This lecture, briefly, covers potential formal requirements in contract law. The main one being that a contract for certain kinds of goods or services must be evidenced in writing. This requirement originated in the 1695 Statute of Frauds but its practical impact, though still relevant, has diminished somewhat over time as writing has become a more common method of communication. You can listen below or download here.

https://archive.org/embed/14.-formalities

If you make a promise to someone, stipulating that you will refrain from exercising your strict legal rights, and the other person acts on this promise, in good faith, then the law may enforce that promise, even if no consideration has been provided for it. We call this scenario promissory estoppel and that’s what this lecture is about. You can listen below or download here.

https://archive.org/embed/11.-promissory-estoppel

In this lecture we will wrap up on consideration. We will discuss the case law on whether the part-payment of a debt can be sufficient consideration. As we will see, the case law is somewhat inconsistent on this matter and a recent English case called Rock v MWBfailed to clarify the law. You can listen below or download here.

https://archive.org/embed/10-consideration-26-09-2020-14.07

In this lecture we will continue to discuss the rule on consideration in contract law. We will focus on whether a promise to perform a pre-existing duty can amount to sufficient consideration, ending with the controversial English case of Williams v Roffey Bros. You can listen below or download here.

https://archive.org/embed/9.-consideration-26-09-2020-12.11

In this lecture, we return to the claim made in lecture 2 — that agreement is the foundation of contract law — and reconsider it. I try to argue, based on what we now know about the rules of offer and acceptance, that agreement is not the foundation of contract law. You can listen below or download here.

https://archive.org/embed/7.-is-agreement-really-foundation

In this lecture we will introduce the rule on consideration. Consideration is one of the key things that separates contracts from other kinds of agreements. Consideration is defined as the value exchanged between the parties to a contract. But what kinds of value count for legal purposes? You can listen below or download here.

https://archive.org/embed/8-consideration-26-09-2020-11.11

In this lecture we continue to discuss the rules relating to acceptance. We focus, in particular, on two issues (i) the distinction between an offer and a counter-offer (and how this gives rise to the so-called ‘battle of the forms’) and (ii) the strange legacy of the postal rule for the communication of acceptance via post. You can listen below or download here.

In this lecture we discuss the rule regarding the acceptance of an offer and five qualifications of that rule. You can listen to the lecture below or download here.

In this lecture we will discuss offers in auctions and tenders, and the revocation of offers.

In order for there to be a binding legal contract, one party must make an offer to another party. But what, in law, is an offer? Or, perhaps more importantly, what, in law, does not count as an offer? Where do we draw the line between offers and non-offers?