| Unit name | Law of Contract |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0061 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. McVea |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit covers the formation of contracts, their contents, vitiating factors, discharge, and remedies. Topics covered include: Agreement (offer and acceptance); Consideration and promissory estoppel; Intention to create legal relations; Terms; Qualifications on liability; Illegitimate pressure; Misrepresentation; Mistake; Frustration; Performance and breach; Remedies.
By the end of the unit, a successful student will be able:
(a) to research and explain the origin, development and content of the principles and rules of the law of Contract;
(b) to identify issues of the law of Contract arising in different factual situations;
(c) to analyse the leading cases and statutory provisions; to understand how to deal with case law; and to recognise difficulties in identifying, reconciling and applying relevant source material;
(e) to present complex legal arguments in a coherent and persuasive fashion and to identify and reconcile inconsistencies in competing arguments;
(d) to apply knowledge of the law in resolution of issues identified;
(e) to criticise the relevant legal rules and to consider possible solutions for the successful reform and application of the law. Students should be able to state the law accurately, to apply legal principles to problem case scenarios, and to think critically about ways in which the law could be reformed. The examination includes both problem type and essay type questions, designed to assess both whether students were able to understand and apply the law across the breadth of the syllabus, and whether they were able to think critically about it.
Seminars, plus up to 27 lectures
One three-hour closed book examination in May/June, in which students answer 3 questions (at least one essay and at least one problem) from a choice of 7 or 8 questions.
Andrews, Contract Law (2011); Blackstone's Statutes on Contract, Tort and Restitution, 22nd ed (2011); Burrows, A Casebook on Contract, 3rd ed (2011); Chen-Wishart, Contract Law, 3rd ed (2010); McKendrick, Contract Law, 9th ed (2011); Treitel, The Law of Contract, 13th ed (2011)
