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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Course Focus: The focus of this course is the Pakistani Legal system, with some emphasis on common law rules
regulating contractual relations (as applied in certain foreign jurisdictions). Students shall be able to understand the
issues that arise in contract law, and further understand the public policy arguments related to the rules that are in
place. Students shall also develop analytical and cognitive skills to work through a problem relating to the laws that
enforce promises and proposals. The major focus of the Course shall be the Contract Act of 1872, as well as other
materials prepared for class.
Although the following topics are touched upon in the recommended books, and in some of the cases (and covered in
some detail in the larger books), they are not covered in great detail in this course:
• Requirements as to the form of contracts (formalities governing certain contracts)
• Option contracts (that are necessarily congruent to certain formalities, and must be reduced to writing)
• Assignment/novation of contractual rights (including negotiability of instruments)
• Agency
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)
• There are no prerequisites for this Course.
• Generally, a Student for this class must be familiar with the operation of the legal system.
Knowledge on how to spot issues, to determine what facts are material for the operation of law, and
logical analysis are presumed. Those topics are not reviewed in any detail in this class.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
• Traditionally, the law of contracts is used to introduce law students to the manner in which lawyers
think. However, there is no one body of law out there that can be memorized. Law is a way of thinking –
of applying rules to facts and predicting results. Even further, it is a method of asking if those results are
coherent and if they make sense within the larger goals of society.
But, it must be stated at the outset that the law of contracts is a rule laden discipline, filled with rules
and countless exceptions in a manner which causes many students to question whether anything was
ever learned, let alone allowing one to recall the corpus of law when it would b useful.
In order to facilitate the learning process, the following approach shall (in my opinion) be helpful in
organizing the thought process for students allowing them to spot the issues in a given problem.
The key to the law of contracts, regardless of the complexity of the question, is the recognition, at the
outset of whether liability is being debated with respect to a statement (or action) by one of the parties.
If so, then we are in the realm of the laws regulating contracts.
Students are advised to approach a contract law question by keeping the following issues in mind. These
6 inquires shall be used to organize all the materials in this course.
1. Did the parties form an agreement?
2. If the parties formed an agreement, is their agreement a contract?
3. Do the terms of the contract, or the subsequent actions of the parties, confer any rights, or impose
any duties upon non-parties?
4. Once persons are determined, have the performance obligations created by the contract matured?
5. If the contract obligations have matured, has performance been excused?
6. If performance has not been excused, and not been tendered, then what are the remedies
available to the parties.
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Learning Outcomes
• At the Conclusion of the Course the Student will be able to:
1. demonstrate a working knowledge of the elements of a claim under the laws of contracts, or
alternative theories of liability;
2. understand the laws regulating contractual relationships and the theory underlying the applicable
rules governing the framework;
3. understand the case law, common law rules, and statutory law, that regulate contractual
relationships, and the importance of issues presented in the cases, and how courts have applied
those rules keeping public policy in mind;
4. understand that different rules regulating transactions may apply depending on the subject matter
of the agreement;
5. apply case law to a specific set of facts/issues;
6. apply statutory law to resolve issues presented; and,
7. interpret statutory language, and trace the relationship between statutory law and applicable case
law.
Grading Breakup and Policy
Quiz(s): 10% (5 in number, unannounced)
Class Participation: 5%
Attendance: None (See Attendance Policy below)
Midterm Examination: 35%
Project: None
Final Examination: 60%
• Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes. The following Attendance Policy shall be enforced as per
the Undergraduate Student Handbook:
o any student who is more than 10 minutes late to class will be marked absent and may, at the
instructor’s discretion, be barred from sitting in that class; and,
o more than 3 unexcused absences will lead to a grade reduction. All requests to be absent from class
must have been approved by the instructor prior to the class in question.
• Class Participation: You are expected to read the assigned material prior to class to contribute meaningfully in
class. Only a meaningful contribution in class shall be cause for you to get credit.
• Examination: All examinations for this course are open book. All exam materials must be prepared in congruence
with Article 22 of the LUMS Undergraduate Handbook.
o Formative assessment shall be conducted through class discussions and quizzes that shall be conducted
in class. Points awarded shall count towards the final grade for this course.
o Summative assessment shall be through the Mid Term and Final Examinations (dates to be announced
later).
• Pledge to accompany all written submissions for this class: All submissions for this class must be submitted with a
signed pledge from the student stating that all the work being submitted is the student’s own. Sample language of
the pledge is stated below:
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
“I respectfully submit this written submission in good faith. I further pledge upon my sacred Honor, as a student
engaged in the most noblest of pursuit of gaining a legal education, that I have not given, nor received, improper
help to aid in the completion of ALL my written submissions for this Course.”
• Electronic Devices: No electronic devices whatsoever are permitted to be used during the lectures. This includes
laptops for note taking purposes.
• Material: All Materials for this Course have been prepared by the Author. No part of the Course Pack, or other
provided material may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any means or in any form,
without the prior express written consent of the author, or as expressly permitted by law.
You must not circulate the work provided in this Course in any other form and you must impose the same condition
on any other acquirer.
Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent directly to the Author, at the
address outlined above.
It must be stressed at the outset, that all the cases provided as reading material for this Course have been severely
edited to present only specific issues for consideration. The cases provided to you as material for this Course should
under no circumstance be thought of as an alternative to reading the source material.
• Quiz: Any Quiz for this class shall be unannounced. A quiz will generally be conducted in the first 15 minutes of
class.
• Case Briefing: The class shall be conducted using the Socratic Method of learning. Students are expected to be
familiar with the material prior to coming to class.
In preparation for class, it is advised that all students read the assigned cases by isolating pertinent facts relevant to
the discussion. This process is known as “briefing” a case.
After briefing an assigned case, students are expected to know the answers to the following set of questions during
class discussions.
1. What is the procedural posture of the case? (Before which bench in the hierarchy of the court structure
does the case reside. E.g. The matter may be on appeal before the High Court, or the Supreme Court, after
a decision of the Subordinate Courts etc.)
2. The material facts of the case? (Material facts are facts that are necessarily narrated by the court as being
operative upon the said ruling.)
3. The relevant issues decided by the court? (Issues are the outstanding questions of law to be decided by a
sitting tribunal.)
4. The rule we get from the case? (The operative rule is a simple statement which can be described in a
logical function. E.g. therefore if X set of facts, then Y result)
5. The holding of the case? (E.g. in cases of a matter disposed of in the court of appeals, whether the case
was remanded for further proceedings, overturned/overruled or held.)
6. Why did the Court rule the way in which it did? (The student shall be expected to give a well reasoned
opinion as to why she believes that the Court decided the way in which it did.)
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Present Intent, content
(essential terms), and
communication of offers
shall be emphasized as
• CONTRACT ACT §8 essential parts of a
• Arnold Palmer Golf v. Fuqua contract.
Industries, 541 F.2d 584 (6th
Cir. 1976) State what happens to an
• Lahore development Authority v. offer when it is not
Muhammad Qasim Khan, 2002 accepted. Students will
also be able to state when
YLR 1345
an offer may close
3. Acceptance of Offers • Karachi Gas Co. Ltd. v. Daewoo
Cotton Mills Ltd, 1975 PLD 193 Explain what a valid
• Syed Paper Mills v. Trust acceptance is and what is
Investment Bank Ltd., 200 CLD not.
1830
• Abdul Hamid v. Abbas Bhai- Explain what happens
Abdul Hussain, PLD 1959 (W.P.) when the offeree
Karachi 629 expresses a condition to a
certain mode of
acceptance and the
general rules applicable to
the unilateral contracts.
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Students shall be
introduced to the issues
associated when
• Contract Act §§7,8 considering whether an
• International Filter v. Conroe offer has been duly
• Allied Steel v. Ford accepted.
• Day v. Caton
Manners in which an offer
Modes of Acceptance and • Hobbs v. Massasosit Whip Co.
6. may be accepted shall be
Ignorance of an Offer • Manchester v. Commercial introduced.
• Felthouse v. Bindley
• Errington v. Errington The offeree’s power to
• R. V. Clarke revoke an offer prior to its
acceptance shall be
discussed.
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
if not supported by
consideration.
State situations in which
past consideration can be
good consideration for a
new promise (if any)
• Hamer v. Sidway
• Feige v. Boehm Students shall be
introduced to the concept
• Ward v. Byham
of promissory estopple as
9. Consideration (Continued) • Arzani v. People a separate theory of
• Kirksey v. Kirksey cf. Ricketts v. liability when anticipating
Scothorn binding legal obligations
Students shall understand
why certain promises can
be enforced under the
theory of promissory
estopple when a promise
is not supported by
consideration.
Promissory estopple as
a separate theory of
liability shall be
explained.
Elements for a claim
under this theory shall
be stated, and
understood using case
law.
• Central London v. High Trees The limitation of the
• Hughes v. Metrorail theory under “as justice
Promissory Estopple and Unjust • Rickets v. Scothorn requires” shall be
10. Enrichment as theories of • Feinberg v. Pfeiffer considered by the class
Contractual Liability • Mubarik v. ADBP and debated.
• Habib Bank v. M. Hussain
• Rickets v. Scothorn Unjust enrichment and
its associated remedies
shall be discussed. This
discussion shall be
limited to explaining its
application with respect
to certain transactions.
Students shall be able to
state that under the
theory of unjust
enrichment arises in 3
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
situations namely: 1.
Gratuitous transaction:
2. Emergency Services:
(remedy exists if
renderers are in the
business if not in the
business, no restitution)
3. Self-interested
transaction
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
• Contract Act §§
• Exide Pakistan Ltd. v. malik
Abdul Wadood, PLD 2008
Students shall be able to
Karachi 583
understand that certain
• Sana Ullah v. Muhammad
objects/exchanges have
Manzoor, 1993 CLC 2348
been prohibited by law.
• Hossain Ali Khan v. Firoza
These types of contracts
Unlawful Consideration and Begum, PLD 1971 Dacca 112
12. are prohibited.
Void/Voidable Contracts • Messers Pakistan State Ol
Company Ltd. v. Malik Hadi
Contracts may also be
Hussain, 2013 YLR 2769
unenforceable owing to
• Syed Asadul Haq v. Messers public policy arguments.
Balochistan Glass Ltd. 2011 CLC
294
• Anheuser-Bush Brewing v.
Mason
• Keifer v. fred
• Aamir Maood v. khurshid
Begum
• Ortelere v. Teachers Capacity to enter into a
• Cundick v. Broadbent contractual relationship
Capacity to enter into contractual
13. • Suleman v. Kala shall be discussed in
relationships
• Haji v. Raja this class.
• Sheikh M. v. M. rafiq
• Zafarullah v. Aziz
• Jhandha v. M. Younis
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Every condition
modifies a promise. A
condition either inserts
a contingency that must
occur prior to the
performance of a
contract. These are
• Luttinger v Rose
conditions precedent.
• International Rotterham v.
River
Condition precedents and Or a contingency that
15 • Kanvanos v. Hancock
Satisfaction of Contracts must be satisfied
• Muhammad Ishaq v. Sufia
simultaneously with
• Gibson v. Carange maturing liability on the
• Laurel v. Regal modified promise.
These are conditions
concurrent.
Conditions subsequent,
the happening of which
will extinguish the
contract.
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
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Excusable non
performance can arise 3
Where they have
become objectively
impossible
• Paradine v Jane (1647). Where the performance
• Taylor v Caldwell (1863) obligations have
• Davis Contractors become commercially
Excuses as to performance
• Ltd v Fareham Urban District impartibly
19 (Impossibility, Commercial
Council (1956)
Impracticability, and Frustration)
• TI Group Inc v Frustration of purpose
• Transclear SA (2008) that subsequent to the
• Krell v Henry (1903 formation of the
contract, that the
performance of the
other party has no value
to the primary party.
Here the party seeks
non-performance of his
side of the bargain.
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Students shall be able to
explain the doctrine of
duress.
Students shall consider
whether economic
hardship can act as a
vitiating factor when
• North Ocean Shipping v ascertaining if the
Hyundai Construction contract has been
• Halpern v Halpern (2007) procured under duress.
• Barton v Armstrong (1976).
• Universe Tankships of Monrovia Indicate when duress
20. Undue Influence
v will vitiate an apparent
• International Transport contract
Workers Federation
• Alec Lobb Ltd v Total Oil (1983) Explain what undue
• Lloyds Bank v Bundy (1975) influence is.
Indicate circumstances
when undue influence
will vitiate a contract.
Students shall be able to
outline an approach to
both doctrines.
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• Rockingham v. Luten
• Parker v. 20th Century
• Shahabiddin v. Khushi
• Iron Trade v. Wilkoff
• Mahattan Pak Co. v. government
of Pakistan
• Messrs American v. Messrs New
Mitigation
Jubilee
22. Damages: Expectation or
• Hawkins v. McGee, 84 N.H.
Exceptional Damages
114 (1929)
• Ruxley v. Construction Ltd
• Laredo v. H & H
• Fera v. Village
• Jacob & Young v. Kent
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
• Anglia v. Reed
Damages: Reliance and
23 • CC Films v. Impact Quadrant
Restitution
• U.S. Algernon
• Hadley v. baxendale
• Spang v. Aetna
Foreseeability, certainty and • Chicago Coliseum Club v.
24
avoidability Dempsey
• Victoria v. Newman
• Parker v. 20th Century Fox
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
25
• White v. Benkowski
• Aijaz v. Mssrs Amin
• Dada Steel v. M.V.I. Van
• Federation of Pakistan v. Messrs
These classes shall
Al Farooq
introduce students to
• State Life Insurance v. Messrs
Damages: Quantum how damages are
Bibojee
calculated for breaches
• Trading Corp v. International of contract.
Trade
• Wasserman’s Inc. v. Township
of Middletown
26
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Students shall be
introduced to certain
drafting language where
• International Civil Engineers v.
parties can limit the
Karachi Shippyard
quantum of damages at
• Mohomed Karimuddin v. Kanza
27 Liquidated Damages the outset in a
Food
transaction.
• NDFC v. Moona Liza Ltd
• Hopper v. All pet Animal Clinic The class shall involve a
drafting exercise to be
conducted in class.
Textbook(s)/Supplementary Readings
Shaukat Mahmud & Nadeem Shaukat, The Law of Contract
The Law of Contracts (Treital, G.H)
McKendrick, E. Contract law. (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) ninth edition
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