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Essay on Contractual Law

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Submitted By galinakircheva
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The following essay deals with a hypothetical case in contract law, more specifically an offer and its acceptance. Its main purpose is to discuss and apply the principles in law, relevant to the topic, as well as advice the parties on their position and legal obligations.

In the following case, the offer is being made by an advertisement in a local newspaper. The law states that advertisements in general are merely an invitation to treat and not an offer, the precedent being the Partridge v Crittenden case. An invitation to treat is an action, inviting the other parties to make an offer in order for a contract to be made. It treat cannot be accepted and therefore cannot directly be converted into a contract. The reasons for the decision advertisements to be considered to be invitations to treat are various – from allowing sellers to refuse to sell a wrongly labeled item, to protecting them from legal obligation resulting from a breach of contract when they fail to accommodate all needs due to a shortage in stock or failure in the supply chain.

In certain situations, though, an advert can be elevated into an offer. In order for that to happen, the wording must be unambiguous and explicit, leaving no room for negotiation. This concept was first illustrated in the Lefkowitz v Great Minneapolis Surplus Store case. Even though it wasn’t an English case, it can still serve as an example in cases with similar circumstances due to the similarities in the legal systems of the UK and the USA.

Furthermore, the offers themselves can be two types – unilateral and bilateral. In unilateral, also known as one-sided offers, one party (known as the offeror) makes a promise in exchange for an act carried out by another party (called the offeree). A classical case, which involves a unilateral offer, is the Carlil v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company one. In contrast, a bilateral offer is

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