It’s Contract but not as you know it….

This post was contributed by Anne Street, tutor for Undergraduate Laws. 

I remember when I started studying law I could see legal issues all around me. Standing in a shop to hear a customer demanding to buy the dress that had incorrectly been labelled £25 instead of £55. ‘You must sell it to me as that is the advertised price’ the customer demanded. I had just begun contract law and I so wanted to say, ‘well actually you will find this is an invitation to treat and you have offered to pay £25 which the shop is rejecting your offer’. I look back at this and am so pleased that I held my tongue. But I was excited about all the new things I was learning. As I continued my studies I understood the law is more nuanced than that. As a matter or pure contract, I was right, but this is overlaid with consumer law, much of it from Europe and hopefully will remain after Brexit (sorry to mention that!). When I studied Land Law I could see the contract at the heart of a lease and a covenant, also it helped my understanding of covenants in Equity. For me the reflection of all I learnt in contract law was the foundation of much of my further study. It is also the most relevant area of law, we all contract, every day.

Join me in this adventure.

For students on the University of London Undergraduate Laws programmes we are running a London Study Support Event for Contract Law in November. During this course we will be exploring the foundations of contract law, agreement and consideration plus other areas of law. The sessions will be interactive and with an emphasis of HOW to answer questions so that you can demonstrate your knowledge and understanding in exam conditions. There will be debates and discussions to enhance understanding and plenty of opportunity to take part in group work activities. You’ll have the chance to engage with your fellow students, put forward your own ideas, and to ask lots of questions!

I am a Senior Teaching Fellow at SOAS, convenor of Contract, Property & Equity to undergraduates for over 25 years. I began my teaching at UCL where I had studied for both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. As a course leader I have been devising courses, writing learning materials and exams for decades. For further details about the 2019 London Study Support Event visit the VLE.