Business Law Library & Tracker
Contracts & Commercial
Commercial contracts, limitation clauses, contract interpretation and remedies.
Sources last reviewed 10 Aug 2026
Main law guides
122
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
60
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
143
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
13
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpMain laws
Insurance Act 2015
2015 c. 4
Arbitration Act 1996
UKPGA 1996 c 23
Bribery Act 2010
UKPGA 2010 c 23
Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008
SI 2008/1276
Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993
SI 1993/3053
Competition Act 1998
UKPGA 1998 c 41
Consumer Rights Act 2015
UKPGA 2015 c 15
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
UKPGA 1999 c 31
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
UKPGA 1988 c 48
Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020
UKPGA 2020 c 12
Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002
SI 2002/2013
Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
UKPGA 1996 c 53
Intellectual Property Act 2014
UKPGA 2014 c 18
Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
UKPGA 1954 c 56
Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998
UKPGA 1998 c 20
Limitation Act 1980
UKPGA 1980 c 58
Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000
UKPGA 2000 c 12
Limited Partnerships Act 1907
UKPGA Edw 7 c 24
Misrepresentation Act 1967
UKPGA 1967 c 7
Modern Slavery Act 2015
UKPGA 2015 c 30
Partnership Act 1890
UKPGA Vict 53-54 c 39
Patents Act 1977
UKPGA 1977 c 37
Procurement Act 2023
UKPGA 2023 c 54
Public Contracts Regulations 2015
SI 2015/102
Sale of Goods Act 1979
UKPGA 1979 c 54
Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982
UKPGA 1982 c 29
Trade Secrets (Enforcement, etc.) Regulations 2018
SI 2018/597
Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006
SI 2006/246
Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977
UKPGA 1977 c 50
Tracker
- Case22 July 2026
Supreme Court explains damages under an express termination clause
Businesses should draft termination triggers and financial consequences together, including whether compensation covers lost profit, loss of bargain or only direct expenses.
Contracts & Commercial - Case20 July 2026
Force majeure and post-employment restraint cases added
Businesses can use the cases to draft disruption workarounds expressly and tailor employee restraints to the interest and role that genuinely need protection.
Contracts & CommercialEmployment & Workplace - Case18 July 2026
Three current Supreme Court business decisions added
The decisions give directors and contract managers current guidance on board authority, termination preconditions and evidence needed to calculate an insurance claim.
Contracts & CommercialCompanies & Startups - New13 June 2026
Procurement Act added for suppliers selling to public bodies
Suppliers should keep bid evidence, conflicts, exclusion declarations, insurance certificates and performance records organised before a tender deadline forces a scramble.
Contracts & CommercialRegulatory Compliance - Amendment29 Apr 2026
Commercial rent review rule enacted but not yet in force
Businesses negotiating new leases, renewals or variations should keep the future rules in view without treating them as current law. Lease status, contracting out, review benchmarks, trigger mechanics and the narrower renewal rules can all affect the analysis.
Commercial Leases & PropertyContracts & Commercial
Cases
Bath Racecourse Ltd v Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE
Insurance recovery is calculated under the policy, not from headline revenue loss alone. Grants, reimbursements and avoided costs may affect the final amount. Keep...
Great Asia Maritime Ltd v Orion Shipping and Trading LLC
An express termination clause does more than decide whether a party can exit. Its compensation language can create a separate damages right. Draft the trigger,...
Providence Building Services Ltd v Hexagon Housing Association Ltd
A termination clause is a sequence, not a general fairness test. Before ending a contract, trace every notice, deadline, cure period and precondition in order. A...
Saxon Woods Investments Ltd v Costa
A director can disagree strongly with the board, but must use the company's governance process to do it. Honest belief is not a licence to run a private...
Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Ltd v Augusta 2008 LLP
Collateral warranties should not be treated as interchangeable boilerplate. Developers, tenants, funders and contractors should check whether the document gives the...
Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs v Professional Game Match Officials Ltd
Flexibility before an assignment does not prevent employment obligations arising during an accepted assignment. Businesses using casual or assignment-by-assignment...
RTI Ltd v MUR Shipping BV
A force majeure clause should say whether workarounds can include alternative payment, delivery or performance. Without clear wording, a reasonable-endeavours...
Tesco Stores Ltd v USDAW
Employers should be careful with promises described as permanent, guaranteed or protected. Cost pressure later may not justify undoing a carefully negotiated...
Barton v Morris
A conditional fee can be all or nothing. If the parties want a reduced fee for a near miss, a different sale price or a changed transaction structure, they need to...
Sara & Hossein Asset Holdings Ltd v Blacks Outdoor Retail Ltd
Commercial lease service charge clauses can control cash flow first and arguments later. Tenants should understand certification, payment timing and dispute rights...
Triple Point Technology Inc v PTT Public Company Ltd
Implementation contracts need careful delay, acceptance, termination and damages drafting. If the contract does not explain what happens when a project is late and...
Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd
Severance can rescue a restraint, but it is not a drafting strategy. Employers should tailor each restriction to the employee's role and the business interest being...
Wells v Devani
A short conversation and subsequent performance can create an enforceable contract, but statutory disclosure duties still matter. Businesses should not depend on a...
Pimlico Plumbers Ltd v Smith
Contractor status needs to match the real working model. If a business requires personal service, controls presentation, allocates work closely and integrates the...
Rock Advertising Ltd v MWB Business Exchange Centres Ltd
If a contract says variations must be in writing, do not rely on a casual call or email chain to change the deal. Sales, account management and finance teams should...
Wood v Capita Insurance Services Limited
Warranties and indemnities are not interchangeable safety nets. A buyer needs each risk mapped to the trigger, notice process, time limit, liability cap and remedy...
Arnold v Britton
Compounding clauses deserve the same attention as headline price terms. Courts use context and commercial common sense to understand words, but they do not rescue a...
Cavendish Square Holding BV v Makdessi; ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis
Liquidated damages, default charges, service credits and termination consequences need a legitimate commercial rationale. They should not look like punishment...
FHR European Ventures LLP v Cedar Capital Partners LLC
An agent cannot keep an undisclosed payment connected with the work it was engaged to perform. Businesses using brokers, introducers and acquisition advisers should...
Autoclenz Ltd v Belcher
If your contractor agreement says one thing but daily operations say another, the operational reality can win. Substitution clauses, freedom language and...