Product Description

This casebook focuses not only on the rules and principles of contract law, but also on the lawyer's role in planning and drafting contracts and on the richness of contract theory. It has comprehensive coverage of contract law and related obligation, the latter including promissory estoppel, restitution, and tort arising in the contract setting. This book is primarily a case book designed to help students develop important analytical and critical skills, but also has ample notes, problems, and excerpts that focus on the nature, function, and limits of contract and related law. Features of the new Fifth Edition include: several recent cases that bring important issues up to date; new notes and comments about recent developments in contract law and recent contract controversies in the news; and new excerpts from the secondary literature focusing on major recent developments.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #723166 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-07
• Released on: 2006-09-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1050 pages

About the Author
The McRoberts Research Professor of Law at the Cornell Law School, is a frequent lecturer on the Uniform Commercial Code for continuing legal education programs across the country. He lectured most recently with Professor James J. White on Remedies Under Article Two of the Uniform Commercial Code with Special Emphasis on Warranties. Professor Summers was educated at the University of Oregon and Harvard Law School. He practiced in Portland, Oregon with King, Miller, Anderson, Nash and Yerke, and later taught at the University of Oregon School of Law from 1960-1969. He is a member of the Oregon and New York bars. Professor Summers has authored many articles, including the classic treatment of the general obligation of good faith under the Uniform Commercial Code. In total, he has authored or co-authored ten books in the fields of commercial law and jurisprudence.

Customer Reviews

Incredible Case Book
This was the best law case book I've ever used. If you want the law spoon fed to you, yes, this book is a difficult tool. Professors Summers and Hillman, however, are firm believers that the best way to teach the law is by motivating the students to teach themselves. Their approach with this book is thought-provoking, thorough, and, yes, challenging. If you want an easy read, use a commercial outline. The law, however, is not supposed to be easy. You are supposed to wrangle with every word, to challenge every opinion, and search why the judges' reasoning is faulty. Professors Summers and Hillman triumph mightily with their text. Their holistic approach to teaching contracts is, undoubtedly, revolutionary. Much like Lon Fuller's text Basic Contract Law, it is a departure from the normal format. In fact, you won't find Hawkins v. McGee anywhere in the book, save for a footnote. If you are lucky enough to use this casebook, take advantage of it, and the incredible learning opportunity it presents. By the end of the course, you will have a view of the entire forest, to use the oft-used metaphor, as well as an in-depth understanding of each tree.

very capable casebook
The two previous reviewers of this casebook were probably both right about it - on one hand, it is an excellent guide for covering difficult material if someone is able to glean the broader meaning from the cases through self study. To some extent, that's part of the law school experience for better or worse. On the other hand, this book could have made that process easier, as one reviewer noted.

The cases and discussion, though, are quite interesting and are appropriately edited to focus on the important material. There are far worse casebooks in general use in law school, so I'd put this one towards the top of my limited experience.

That said, this casebook coupled with Hillman's Hornbook (blue paperback) would be an OUTSTANDING way to tackle a moderately difficult subject. I did that and I learned a ton from them as a combined resource. Either one alone just won't be sufficient.

REALLY, I mean sersiously . . .
Bleh. That is how I would describe this case book. Needlessly difficult, particularly for 1Ls. While I would not call it the worst casebook ever, I would say this: 5 credit class, 3 times a week, minimum 5 hours of prep work for each class. I am of the firm opinion that expecting a minimum, and I stress minimum, of 3 hours prep time for every hour of class is an unacceptable burden on students. Yes, you do learn a lot, yes the material is well tailored, but without any guidance from the editors, it just takes too long to get through the material.