of Contract Law Worldwide, in 56 The American Journal of Comparative Law, 2008, 1-28.
Agency, in: A. Hartkamp [et al.] (Eds.) – Towards a European Civil Code, 4th fully revised and expanded edition, Nijmegen, Ars Aequi Libri; Kluwer Law International, 2011, 515-536.
Limitation periods, in: A. Hartkamp [et al.] (Eds.) – Towards a European Civil Code, 4th fully revised and expanded edition, Nijmegen, Ars Aequi Libri; Kluwer Law International, 2011, 715–732.
The New Provisions on Illegality in the Unidroit Principles 2010, in: Uniform Law Review, 2011, 517-536.
International Investment Contracts and General Contract Law: A Place for the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts? in: Uniform Law Review, 2012, 141-159.
Model Clauses for the Use of the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts, in Uniform Law Review, Vol. 18, 2013, 473–489.
The Impact of Corruption on International Commercial Contracts – General Report (together with O. Meyer), in M.J. Bonell - O. Meyer (Eds.), The Impact of Corruption on International Commercial Contracts, Springer International Publishing 2015, 1–36.
The Law Governing International Commercial Contracts: Hard Law versus Soft Law, Hague Academy of International Law, Recueil des Cours, Volume 388, 17–47.
The Law Governing International Commercial Contracts and the Actual Role of the Unidroit Principles, in Uniform Law Review 2018, 15- 41.
The New Version of the UNILEX Data Base on the Unidroit Principles and the CISG – Upgraded in Form and Enriched in Content, in National, International, Transnational: Harmonischer Dreiklang im Recht. Festschrift für Herbert Kronke zum 70.Geburtstag, Gieseking Verlag 2020, 725- 731.
M.J. Bonell – E. Finazzi-Agro´, Does a Transnational Legal Order exist in International Arbitration? The Case of the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts, in Transnational Dispute Management at www.transnational-dispute-management.com 2022, 1 et seq.