LPD & Events

LAWS6991 - Fundamentals of Contract Law

Objectives

Learn how contracts operate as risk management tools by examining the legal principles arising in the formation, construction and discharge of contracts.
Gain an understanding of remedies available for breach of contract and factors that may vitiate a contract.
The unit prepares students for a range of units across postgraduate programs in commercial law, corporate, securities and finance law and international business law where a basic understanding of contractual law principles is valuable.

Content

Contract as a risk management device; formation of contracts: agreement, consideration, intention to create legal relations, certainty, privity, formalities; construction principles: contractual parties, contractual terms (express and implied), classifying terms, principles of interpretation; estoppel; vitiating factors: misrepresentation, misleading and deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct, mistake, duress; discharge: performance, breach, termination and frustration; remedies: key statutory and common law remedies.

*Excluding the following advanced contract law units available to law graduates only: LAWS6809 Breach of Contract, LAWS6872 Contract Negotiation, LAWS6851 Construction Law, LAWS6915 Current Issues in Defamation Law, LAWS6954 Financial Risk Allocation in Equity, LAWS6903 Interpreting Commercial Contracts, LAWS6969 Principles of Patent Law, LAWS6919 Problems in Contract Formation and relevant units as listed in the Faculty Handbook.

Session

Semester 1 Intensive
17-18, 31 May & 1 June 2013

The timetable is subject to frequent changes. Please refer to the latest version of the Postgraduate Timetable.

Assessment

Take-Home Exam (100%)

Co-requisite

LAWS6252 Legal Reasoning & the Common Law System

Prohibition

LAWS1002, LAWS1015, LAWS2008, LAWS5002

This unit is only available to non-law graduates who have not undertaken any previous study of contract law

This unit replaced LAWS6991 Introduction to Contract Law.

Please note: This unit is only available to non-law graduates who have not undertaken any previous study of contract law.

Legal Professional Development (LPD)

You can credit this unit towards Legal Professional Development (LPD). Units of study that are part of Sydney Law School’s Postgraduate Program meet the necessary Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) of the Law Society of New South Wales and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements of the New South Wales Bar Association. You may complete this unit of study by enrolling on a non-degree basis or on an audit basis only with no assessment via Single Unit Enrolment.