Berman book review in inaugural transnational journal

A book review essay, "Global Legal Pluralism and 'Private' International Law," by Dean Paul Schiff Berman, of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, was recently published in the inaugural issue of a new journal called Transnational Legal Theory.

Berman reviewed Alex Mills' The Confluence of Public and Private International Law: Justice, Pluralism and Subsidiarity in the International Constitutional Ordering of Private Law (Cambridge University Press, 2009).

In the review, Berman argued that Mills convincingly makes the case that so-called 'public' and 'private' international law are two sides of the same coin and always have been.

"Further, Mills rightly reminds us that conflicts doctrines are not just a way of fulfilling party expectations or responding to concerns about efficiency; they are a constitutive glue in a global system that manages inevitable pluralism of values and norms," Berman said.

Berman also suggests that the length and detail of the book may not be fully justified by the pay-off. "And Mills' book remains very focused on formal legal doctrine for a book that purports to be about legal pluralism," Berman said.

Judy Nichols, Judith.Nichols@asu.edu
(480) 727-7895
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law