Synopses & Reviews
An Introduction to the Law of Contracts is now out in it's fourth edition. It is still carefully organized around a comprehensive road map that takes the student through the 6 steps of contract law, but the new edition includes added benefits. There are updated cases and examples, and each chapter ends with review questions to help reinforce the theories addressed in each chapter. The chapters also end with a checklist that helps to highlight the key concepts for the paralegal student. The first of 6 steps investigates what body of law applies to the transaction. The next step addresses the formation of a contract, offer and acceptance. Step 3 develops limitations on the party's freedom to contract, and concepts such as infancy, illegality, duress, and unconscionability are explored. The next step looks at the plaintiff's allegation of the defendant's breach. Step 5 organizes the defendant's responses to the plaintiff's allegation of breach, categorizing it into one of two basic types that is then further explored. The final step develops the plaintiff's remedies for the defendant's breach of contract. With this step both the Common Law and UCC Article 2 remedies are explored. The text also makes reference to international arbitration based on the fact that over 90% of international contract disputes are resolved through international arbitration rather than litigation. Paralegal students will benefit from this thorough and highly readable text that is completely current and has a focus on retention.
Review
The organization of the material is quite good. Taking a contract from beginning to end is a very logical approach to learning about contracts. There is no extraneous material. The depth of the content is also quite appropriate.
Review
The organization of the material is quite good. Taking a contract from beginning to end is a very logical approach to learning about contracts. There is no extraneous material. The depth of the content is also quite appropriate.
Review
I would probably consider adopting the book even without changes, as it looks like a very interesting and easy to read book on contract law targeted specifically for paralegals, and such a book is fairly rare right now.
About the Author
Martin A. Frey, BSME, JD, LLM,is a Professor Emeritus at The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Senior Adjunct Settlement Judge for the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern Districts of Oklahoma, and was the Reporter for the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. He was a professor at Drake and Texas Tech Universities and a visiting professor at the University of Maine, Washington University (St. Louis), the University of Alabama, Wake Forest University, Stetson University, and Florida International University. When teaching, Professor Frey served on a number of site visitation teams for the Section on Accreditation and Admission to the Bar of the American Bar Association. Professor Frey currently volunteers with the Financial Crimes Unit of the Tulsa Police Department. He is the author or co-author of "The Little Black Book, A Do-It Yourself Guide for Law School Competitions" (Carolina Academic Press, 2002); "Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution" (Delmar Learning Thomson, 2003); "Introduction to the Law of Contracts, 4th Edition (Delmar Cengage Learning, 2008); "Introduction to Bankruptcy Law, 6th Edition (Delmar Cengage Learning, 2013); and "Essentials of Contract Law," 2nd Edition (Cengage Learning, 2015).
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Determining the Rules Governing the Dispute Chapter 2: The Offer Phase Chapter 3: The Post-Offer/Pre-Acceptance Phase Chapter 4: The Acceptance Phase Chapter 5: The Post-Acceptance Phase Chapter 6: Drafting a Contract Chapter 7: Contract Enforceability: Protecting Members of a Class Chapter 8: Contract Enforceability: Protecting a Party Against Overreaching Chapter 9: Contract Enforceability: Protecting the Judicial Process Chapter 10: The Plaintiff's Allegation of the Defendant's Breach Chapter 11: The Defendant's No Breach-Compliance Response to the Plaintiff's Allegation of Breach Chapter 12: The Defendant's No Breach - Excuse Response to the Plaintiff's Allegation of Breach Chapter 13: The Defendant's No Breach - Justification Response to the Plaintiff's Allegation of Breach Chapter 14: The Defendant's No Breach - Terminated Duty Response to the Plaintiff's Allegation of Breach Chapter 15: The Plaintiff's Common Law Remedies Chapter 16: The Plaintiff's Remedies under Article 2 of the UCC Chapter 17: Third-Party Interests