Unauthorized Agency

This paper seeks to provide an overview of the project which led to publication of the book The Unauthorised Agent: Perspectives from European and Comparative Law, published by Cambridge University Press in 2009. Broadly speaking, the project concerned the problems caused by agents who act in an unauthorized manner and the legal concepts used to tackle those problems. These issues are analysed in the context of different national legal systems within the European Union and beyond. Drawing on the national chapters, the authors provide a detailed comparative analysis. Within this context, they assess whether a common law/civil law divide exists, and also analyse the contribution made by mixed legal systems. Finally, the book assesses the approach of international instruments such as the Principles of European Contract Law (PECL) and the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts.