John Coyle
University of North Carolina School of Law
John F. Coyle is the Reef C. Ivey II Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. He is a past chair of the AALS Section on Conflict of Laws and is currently an Adviser for the American Law Institute’s Restatement (Third) of Conflict of Laws. His articles on choice-of-law clauses, forum selection clauses, cross-border dispute resolution, and international commercial contracts have appeared in journals such as the Notre Dame Law Review, the William & Mary Law Review, the North Carolina Law Review, and the Iowa Law Review. Before entering the academy, he worked as a transactional attorney at Covington & Burling LLP and clerked for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Montana Supreme Court Decides International Child Custody Case
The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act discourages forum shopping in child custody disputes by assigning subject-matter jurisdiction to the court located in the “home state” of the child. In Allen v. Allen, decided on April 21, 2026, the Montana Supreme Court had to determine whether the child’s “home state” was Montana or the Netherlands….
Continue ReadingIf You Give a Mouse a Forum Selection Clause…
Many U.S. states have chosen to write “anti-waiver” provisions into statutory schemes that confer rights on in-state residents. Anti-waiver statutes provide that rights conferred by the statutory scheme cannot be waived. On a number of occasions, the courts have adopted “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” logic to hold that these statutes invalidate forum…
Continue ReadingTransnational Employment Disputes and Forum Non Conveniens
When a company headquartered in the United States enters into an employment contract with an individual working abroad, both parties generally expect the relationship to be mutually beneficial. In most cases, these expectations are realized. In a small number of cases, however, the relationship collapses into acrimony. When this occurs, the U.S. employer may bring…
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