conflicts of law

Comity refers to courts of one state or jurisdiction respecting the laws and judicial decisions of other jurisdictions – whether state, federal or international – not as a matter of obligation but out of deference and mutual respect. 

• lawsuits-court

The “comity of nations” doctrine permits recognition of foreign proceedings to the extent that such proceedings are determined to be orderly, fair, and not detrimental to another nation’s interests.

• lawsuits-court

Conflict of laws refers to a difference between the laws of two or more jurisdictions with some connection to a case, such that the outcome depends on which jurisdiction's law will be used to resolve each issue in dispute. The conflicting legal rules may come from U.S. federal law, the laws of U.S. states, or the laws of other countries. 

Controlling law refers to the body of law a court will apply in resolving a dispute. Because states have widely different substantive laws, identifying which law is controlling can determine the outcome of a case.

Egelhoff v. Egelhoff, 532 U.S.

Forum non conveniens refers to a court's discretionary power to decline to exercise its jurisdiction where another court, or forum, may more conveniently hear a case.

• civil procedure
• Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
• VENUE

Forum shopping refers to the practice of pursuing a claim subject to concurrent jurisdiction in the court that will treat the claim most favorably. Forum shopping can occur between courts in different states, between federal and state courts in the same state, or between courts in separate countries.

Lex fori is a Latin phrase meaning “law of the forum,” and refers to the laws of the jurisdiction of the court where the action was brought.

Lex loci is a Latin term meaning the "law of [the] place". The principle that the law of the place giving rise to particular rights is the law that governs the rights of parties to a legal proceeding. This term is particularly relevant in the realm of