Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This comprehensive Advanced Introduction provides an overview of contract law and contemporary contract theory. Demonstrating that an understanding of theory and policy is a vital aspect of being an effective practicing lawyer, Brian H. Bix explores the various theoretical approaches which can best explain and justify contract law, arguing for greater critical attention to the connections between contract law theory, practice, and teaching. Key Features: Concise and accessible format Combines analysis of contract doctrine and theory Includes detailed Restatement, UCC and case references Analyses the strengths and weakness of a variety of theoretical approaches Examines contract law formation, interpretation, performance, the right of duties of third persons, and remedies The Advanced Introduction to Contract Law and Theory will be an invaluable resource for students wanting to understand contract law and its theoretical underpinnings. It will also prove an essential guide for scholars seeking an authoritative guide to current doctrine and debates in the field of contract law.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This comprehensive Advanced Introduction provides an overview of contract law and contemporary contract theory. Demonstrating that an understanding of theory and policy is a vital aspect of being an effective practicing lawyer, Brian H. Bix explores the various theoretical approaches which can best explain and justify contract law, arguing for greater critical attention to the connections between contract law theory, practice, and teaching. Key Features: Concise and accessible format Combines analysis of contract doctrine and theory Includes detailed Restatement, UCC and case references Analyses the strengths and weakness of a variety of theoretical approaches Examines contract law formation, interpretation, performance, the right of duties of third persons, and remedies The Advanced Introduction to Contract Law and Theory will be an invaluable resource for students wanting to understand contract law and its theoretical underpinnings. It will also prove an essential guide for scholars seeking an authoritative guide to current doctrine and debates in the field of contract law.

This insightful research review provides analysis of the most important contemporary work by experts in the economic analysis of legal reasoning and interpretation. It explores a wide range of topics in the field, from constitutional to statutory interpretation, precedent and the interpretation of contracts. The articles discussed raise key questions concerning the optimal construction of institutions, the best approach to judicial decision-making, and the best strategies for statutory and contract drafting. This fascinating review will be valuable to academics interested in legal reasoning, economic analysis and legal philosophy.

"Law and the Modern Mind" first appeared in 1930 when, in the words of Judge Charles E. Clark, it "fell like a bomb on the legal world." In the generations since, its influence has grown--today it is accepted as a classic of general jurisprudence. The work is a bold and persuasive attack on the delusion that the law is a bastion of predictable and logical action. Jerome Frank's controversial thesis is that the decisions made by judge and jury are determined to an enormous extent by powerful, concealed, and highly idiosyncratic psychological prejudices that these decision-makers bring to the courtroom.

Frank points out that legal verdicts are supposed to result from the application of legal rules to the facts of the suit--a procedure that sounds utterly methodical. Frank argues, that profound, immeasurable biases strongly influence the judge and jury's reaction to witnesses, lawyers, and litigants. As a result, we can never know what they will believe "the facts of the suit" to be. The trial's results become unforeseeable, the lawyer's advice unreliable, and the cause of justice insecure. This edition includes the author's final preface in which he answers two decades of criticism of his position.

In this highly original work, renowned family and contract law expert Brian H. Bix explores the increasing legal recognition of private ordering in American family law. Today, individuals can alter the terms of a marriage and divorce through agreements, and courts sometimes allow individuals to create, waive, and alter parental rights by way of surrogacy, open adoption, and co-parenting agreements, among other mechanisms. But when is such private ordering beneficial to all, and when should it be regulated or prohibited? Families by Agreement explores these questions in accessible detail to provide an important resource for those who litigate in these areas and for those who want to be thoughtful participants in these moral and policy debates.

In this highly original work, renowned family and contract law expert Brian H. Bix explores the increasing legal recognition of private ordering in American family law. Today, individuals can alter the terms of a marriage and divorce through agreements, and courts sometimes allow individuals to create, waive, and alter parental rights by way of surrogacy, open adoption, and co-parenting agreements, among other mechanisms. But when is such private ordering beneficial to all, and when should it be regulated or prohibited? Families by Agreement explores these questions in accessible detail to provide an important resource for those who litigate in these areas and for those who want to be thoughtful participants in these moral and policy debates.

Law and the Modern Mind first appeared in 1930 when, in the words of Judge Charles E. Clark, it "fell like a bomb on the legal world." In the generations since, its influence has grown-today it is accepted as a classic of general jurisprudence.The work is a bold and persuasive attack on the delusion that the law is a bastion of predictable and logical action. Jerome Frank's controversial thesis is that the decisions made by judge and jury are determined to an enormous extent by powerful, concealed, and highly idiosyncratic psychological prejudices that these decision-makers bring to the courtroom.

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.

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.