Welcome to the lawcases.net guides section. If you want more than a case summary, these guides are a good place to start. They explain the legal principles behind important topics, show how the leading authorities fit together, and point you to the cases that matter most. Whether you are studying, revising or researching a point of law, the aim is to give you a clear route through the subject.
April 2, 2026
Negligence is the dominant tort in English law. It provides the principal mechanism by which one party may recover compensation from another for loss caused by careless conduct. In its modern form, negligence requires the claimant to establish four elements: that the defendant owed a duty of care, that the...
April 2, 2026
Economic duress is the doctrine by which English law permits a party to avoid a contract, or recover money paid, where that party’s consent was obtained by illegitimate economic pressure rather than by physical threats or coercion of the person. It occupies a critical position at the intersection of contract,...
March 31, 2026
The duty of care is the threshold concept of the tort of negligence. Before any question of breach, causation, or remoteness can arise, the claimant must establish that the defendant owed a legal obligation to take reasonable care for the claimant’s interests. The content and boundaries of that obligation have...
March 29, 2026
Few concepts in English law carry as much weight, or occupy so pervasive a role, as foreseeability. It operates across the law of tort and the law of contract, appearing at multiple stages of legal analysis: in the establishment of a duty of care, in the assessment of breach, in...
March 25, 2026
Breach of contract is the central pathology of the law of obligations. Where one party to a binding agreement fails to perform, or performs defectively, or evinces an intention not to perform, the law must provide both a framework for classification and a set of remedies. English law has developed,...
March 25, 2026
The maxim de minimis non curat lex – “the law does not concern itself with trifles” – is one of the most enduring principles of the common law. It expresses a fundamental proposition of legal policy: that courts should not expend their limited resources upon trivial matters, and that the administration of...
March 22, 2026
Consensus ad idem – literally translated from Latin as “agreement to the same thing” – is a foundational prerequisite for an enforceable contract. It captures the intuitive requirement that, for a valid and binding agreement to exist, all parties must comprehend and assent to the essential terms and subject matter...
March 20, 2026
Assault and battery represent two of the oldest and most fundamental offences known to the common law of England. Though the terms are frequently used interchangeably in popular discourse, they are in law distinct concepts, each protecting a different dimension of the individual. Assault guards the mind against the fear...
March 19, 2026
The Latin phrase novus actus interveniens – meaning “a new intervening act” – describes one of the most significant limiting principles in the law of tort and, to a lesser extent, criminal law. It refers to an event that occurs after the defendant’s wrongful act and is sufficiently independent to break the...
March 19, 2026
The formation of a contract in English law requires, at its most elementary, an offer, an acceptance, consideration, and an intention to create legal relations. Whilst acceptance is often communicated expressly – by letter, email, or spoken word – the common law has long recognised that a party may accept...
March 19, 2026
English contract law rests on a deceptively simple proposition: a binding agreement emerges when one party makes an offer and another accepts it. This framework, often described as the cornerstone of contractual formation, has shaped commercial dealings for centuries. Yet beneath its apparent simplicity lies a rich and occasionally contested...
March 18, 2026
The formation of a contract in English law depends on the proper communication of acceptance. Courts have long grappled with a deceptively simple question: at what moment does an acceptance become effective? The answer matters enormously, because it determines when a binding contract comes into existence and, consequently, when the...
March 18, 2026
A counter offer sits at the heart of contract formation in English law. It arises when one party responds to an offer not with acceptance, but with a modified proposal of their own. Although the concept appears straightforward, its application has generated significant litigation over nearly two centuries. This guide...
March 18, 2026
The law of contract rests upon agreement. Before any binding contract can arise, one party must make an offer and the other must accept it. However, between the making of an offer and its acceptance lies a critical window during which the offeror may change their mind. The legal rules...
April 16, 2026
National Case Law Archive
April 13, 2026
National Case Law Archive
April 13, 2026
National Case Law Archive