Product Description

The fourth edition of this book is ideal for teachers of law who want a succinct but intellectually challenging overview of contract law for their students. Written by the same author team as the popular Understanding Law, it provides an accessible and stimulating analysis of contract law. This edition follows the book's established style of interpreting judicial decision-making in contract cases by examining the pressure on judges to follow a traditional approach yet also meeting the reasonable expectations of both commercial and consumer contractors in the modern market-place.

Recent developments in the field are examined such as:

The implications of the Human Rights Act 1998 for contract law in particular Wilson v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

The new contextual approach to the interpretation of contracts following
the landmark decision in Investors' Compensation

Appeal court decisions including Great Peace Shipping and Shogun

Avoiding unnecessary legal jargon, Understanding Contract Law offers a unique analysis of contract doctrine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #669483 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Professor John N Adams is Professor of Intellectual Property at the University of Sheffield and Director of the Intellectual Property Institute. Professor Roger Brownsword is Professor of Law at King's College London and Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Sheffield.

Customer Reviews

Would-be Contract Lawyers - use this!
As a first year undergraduate law student, I needed a book that was not 1000 pages long in order to understand the basics of Contract Law! One of the anwers I found was this. It really came in handy in mastering the basics.

A critical anaysis for the academic
For an interesting discussion which places the law of contract in a modern perspective then this book is perfect. If, though, you are searching for a more fundemental description of the 'rulebook' then I would suggest other titles. A perfect companion for an academic wishing to get a rounder understanding of the confusingly vast law of contract.

Beyond the Law
The study of the Law of Contracts is often viewed as a study of rules, rules which answer questions such as: what is a contract? How is a contract formed? What are the terms of the contract? When is a contract breached?
The inevitable problems arise when one touches on a topic where there is no clear rule, or where there are seemingly conflicting rules, such as the question when an innocent party can withdraw from a contract where the other party has breached the contract. Some questions have no clear answers, and one thus concludes that, somehow, the law is 'wrong'. Yet the law is not 'wrong', often the conflicting rules have their own merits and flaws, it is thus often a question of conflicting ideologies.

'Understanding Contract Law' explores the Law of Contract through the lens of different ideologies, it does not just state what the rule is, but why and how the rule came about. In an area of conflict 'Understanding Contract Law' will explore the problem, unveil the ideological undercurrents of the problem and how the different ideologies have proposed different solutions.

'Understanding Contract Law' is an invaluable book for anyone who wants to understand not just what the law is, but also how it came about, how it has evolved and how it will continue to evolve. Written clearly and succinctly, 'understanding contract law' it is an ideal companion to the traditional, formal, 'rulebook'-reading.