Most people fight over something or other and language is usually at the very center of the conflict. Often the way we use language is the cause of the battle. There are many areas in which fighting about language can be observed but civil law cases offer the most fertile examples of this warfare over words. What did the contract actually say? Was there deception in the advertising? Was the warning label clear and effective? Did the company evidence race or age discrimination against employees or customers? Was one company's name too similar to that of another company? Did the corporation plagiarize the work of another? Did it fraudulently represent what its work?
This book is about the ways linguistic analysis describes, exposes, and aids disputes in 18 civil cases where language framed the battleground. Roger Shuy, a well-known forensic linguist and consultant, shows how the skills of linguistic analysis can help resolve disputed meanings, while also showing how civil cases can prove to be fertile ground for linguistic scholarship. He does this by collecting and analyzing cases involving contracts, trademark disputes, advertisements, product liability, copyright infringement, discrimination, trademark disputes, and fraud controversies. In each case he employs all the tools of formal linguistics to show how it can be as helpful as other physical sciences in resolving legal disagreements.
The work will be of interest primarily to linguists -- sociolinguists, forensic linguists, and scholars and students of law and society -- as well as lawyers and law students.

An oft-repeated assertion within contract law scholarship and cases is that a good contract law (or a good commercial contract law) will meet the needs and expectations of commercial contractors. Despite the prevalence of this statement, relatively little attention has been paid to why this should be the aim of contract law, how these 'commercial expectations' are identified and given substance, and what precise legal techniques might be adopted by courts to support the practices and expectations of business people. This book explores these neglected issues within contract law. It examines the idea of commercial expectation, identifying what expectations commercial contractors may have about the law and their business relationships (using empirical studies of contracting behaviour), and assesses the extent to which current contract law reflects these expectations. It considers whether supporting commercial expectations is a justifiable aim of the law according to three well-established theoretical approaches to contractual obligations: rights-based explanations, efficiency-based (or economic) explanations and the relational contract critique of the classical law. It explores the specific challenges presented to contract law by modern commercial relationships and the ways in which the general rules of contract law could be designed and applied in order to meet these challenges. Ultimately the book seeks to move contract law beyond a simple dichotomy between contextualist and formalist legal reasoning, to a more nuanced and responsive legal approach to the regulation of commercial agreements.

Cases and Materials on the Law of Restitution is an authoritative and scholarly guide written by leading experts who have shaped and defined the law of restitution and unjust enrichment. Extensive coverage of cases and academic perspectives provides a rounded view of the subject. Introductions, notes, and questions enable readers to check their understanding of key issues. The second edition of this seminal title covers many important new cases and academic publications, including Birk's 'absence of basis' approach. The coverage reflects the continuing debates on questions such as: BL what is an enrichment? BL was the enrichment at the claimant's expense? BL what is the role of tracing? BL when will proprietary restitution be granted? BL when does change of position operate as a defence? BL and does corrective justice underpin this area of the law? The book's structure has been updated to reflect the judicial development of the law of restitution, providing a map through this complex subject. This book is invaluable for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students, as well as academics working in the area.

The law of marine insurance constitutes a major branch of the law of international trade and shipping law which is of considerable international importance. This new edition gives a clear, updated account of English marine insurance law, combining detailed analysis of modern statute and case law with a clear comprehension of practice and commerce in the shipping world. The discussion embraces not only the constantly evolving case law, but also standard forms and clauses (including the 2003 International Hull Clauses), and the rules of mutual insurance associations. Coverage includes all relevant areas of general insurance contract law as well as all issues of specifically marine insurance law. The entire text of the second edition has been considered afresh and includes significant new or additional material in particular relating to: historical background, insurable interest, policy formation, the doctrine of utmost good faith, premiums, policy interpretation, excluded losses, third party rights, losses, claims, aversion and minimisation of loss, insurers' contribution rights, and composite policies. Presenting a revised structure with the practitioner in mind, this new edition includes a new chapter on interpretation and rectification of insurance contracts.

Applying appropriate legal rules to companies with as much consistency and as little consternation as possible remains a challenge for legal systems. One area causing concern is the availability of damages for non-pecuniary loss to companies, a disquiet that is rooted in the very nature of such damages and of companies themselves. In this book, Vanessa Wilcox presents a detailed examination of the extent to which damages for non-pecuniary loss can be properly awarded to companies. The book focusses on the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and English law, with a chapter also dedicated to comparative treatment. While the law must be adaptable, Wilcox concludes that considerations of coherency, certainty and ultimately justice dictate that the resulting rules should conform to certain core legal principles. This book lays the foundation for further comparative research into this topic and will be of interest to both the tort law and broader legal community.

The sixth edition of this classic text has been extensively updated and re-written to take into account all the legislative changes since the last edition. It examines thoroughly such legislation as the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, the Competition Act 1998, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Enterprise Act 2002, the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 and the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002.

It is an unfortunate feature of the common law conflicts landscape that, for all its sophistication, the relationship between the equitable principles of the forum and the forum's choice of law process remains unclear. This book examines this relationship from the perspective of English law, taking account of the impact of European law. What law applies when litigants invoke the principles of equity of the forum or analogous doctrines in foreign law? This book suggests that there is nothing inherent in the invocation of the forum's equitable jurisdiction or in the nature of equitable discourse that renders the application of the forum's equitable principles inevitable. It then considers whether a different methodology should be adopted for equitable doctrines, and concludes that this should not be the case. Thus, unless the issue involves the application of fundamental public policy, mandatory forum laws or the procedure of the forum, equitable doctrines of any country should be subject to the same choice of law analysis like other principles of substantive law. The book then analyses equitable doctrines within the traditional choice of law categories of property, contracts, torts and restitution in three steps: first, many equitable doctrines may be regarded as substantive and not procedural; secondly, property and obligations issues raised by equitable doctrines may be segregated; and thirdly, by considering the functions of the respective doctrines, equitable obligations may be analysed as contractual (or based on agreement), tortious (or based on wrongs) or restitutionary (or based on unjust enrichment).

The product of a unique collaboration between academic scholars, legal practitioners, and technology experts, this Handbook is the first of its kind to analyze the ongoing evolution of smart contracts, based upon blockchain technology, from the perspective of existing legal frameworks - namely, contract law. The book's coverage ranges across many areas of smart contracts and electronic or digital platforms to illuminate the impact of new, and often disruptive, technologies on the law. With a mix of scholarly commentary and practical application, chapter authors provide expert insights on the core issues involving the use of smart contracts, concluding that smart contracts cannot supplant contract law and the courts, but leaving open the question of whether there is a need for specialized regulations to prevent abuse. This book should be read by anyone interested in the disruptive effect of new technologies on the law generally, and contract law in particular.

Contracts, the foundation of economic activity, are both vital and misunderstood. Contracts in the Real World, 2nd edition corrects common misunderstandings through a series of engaging stories involving such notable individuals as Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou, Lady Gaga, and Donald Trump. Capturing the essentials of this subject, the book explores recurring issues in contracting and shows how age-old precedents and wisdom still apply today and how contract law's inherent dynamism cautions against exuberant reforms. The accessible yet rigorous approach will appeal to the general reader and specialists alike, and to both teachers and students of contracts.

This book explores a range of problems in the application of agency law in commercial practice. Moving beyond the limited introductory resources currently available, it "tests" abstract agency law concepts in specific commercial contexts, with reference to jurisdictions around the world. There is an enduring commonality of concepts and principles within agency law, both within the Commonwealth and within the jurisdictions of the United States. The book's comparative approach, drawing together analysis of national and international jurisdictions, provides innovative perspectives and insights, as well as practical guidance on solving commercial problems. The book opens with a detailed introductory chapter which provides a broad overview of the agency issues arising in specific commercial contexts. The subsequent chapters are grouped thematically: company law, financial transactions and services, sale of goods; as well as agency in procedural contexts. Topics covered include the role of the director and directorial board in company law and agency law, agency in shipping law, undisclosed principal in sale of goods cases, regulation of conflicts of interest in securities transactions, poseur-agents and transactional intermediation, the operation of agency in retail financial services, the agent's warranty of authority, and power of attorney. This book is an invaluable resource on both agency theory and commercial practice.

Compiled in honour of Bernard Rudden, this is a book of essays in comparative law centering on the contribution which comparative analysis can make to the core subjects of private law, namely property and obligations. The essays are contributed by leading academics from all over the world, all of whom owe an intellectual debt to the honorand.

With the rapid development of China's insurance industry and the opening of the Chinese insurance market to the world, Chinese insurance law and regulation has become an increasingly relevant topic for insurance practitioners and academics. The Regulation of Insurance in China therefore provides a much needed analysis of the Chinese regulatory system. This is the first systematic text written in English on the regulation of insurance in China and provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of rules of law and administrative regulations on China's insurance industry and insurance market, covering four level of regulatory hierarchy the statutory law, the regulations enacted by the central government (the State Council), the regulations developed by the insurance supervision and regulation authority of the State Council, and self-regulations by the insurance industry. This book is essential reading for insurance companies and legal practitioners looking to do business in China, as well as reference for lawyers practising insurance law. It is also a useful resource for students and academics studying Chinese law.

Though indeterminacy in legal texts is pervasive, there is a widespread misunderstanding about what indeterminacy is, particularly as it pertains to law. Legal texts present unique challenges insofar as they address a heterogeneous audience, are applied in a variety of unforeseeable circumstances and must, at the same time, lay down clear and unambiguous standards. Sometimes they fail to do so, however, either by accident or by intention. While many have claimed that indeterminacy facilitates flexibility and can be strategically used, few have recognized that there are more forms of indeterminacy than vagueness and ambiguity. A comprehensive account of legal indeterminacy is thus called for. David Lanius here answers that call and in so doing, addresses three central questions about the role of indeterminacy in the law. First, what are the sources of indeterminacy in law? Second, what effects do the different forms of indeterminacy have? Third, how can and should these forms be intentionally used? Based on a thorough examination of the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of indeterminacy in the wording of laws, contracts, and verdicts, Lanius argues for the claim that semantic vagueness is less relevant than commonly supposed in the debate, while other forms of indeterminacy (in particular, polysemy and standard-relativity) are mistakenly underrated or even ignored. This misconception is due to a systematic confusion between semantic vagueness and these other forms of indeterminacy. Once it is resolved, the value and functions of linguistic indeterminacy in the law can be clearly shown.

Contract as Promise is a study of the philosophical foundations of contract law in which Professor Fried effectively answers some of the most common assumptions about contract law and strongly proposes a moral basis for it while defending the classical theory of contract. This book provides two purposes regarding the complex legal institution of the contract. The first is the theoretical purpose to demonstrate how contract law can be traced to and is determined by a small number of basic moral principles. At the theory level the author shows that contract law does have an underlying, and unifying structure. The second is a pedagogic purpose to provide for students the underlying structure of contract law. At this level of doctrinal exposition the author shows that structure can be referred to moral principles. Together the two purposes support each other in an effective and comprehensive study of contract law. This second edition retains the original text, and includes a new Preface. It also includes a substantial new essay entitled Contract as Promise in the Light of Subsequent Scholarship-Especially Law and Economics which serves as a retrospective of the work accomplished in the last thirty years, while responding to present and future work in the field.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

"This important student text deals with all aspects of common law obligations, including the principles of the law of obligations, remedies, negation of liability and specific obligations. The books draws out the common themes that exist between traditional tort and contract courses whilst elements pertaining to the law of restitution are also included.This new edition takes account of statutory developments and new relevant case law since the previous edition and keeps the reader up to date with major changes in the areas of economic loss in negligence and undue influence/economic duress."

Of importance for both philosophers and legal theorists interested in the nature of property, this book vindicates the commonsense idea that the right to property is a right to things. Distinguishing between the `practice' of property and the `practice' of contract is essential for a proper understanding, but the failure to do so is common. As the author shows, it mars both Locke's and Hegel's philosophies of property, and continues to contribute to confusion. It also obscures the central element of sharing and giving in the ownership of property, the important of which has been generally neglected. Perhaps most controversially, the author argues that the justification of the right to property is not dependent on the justice of the reigning distribution of property-that is a question which concerns the justice of the economy-gift, command, market, or mixed-that distributes all values, not just rights in property. The important `distributional' question about property is this: to what values does the property practice apply? Why does it apply to castles and cars, books and bank balances, but not to our body parts and our labour, nor to our employment contracts and our sexuality? In answer the author develops a distinction between persons and our personality-rich relationships which cannot be objects of property, and `things', both land and objects and personality-poor relationships like debts, which can.

Situated within the context of the ongoing debate about European contract law, this book provides a detailed examination of the European Union's competence in the field of contract law. It analyses the limits of Union competence in relation to several relevant Treaty provisions which potentially confer competence on the Union to adopt a comprehensive contract law instrument and the exercise of Union competence in connection with the operation of the principles of subsidiarity, proportionality and sincere cooperation. It also explores the viability of several alternative and complementary routes to the adoption of such an instrument, including enhanced cooperation, an intergovernmental treaty and certain American techniques. Setting forth an elaborate account of the context for this debate and its chronological development at the European level, this book charts the discussions relating to the European Union's competence to regulate contract law and offers a comparative analysis of the approach taken to the approximation of contract law in the American setting. Setting forth a detailed account of the context for this debate and its chronological development at the European level, the book charts the discussions that have occurred within and outside the EU relating to the transnational competence to regulate contract law. Situating European constitutional law within the continued debate about European contract law, it also reflects upon the contract law structure of the United States and examines the viability of alternative and complementary routes to the adoption of a comprehensive instrument of substantive contract law.

This book focuses on the law of commercial contracts as constructed by the U.S. and UK legal systems. Leading scholars from both sides of the Atlantic provide works of original scholarship focusing on current debates and trends from the two dominant common law systems. The chapters approach the subject areas from a variety of perspectives doctrinal analysis, law and economic analysis, and social-legal studies, as well as other theoretical perspectives. The book covers the major themes that underlie the key debates relating to commercial contract law: role of consent; normative theories of contract law; contract design and good faith; implied terms and interpretation; policing contract behavior; misrepresentation, breach, and remedies; and the regional and international harmonization of contract law. Contributors provide insights on the many commonalities, but more interestingly, on the key divergences of the United States and United Kingdom's approaches to numerous areas of contract law. Such a comparative analysis provides a basis for future developments and improvements of commercial contract law in both countries, as well as other countries that are members of the common law systems. At the same time, insights gathered here should also be of interest to scholars and practitioners of the civil law tradition."

This study proposes a theory of international arbitration culture, tests this theory against real-world outcomes, and uses it to make predictions about the contract law principles that international arbitrators are likely to favour. Drawing on interviews with prestigious practitioners from a range of jurisdictions, as well as published arbitral awards, the writings of international arbitrators, and available statistical data on international arbitration, it presents a comparative analysis of arbitral and judicial responses to contract law issues. Part I develops a theory of arbitral decision-making as influenced by a legal culture specific to the international commercial arbitration community. It identifies the specific social norms that make up that culture and considers how these norms might affect arbitrators decision-making on matters of substantive contract law. Part II tests the explanatory power of the theory developed in Part I by applying it to published decisions of international commercial arbitrators on two discrete areas of contract law: suspension of performance in response to non-performance and the interpretation of contracts. These case studies demonstrate that arbitrators and judges are likely to take divergent approaches, even when they are applying the same substantive laws. This divergence is explicable on the basis of international arbitrations unique culture. Finally, the cultural theory of international arbitral decision-making is applied to make predictions about the ways that contract law is likely to evolve through the decisions of international arbitrators.

'...provides everything you want in a case book: a stimulating, thought-provoking and up to date account of contract law. It combines both fantastic academic commentary and superbly selected materials making it simply one of the best contract law casebooks.' Student Law Journal This is the seventh, fully updated, edition of Professor Burrows' Casebook, offering law students the ideal way to discover and understand contract law through reading highlights from the leading cases. Designed to be used either on its own or to supplement a contract law textbook, this book covers the undergraduate contract law course in a series of clearly presented and carefully structured chapters. The author provides an expert introduction to each topic and his succinct notes and questions seek to guide students to a proper understanding of the cases. The relevant statutes are also set out along with a principled analysis of them. In addition to cross-references to further discussion in the leading textbooks, an innovative feature is the summary of leading academic articles in each chapter. The book is designed not to overwhelm students by its length but covers all aspects of the law of contract most commonly found in the undergraduate curriculum.

The 'Frontiers of Liability' is the title of a series of high-level seminars held in All Souls College, Oxford during 1993 and 1994. Drawing together top academics, practitioners and judges, these seminars have sought to identify current trends in English law and have provided a forum for experts to give their assessment of how the law will develop in the future. The papers produced for the first four seminars were reproduced in volume 1 of 'Frontiers of Liability'. The next four seminars and the comments made by the distinguished rapporteurs are reproduced in this volume. These essays will be of interest to anyone concerned with international sales, the law of contract, tort and restitution, and equity and trusts.

The teaching of contract law has traditionally been concerned with examining and explaining the complex doctrinal rules of contract developed by statute and common law. Recently, however, law teachers have begun to see the advantages of teaching the subject from a more theoretical standpoint. The study of the theory of contract law has blossomed in the last 25 years to the point where it is now accepted that for students to be given a proper understanding of the rules of contract law, teachers of the subject must introduce them to its theoretical literature. Textbooks and casebooks have, with one or two notable exceptions, failed to recognize this change. By contrast, this new book takes as is starting point the need to mix theoretical approaches with the study of cases and statutes and thereby offers students a richer, more varied and more interesting selection of materials than can be found in any other comparable book on the subject. The materials are held together by a lucid and critical commentary provided by the authors, who have also written notes on further reading and examstyle questions to conclude each section. ;This book is intended for this text is an ideal book for tea

To gain a deep understanding of contract law, one needs to master not only the rules and principles of the field, but also its underlying theory and justification, and its long and intricate history. This book offers an accessible introduction to all aspects of American contract law, useful to both first-year law students and advanced contract scholars. The book is grounded on up-to-date scholarship and contains detailed references to cases, statutes, Restatements and international legal principles. The book takes the reader from contract formation through interpretation and remedies, considering both the practical and theoretical aspects throughout. Each chapter also includes helpful lists of suggested further reading.

An expert analysis of the relevant law and jurisprudence in mass litigation, this edited work examines the diverse and complex transnational considerations and issues of collective redress. With contributions from distinguished and authoritative commentators on this topic, the coverage is broad, thorough, and practically focused. The book offers new perspectives on the challenges of collective redress as it innovatively combines a comparative and cross border approach. Organized clearly into sections, it provides in-depth comment on these challenges from a national, European, and global perspective. With detailed analysis of the relevant law and jurisprudence in this area offering a significant practical impact, this book also examines possible solutions to the challenges identified, covering important topics and issues within collective redress mechanisms; the private international law perspective on collective redress; reception of foreign collective redress; and extraterritoriality and US law. Including contributions from the jurisdictions most relevant to these conflict of laws issues, this book unites global expertise to provide information on a complex topic and offer a solution-based approach to the collective redress landscape.