The Law of Contracts is both an academic and practical module. After all, we conclude contracts every day (whether it is in our personal lives or whether it is in business or commercial transactions). The principles learnt about in this module are the cornerstones of commercial activities and are particularly important in the practice of law. In fact, those students who will eventually write their board exams to become admitted attorneys will find that the principles in this module form a significant portion of one of the board exams (sidebar exams). The bottom line is that regardless of where you end up working or studying, contracts are an integral part of life.
The Law of Contract module is presented roughly in two parts:
- The first part covers the general principles of the Law of Contract; and
- The second part covers specific types of contracts (also called nominate contracts).
It goes without saying that the first part is foundational to the second part of the module. The first semester and part of the second semester will focus on the general principles as well as the principles of contractual interpretation and a basic introduction to the drafting of contracts. The remainder of the second semester will be devoted to the specific contracts. By the end of this module, students should be fully conversant with the general rules of the Law of Contract and should also be able to apply the knowledge leaned in this module in practical scenarios.