This Handbook has its genesis in two bibliographies I published in 1993 in The International Lawyer on the subject of enforcement of foreign judgments. Those bibliographies were apparently useful to many, so since their publication I have received numerous inquiries from practicing lawyers about the “how to” aspects of enforcing foreign judgments here in the United States and taking U.S.-rendered judgments and having them enforced abroad. Given this interest – and, from my own experience, given that there are quite practical and tactical considerations involved – I decided to put together this Handbook.

Because of the press of other demands, this guide at first was just a pile of notes in a folder. Eventually, I developed the notes into a short draft, and then that draft sat gathering dust for almost a decade. Increased opportunities to consult with practitioners about enforcement issues and the added motivation of a publication contract enabled me to revisit and complete the project recently. In doing so, I tried to include the kind of legal and practical guidance that a lawyer initially confronting the prospect of enforcing a foreign judgment would need and find useful. Thus, the guide contains not only “how to” text but also bibliographies that are updated and enlarged from the ones published in 1993, useful forms, and copies of some of the legal instruments (and Web site citations to others).