Contract Law For Dummies

Take the mumbo jumbo out of contract law and ace your contracts course Contract law deals with the promises and agreements that law will enforce. Understanding contract law is vital for all aspiring lawyers and paralegals, and contracts courses are foundational courses within all law schools. Contract Law For Dummies tracks to a typical contracts course and assists you in understanding the foundational legal rules controlling voluntary agreements people enter into while conducting their personal and business affairs. Suitable as a supplement to introductory and advanced courses in contract law, Contract Law For Dummies gives you plain-English explanations of confusing terminology and aids in the reading and analysis of cases and statutes. Contract Law For Dummies gives you coverage of everything you need to know to score your highest in a typical contracts course. You'll get coverage of contract formation; contract defenses; contract theory and legality; agreement, consideration, restitution, and promissory estoppel; fraud and remedies; performance and breach; electronic contracts and signatures; and much more. Tracks to a typical contracts course Plain-English explanations demystify intimidating information Clear, practical information helps you interpret and understand cases and statutes If you're enrolled in a contracts course or work in a profession that requires you to be up-to-speed on the subject, Contract Law For Dummies has you covered.Table of Content Introduction 1 Part I: Introducing Contract Law and Contract Formation 7 Chapter 1: Getting the Lowdown on Contract Law 9 Chapter 2: Let's Make a Deal: Offer and Acceptance 23 Chapter 3: Sealing the Deal: The Doctrine of Consideration 45 Chapter 4: Noting Exceptions: Promises Enforceable without a Contract 63 Part II: Determining Whether a Contract Is Void, Voidable, or Unenforceable 77 Chapter 5: Introducing Contract Defenses 79 Chapter 6: Considering Whether an Agreement Is Unenforceable Due to Illegality or Unfairness 89 Chapter 7: Evaluating the Parties' Ability to Make the Contract 105 Chapter 8: Assessing the Enforceability of Oral Agreements 119 Part III: Analyzing Contract Terms and Their Meaning 135 Chapter 9: Evaluating Unwritten Terms with the Parol Evidence Rule 137 Chapter 10: Finding Unwritten Terms That Complete the Contract 151 Chapter 11: Interpreting Contracts 169 Part IV: Performing the Contract or Breaching It 183 Chapter 12: Evaluating Whether Contract Modifi cations Are Enforceable 185 Chapter 13: Deciding Whether Unforeseen Events Excuse Performance 201 Chapter 14: Checking for Conditional Language 213 Chapter 15: Breaching the Contract by Anticipatory Repudiation 235 Part V: Exploring Remedies for Breach of Contract 247 Chapter 16: Examining How Courts Handle Breach of Contract 249 Chapter 17: Exploring Remedies in Article 2 of the UCC 267 Chapter 18: Checking for Additional Remedies 285 Part VI: Bringing Third Parties into the Picture 303 Chapter 19: Deciding Whether a Third Party Can Enforce or Interfere with a Contract 305 Chapter 20: Acknowledging the Rights and Duties of Third Parties 315 Part VII: The Part of Tens 325 Chapter 21: Ten Questions to Ask When Analyzing a Contracts Problem 327 Chapter 22: Ten Notable People (And Philosophies) in Contract Law 337 Appendix: Glossary 341 Index 345Biographical Note Scott J. Burnham is the Curley Professor of Commercial Law at Gonzaga University School of Law. For 30 years he has taught Contracts at law schools internationally and throughout the U.S. He is also a prolific writer on legal topics and a consultant on contract drafting for numerous businesses. Take the mumbo jumbo out of contract law and ace your contracts course Confused by contract law? This hands-on guide gives you plain-English explanations of terminology and language used in contracts, showing you how to read and analyze cases and statutes with ease. You’ll quickly and painlessly get up to speed on contract formation; contract theory and legality; agreement, consideration, restitution, and promissory estoppel; fraud and remedies; performance and breach; the parol evidence rule; and more. Defense! Defense! — get the 4-1-1 on contract formation and the different contract defenses, including whether a party did anything illegal or unfair, whether the parties had the ability to make a contract, and the factors that determine whether an oral agreement is enforceable Make sense of the madness — grasp the strategies the courts use to fill the gaps in a contract and interpret what the language really means To perform or to breach — find out how one party may breach a contract even before performance is due by anticipatory repudiation There’s a remedy for that — understand the various methods available to the courts to remedy a breach in a way that’s fair for both parties Bring a third party into the picture — discover how to recognize the rights and duties of third parties and decide under what circumstances third parties are allowed to enforce contracts Open the book and find: Coverage of common law contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) How a contract is formed through mutual assent Ways to determine whether a party has performed as promised How to determine whether a contract is void, voidable, or unenforceable Advice on figuring out remedies for breach Tips for interpreting contracts Questions to ask when analyzing contract problems Examples drawn from real-life cases