第三方专业机构查明外国法意见的性质争议与司法审查

The Nature of Opinions on the Ascertainment of Foreign Law by Third-Party Professional Institutions and Judicial Review

摘要: 在涉外民商事案件中，外国法查明是实现冲突规范的重要环节。为应对外国法查明的现实困难，第三方专业机构逐渐被引入司法实践，其出具的外国法查明意见在裁判中被频繁使用。然而，围绕该类意见在诉讼程序中的性质定位及其审查方式，司法实践和学术研究中仍存在不同理解。本文在梳理相关文献和裁判实践的基础上，考察第三方专业机构介入外国法查明的实践状况，分析第三方专业机构查明外国法意见在证据属性上的主要争议，并总结司法实践中对该类意见的审查思路。同时，通过比较法视角，考察不同法域中专家或专业机构参与外国法查明的处理方式，以期为理解我国司法实践中第三方专业机构查明外国法意见的使用提供参考。

Abstract: In cross-border civil and commercial cases, the ascertainment of foreign law constitutes a crucial prerequisite for the application of conflict-of-law rules. In response to the practical difficulties encountered in ascertaining foreign law, third-party professional institutions have gradually been introduced into judicial practice, and the opinions issued by such institutions have been increasingly relied upon in judicial decisions. However, there remain divergent views in both judicial practice and academic discussions regarding the procedural nature and judicial review of these opinions. Based on a review of relevant literature and judicial decisions, this paper examines the practical development of third-party professional institutions’ participation in the ascertainment of foreign law, analyzes the controversies surrounding the evidentiary nature of their opinions, and summarizes the judicial approaches adopted in reviewing such opinions. In addition, through a comparative law perspective, the paper explores how different jurisdictions treat expert or professional opinions in the ascertainment of foreign law, with a view to providing a clearer understanding of the role of third-party professional institutions in Chinese judicial practice.