The first session, A Pragmatic Approach to Understanding International Commercial Contracts, will be presented by Philip D. Porter, Elizabeth M. Donley, and Patrick Ayad of Hogan Lovells US LLP and an in-house panelist. In today’s global economy, in-house counsel find they are advising international companies or customers. This panel will provide a global tour highlighting the differences counsel come across when contracting internationally in countries such as China, Brazil, Germany, Italy and Russia. Attendees will take away a deeper understanding of the differences between common law and civil law jurisdictions and how their practitioners and adjudicators approach cross-cultural contracting. The panel will demonstrate how standard clauses in commercial contracts differ across jurisdictions, using warranty, specific performance, liability for damages, limitation of liability, consequential damages and loss of profits, indemnity, and intellectual property clauses as practical examples. These differences can translate to unintended legal outcomes, and this session will show participants why “choice of law” is more than looking for a seemingly neutral jurisdiction. Other segments will follow.