This title is a part of our CasebookPlus™ offering as ISBN 9798887867120. Learn more at Faculty-CasebookPlus.com.

In the Tenth Edition of Studies in Contract Law, the authors have continued their work of streamlining, updating, and supplementing this classic casebook. The revision includes: 
 

  • Several changes to help teachers who want to address race in the context of contract law including:
    • A case in the introductory Chapter One that addresses Georgia’s post-Civil War Labor Contract Act, which was used to subjugate freed slaves
    • New historical materials attached to Williams v. Walker-Thomas, the landmark unconscionability case, emphasizing the role of race in the market Mrs. Williams found herself in
    • A new section in Chapter Five that covers discrimination law as it applies to contract. Here the emphasis is on race, but gender discrimination is also discussed.
  • New materials addressing topical issues, including:
    • A comment on NDA clauses in the #metoo era
    • A pandemic-based frustration case, where a coffee shop argued it should get out of its lease with the landlord due to government action preventing its business from operating
    • A paragraph on Disney’s Contract Clause claim against Florida Gov. DeSantis
  • Updates to incorporate amendments to Article Two of the UCC, the new Restatement of Consumer Contract Law, new rules on non-competes, as well as other legislative changes or proposals
  • Some significantly revamped sections:
    • New materials in Chapter Six on specific performance.
    • Major changes to improve Chapter Seven, which covers third-party beneficiaries and assignment and delegation.
  • Minor changes throughout to improve comprehensibility, such as reordering some materials and improving explanatory text


Ayres has now recorded more than 90 contract law videos that will be freely available for viewing on Coursera.com and YouTube (search for “Ian Ayres Contracts”). These videos are largely free-standing discussions of individual cases from the casebook and can be used as supplemental lectures or to “flip the classroom.” Ayres has also recorded more than 30 videos, also freely available on these platforms (search for “Ayres Law Students toolkits”), covering basic legal concepts (e.g., rules vs. standards) and techniques (e.g., how to brief a case) that might be useful for first-year students. 

As always, adopters can download edited versions of cases from older editions. The Teacher’s Manual includes a detailed annotated list of materials to help you construct a syllabus, and revised and more detailed notes on individual cases and problems.


Imprint: Foundation Press
Series: University Casebook Series
Publication Date: 12/08/2023

Ian Ayres, Yale University Law School

Gregory Klass, Georgetown University Law Center

Rebecca Stone, University of California-L.A. School of Law

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Teacher's Manual

Teacher's Manual Materials

In this Section, you will find annotated guides to the cases and problems, and a table of contents comparing the 7th edition to the 8th edition.

Building a Syllabus

Cases from Prior Editions

Other Canonical Cases

Handouts and Exercises

Sample Exams

Other Teaching Materials

Learn more about this series.