Teaching Contract: My Way

Prof David McLauchlan, Victoria University of Wellington

Time and date: Wednesday 31 May, 2023. 1-2pm (Brisbane Time)

Location: Law School Board Room (W353), Level 3, Forgan Smith Building, The University of Queensland, St Lucia

and via Zoom: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/85950680622

Abstract

The purpose of this seminar is to introduce participants to a book that David is presently writing, entitled Teaching Contract: My Way. He hopes that the seminar will be of interest to teachers of all private law subjects, not just the law of contract. Apart from a brief explanation of his teaching approach, the seminar will focus on one of his favourite teaching cases, the decision of the English Court of Appeal in Jones v Padavatton [1969] 1 WLR 328. Most contract teachers would just use this case to illustrate the point that agreements between family members usually do not give rise to binding contracts because there is no intention to enter legal relations, but the seminar demonstrates it can not only provide an excellent vehicle for introducing students to several core principles of the law of contract and other legal concepts, but also for developing careful reading skills, skills of factual and legal analysis, as well as techniques of legal argument and judicial reasoning.

About the Speaker

David McLauchlan has been Professor of Law at Victoria University of Wellington since 1981, having started at the Faculty in 1971. He is also a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland, an associate member of Stout Street Chambers in Wellington, and in 2008 he was the McWilliam Professor in Commercial Law at the University of Sydney.

He is the author of two books and has published many book chapters and journal articles, mainly in the areas of the law of contract and commercial law. He has received University awards for excellence in both teaching and in research. His recent research has focused on remedies for breach of contract and contract interpretation and his writings have been frequently cited in the judgments of leading Commonwealth courts.

About Australian Centre for Private Law Events

The mission of the Australian Centre for Private Law is to foster the development and understanding of the private law through advanced theoretical, doctrinal, empirical and historical research, and the dissemination of that research through education and professional outreach. By supporting the work of its Fellows, the ACPL seeks to promote research in all areas of private law and to establish itself as a research centre of national and international importance. The core initiatives of ACPL are:

Research: To advance a deeper understanding of the structure, principles and policies of the private law through advanced theoretical, comparative, and empirical analysis.

Education: To promote, facilitate and disseminate the results of that research for the benefit of Australia’s social and economic fabric.

Professional Outreach: To engage the judiciary and members of the legal profession in discussion about the values, goals and methods of private law and the respective roles of the judiciary, the legal profession and the academy in the interpretation and reform of private law.

The ACPL embraces all branches of private law, including the law of contract, torts, trusts, equity, property, unjust enrichment, including theoretical and jurisprudential dimensions and contextual applications thereof.