This new 2012 edition not only provides information about the current status and development of German private law. The strength of this volume is that, in addition, it goes far beyond the boundaries of Europe to offer a perspective on international legal systems. The book’s introduction to private international law includes legal sources from the major nations of the world. It also presents methods and models, trends and reforms, and indicates the developments that currently dominate conflict-of-law rules in other legal regimes.