Saudi-Arabian Contract Law: A Comparative Perspective

Authors

Carol Lee Childress

First Page

69

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This paper will focus on a core component of Saudi Arabian business law - the law of contracts - and will look at its development from a U.S. lawyer's perspective. A brief history of Islam and the basic tenets of Islamic law along with a brief description of the Saudi Arabian governmental structure will provide the necessary background information. This paper will go on to highlight the roots of Saudi Arabian contract law in the teachings of Islam, including the conflicts over the interpretation of the Shari'a, and point out aspects of Islamic law that are quite foreign to the Western world. The similarities and differences between Saudi Arabian and United States contract law will be examined along the way. Finally, the problems created by a strict application of traditional Saudi legal doctrine to the present reality of international commerce will be described and the adjustments made will be critically evaluated.

Recommended Citation

Carol Lee Childress, Saudi-Arabian Contract Law: A Comparative Perspective, 2 St. Thomas L. Rev. 69 (1990).
Available at: https://scholarship.stu.edu/stlr/vol2/iss1/10