Contracts

Course Information

Course Number
L6105
Curriculum Level
Foundation
Areas of Study
Commercial Law and Transactions
Type
Lecture

Section 003 Information

Instructor

Section Description

This course prepares you to think about the creation, interpretation, and enforcement of contracts. We ask whether the law should enforce all promises and, if not, how judges and lawyers should distinguish enforceable and unenforceable promises. Even if we know that enforceable promises were made, it may be difficult to determine exactly what was promised. How should we respond to allegations that a written agreement is ambiguous, incomplete, or at variance with the expectations of at least one of the parties? Then there is the question of enforcement: What remedies should be available to a plaintiff when the defendant has broken a legally enforceable promise? Should there be a remedy for every broken promise, or should some breaches be excused? If a remedy is appropriate, what should it look like? Should the plaintiff receive money (how much?), or should the defendant be ordered to deliver precisely what was promised? As we think about these issues, you will develop skill in advocacy. You will often serve as "counsel" for one of the parties in the assigned readings. I will ask you to present the best legal arguments for structuring a transaction in a particular way or for concluding that one of the parties breached the contract. I will vary the facts, requiring you to adjust your legal argument and find the best fit between the facts and legal rules. This process, I hope, will help you develop skill in thinking on your feet, applying law to fact, and public speaking.

School Year & Semester
Fall 2023
Location
WJWH 311
Schedule
Class meets on
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
9:10 am - 10:30 am
Points
4
Method of Evaluation
Exam
J.D Writing Credit?
No

Learning Outcomes

Primary
  • Acquire an understanding of basic American contract law, including major policy concerns
  • Develop facility in doctrinal analysis, including close reading of cases and precedents and the application of abstract law to concrete facts
  • Gain facility in oral advocacy

Course Limitations

Instructor Pre-requisites
None
Instructor Co-Requisites
None
Requires Permission
No
Recommended Courses
None
Other Limitations
None

Additional Section for Contracts

Section 001

School Year & Semester

Fall 2023

Instructor

Location

WJWH L104

Schedule

Class meets on
  • Tuesday
  • Thursday

Points

4

Section 002

School Year & Semester

Fall 2023

Instructor

Avery Katz

Avery W. Katz

Milton Handler Professor of Law and Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Character

Location

JGH 102b

Schedule

Class meets on
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
  • Friday

Points

4

Section 004

School Year & Semester

Fall 2023

Instructor

Location

JGH 103

Schedule

Class meets on
  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday

Points

4

Section 001

School Year & Semester

Spring 2024

Instructor

Location

JGH 101

Schedule

Class meets on
  • Monday
  • Wednesday

Points

4

Section 002

School Year & Semester

Spring 2024

Instructor

Location

WJWH L107

Schedule

Class meets on
  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday

Points

4
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