Coming Full Circle: A Career with The Hague

The Hague has always been central to Professor Louise Ellen Teitz's career. To this day, The Hague remains a core part of her work. 

Previously a member of the US Delegation to the Hague Conference for the Judgments Convention, she served as First Secretary at the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) from 2011 to 2014.

This December, her affiliation with The Hague comes full circle with the launch of a book entitled "The Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements: A Commentary," co-authored with Gilles Cuniberti of the University of Luxembourg and Brooke Marshall of the University of Oxford. This book, which has been years in the making, will be launched at the Hague Conference. 

Having her latest book launched at the place that has been at the heart of her career is quite meaningful for Professor Teitz.  "It has particular meaning to me since I have been working with Hague Conventions since I started my career," she said. "These people are my colleagues and my friends."

Drawing from Experience

At the core of this book is a thorough examination of the 2005 Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements, which has been in force since October 2015. The book's co-authors take a detailed dive into each article of the Convention, looking at everything from its history to its meaning. 

The time Prof. Teitz spent at The Hague was crucial for her as she worked on this book, as she was able to draw from her extensive experience.

"This book is a commentary on the Hague Convention, and I was personally involved in this negotiation as part of the US State Department delegation," said Prof. Teitz, whose primary areas of focus at The Hague were on family law matters, including the 1980 and 1996 Conventions, in addition to cross-border parentage, relocation, and other issues.

"I have a long connection with the Hague Conference, and from my time as First Secretary, I gained insight into the negotiation and drafting process. As a result, I devote some of my chapters to writing about the history and development of each part of the Convention, having watched it personally develop."

A Collaborative Effort

Working on this book has been a laborious process for all involved. They began work right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately slowed down the project's process. As work on the book continued, one of the project's original co-authors, Peter Mankowski, a professor at the University of Hamburg, passed away tragically in 2022. 

For the authors, the work has been challenging and intensive over the past few years as they collaborated to tackle such an extensive topic. Prof. Teitz noted that having the university's support during this time has been quite meaningful.

"I am appreciative of Roger Williams University School of Law as well as the help of my research assistants throughout these years, with each research assistant working with me for one year at a time," she said.

Ultimately, as Prof. Teitz's book is slated to launch at the Hague Conference, it reflects a culmination of decades of work at the world's hub of international law. It's a place that has undoubtedly shaped her writing. Yet, as she notes, her tenure at The Hague has also allowed her to bring unparalleled insights into the classroom.

Reflecting on how her time at The Hague informs her teaching, Professor Teitz added: "I have really benefited from all the years I have spent working on Hague negotiations and at The Hague Conference. It benefits me—and not just in my writing. It comes into play when I am teaching. If I am teaching on this topic, I can provide background on how it was created. It is not theoretical teaching. It is something that comes back to me all the time and makes what I am teaching more relevant for students."