Introduction to English Contract Law - Self-Study Course

By J. Cunningham

Contracts play a fundamental role in modern society, particularly in a commercial setting, as they protect the interests of the parties to an agreement.

Who is the Course Designed for?

Agreements feature in many areas of life, especially following the rise of the internet and e-commerce.

Many people are doing business online for a living and shall prepare and enter agreements with online consumers, partners and suppliers. 

Other people work in an industry, or want to work in an industry, where contracts feature prominently (i.e. construction, mining, business, recruitment, etc).

While other people would like to learn more about contracts and contract law if given the opportunity to learn at their own pace (i.e. law students)

No matter which group you fall into, it is certainly helpful to familiarize oneself with contracts and contract law given the prominent role they play in modern day society. 

The self-study course - "An Introduction to English Contract Law - Part 1" - is suitable to learn about the parts of a contract and the elements of a legally binding contract in a self-paced manner to help you protect your interests and succeed in today's complex business landscape.

What Will I Learn?

The course is comprised of six lessons:

Lesson 1 - Contract Structure: We discuss the parts of a simple contract;

Lesson 2 - What is an Offer?: We will examine what constitutes an offer under English contract law, including the requirements for a valid offer, the difference between a valid offer and an invitation to treat or request for information.

Lesson 3 - What is Acceptance?: You shall learn what constitutes a valid acceptance under English contract law;

Lesson 4 - What is Consideration? You shall learn what constitutes valid consideration, and the different circumstances where consideration is not accepted to support a promise.

Lesson 5 - Intention to Create Legal Relations: You shall learn about the requirement of an intention to create legal relations, which includes a discussion about the different types of arrangements; 

Lesson 6 - Capacity: We examine capacity, which refers to the legal ability of a party (both natural persons or corporations) to enter into a contract.

 

What is Included?

Each lesson is designed to be easy to follow, with clear explanations, definitions, and examples to help you understand the concepts. You will also have access to additional resources, including case studies, activities to test your learning, and video and audio lectures, to help you deepen your understanding of the subject matter.

The course is self-paced and the materials are accessible on any device and anywhere in the world, which means that you can learn at your own pace, and spend as much or as little time as you want complete each lesson.

 

No matter if you are an entrepreneur, business owner, self-employed person, person working in an industry where contracts often arise, or are a law student preparing for exams or an assignment, this self-study course is ideal.

This course isn't just about theoretical discussion - it's also about applying what you've learned to real-world situations to enhance your learning. At the end of each lesson, you will complete activities that will help you put the new knowledge you have learned into practice.

So why wait? Order "An Introduction to English Contract Law - Part 1" today and start your journey to familiarize yourself with contracts and contract law. Whether you're looking to protect your business interests, advance your career, update your CV, prepare for exams or assignments, or deepen your knowledge of contracts and contract law, this course is an ideal place to start your learning journey. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Enlightened Law Courses
• Release date: May 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223436140

Book preview

English Contract Law -  PART 1

An introduction to English Contract Law

Self-Study Courses

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By

Enlightened Law Courses

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Table of Contents

LEARNING OUTCOMES

INTRODUCTION

What is a Contract?

THE PARTS OF A CONTRACT

LESSON 1

Contract Structure

1.1. The Requirements for Legally Binding Contracts

HOW CONTRACTS ARE CREATED

LESSON 2

2. What is an Offer?

2.1 Offer vs Invitations to Treat

2.2. Offer vs Requests for Information

2.3. Counter-offers

LESSON 3

3.What is Acceptance?

3.1. Definition of Acceptance

3.2. Mode of Acceptance

3.3. Communication of Acceptance

2.3.1. Exceptions to the General Rule

3.4.Summary of Circumstances Terminating an Offer

LESSON 4

4. What is Consideration?

4.1.Definition of Consideration

4.2. The Principles of Consideration

4.2.1 Past Consideration

4.2.1.1.Exceptions to Past  Consideration Rules 

4.2.2.Consideration must move from the person who the promise was made to 

4.2.3.Consideration Must Be Valuable

LESSON 5

5. Intention to Create Legal Relations

5.1.Commercial arrangements

5.2.Social and Family Arrangements

LESSON 6

6. Capacity

6.1. The Capacity of Natural Persons

6.2. The Capacity of Corporations

ACTIVITY ANSWERS

Glossary (Law Dictionary)

Table of Cases

Resources

Introduction

Topics covered on the course:

◆  The structure of a contract and the parts forming a legally binding contract.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

✓  You will be able to identify the main parts of a contract.

✓  You will learn about the law, rules and principles that apply  in relation to contracts governed by the laws of England   and   Wales (and many common law jurisdictions worldwide);

✓  You shall learn what the requirements are to create a  legally binding contract under English contract law; and

✓  You will be in a stronger position to ensure that a contract is  legally binding and thereby avoid questions about the  validity of a contract.

Lecture: Introduction

(Use link below to play / download audio / video lecture)

LECTURES:

Video and Audio: https://bit.ly/Intro-English-Contract-Law

Audio: https://bit.ly/Audio-English-Contract-Law

The proliferation of the internet has resulted in its adoption by approximately 5 billion users worldwide (as of April 2022), or 63.1% of the global population [1].

An estimated 2.14 billion of these human resources (users shop online for goods and / or services, and this figure is increasing year on year.

No matter if you are an online shopper, entrepreneur, business owner,  self-employed person making a living providing goods and / or services to this ever growing number of online consumers, or outsourcing tasks to external suppliers, purchasing  goods online to resell for an extra income, or a person who works, or wishes to work, in a profession where contracts feature often (i.e. construction industry, oil & gas sector, recruitment), real estate, business, etc), It shall be useful to learn about contracts and contract law.

If you fall into any of the above groups, learning about contracts and contract law shall put you in a stronger position to protect your interests.

For example, as an entrepreneur,  business owner, or self-employed person, an awareness of contract law shall give you a clearer understanding about terms you prefer to implement when doing business, and moreover whether or not