The common law is one of two major and successful systems of law developed in Western Europe, and in one form or another is now in force not only in the country of its origin but also in the United States and large parts of the British Commonwealth and former parts of the Empire.

David Ibbetson exposes the historical layers beneath the modern rules and principles of contract, tort, and unjust enrichment. Small-scale changes caused by lawyers exploiting procedural advantages in their clients' interest are described & analyzed.

Substantially revised and updated, this edition reexamines, in the light of renewed support for the ideology of freedom of contract, many of the arguments formerly levelled against this concept.

This book is the leading account of contract law in England and Wales in relation to implied terms. Implied terms are not only frequently of great importance in litigation, but can assist business parties in planning contracts effectively by allowing them to identify issues over which they do not need to negotiate because they would be content with the terms the law would imply. Distinct commercial advantages of this approach can include savings of management time in negotiating and avoiding trade-off costs demanded by counterparties in exchange for agreeing an express term.