A) 

  Lea el siguiente texto con atención y realice las actividades que se

sugieren a continuación.

CONTRACTS

1- Simple Contracts  A contract is made where parties have reached

agreement,  or where they are deemed  to have reached an agreement ,  and 
the law recognizes  rights and obligations arising from the  agreement . Almost
all contracts are simple contracts, as distinguished from specialty contracts, i.e.
contracts made under seal. Any general study of the law of contract must be
concerned almost entirely with simple contracts.

2-   Essential elements There are three fundamental elements in any simple

contract. They are:

1. Agreement: The parties must have reached, or to be deemed to have

reached, agreement.
2. lntention: The parties must have intended, or to be deemed to have
intended, to create legal relations.
3. Consideration:  According to the terms of agreement, some advantage
moves from each party to the other. The giving of mutual advantages by
the parties is the essence of a bargain. Any advantage or benefit moving
from one party to another is known as consideration.

In any transaction where one of these elements is missing there is no contract.

 
3-   Manner of agreement:  An agreement may be made in any manner
whatsoever, provided the parties are in communication.  An agreement may be
made:

a)    in writing

b)    by word of mouth or

c)    by inference from the conduct of the parties and the circumstances of the
case or

d)   by any combination of the above modes. 

              
4-  The test of agreement:  Adequate tests are necessary to enable the court
to decide cases involving dispute:

a)    as to whether agreement was reached at all, or

b)    as to the extent of the agreement, i.e. the terms of the agreement.

In both issues the intention of the parties is paramount. The function of contract
law is, largely, to develop principles which may be used towards the settlement
of such disputes .  lt is very important to understand that the question of terms
of contracts does not arise unless and until it is established that agreement has
been reached.

 
5- Intention and agreement:  The intention of the parties is gathered from the
express terms of contract.  Also, where necessary, the conduct of the parties is
taken into account, for much can be infered from conduct. The court is not
concerned with inward mental intent of the parties, but rather, with what a
reasonable man would say was the intention of the parties, having regard to all
the circumstances. Where it is necessary to give a contract business efficacy,
the court will imply terms to give effect to the presumed intentions of the
parties.  The presumed intention may or may not be the same as the actual
intention. lt must follow that when we speak of "agreement" in contract, we
include the notional agreement which the parties may be deemed to have
reached.
 
lt has been held by the House of Lords that in construing the written terms of a
contract,   evidence of the preceding negotiations is not admissible, nor is
evidence  of the parties' intentions  during negotiations: Prenn v. Simmonds
(1971).
 
6- Offer and acceptance. In order to discover whether agreement was reached
between the parties, it is usual to analyse the negotiations  into  offer and
acceptance.  Many  negotiations  are  too    complicated  to  lend themselves to
an easy analysis of this  kind ,  but the courts will try to discover whether ,  at
any time ,  one party can be said  to have  accepted the firm offer of the other.

Sometimes analysis will show a unilateral contract, i.e. that the offeror has
included in his offer  an express provision  that, performance by the  offeree in a
manner  stipulated  in the offer,  will conclude a binding  contract. A common
example would be the offer to pay a reward to the finder of a lost valuable.
 
7-   Rlghts and obllgations.  Where the parties have made a binding contract,
they have created rights and obligations between themselves. The contractual
rights and obligations are correlative e.g. X agrees with Y to sell his car for $
500 to Y.  In this example, the following rights and obligations have been
created:
a)  X is under an obligation to deliver his car to Y. Y has a correlative right to
receive the car.
 b)   Y is under an obligation to pay $ 500 to  : X has a correlative  right to
receive  the $ 500.
 
8- Breach of contract Where the party neglects or refuses  to honour a
contractual  obligation,  there   is a breach  of contract. A breach by one party
causes a right of action to accrue to the other party.  The usual remedy for
breach of contract is damages, i.e. the award of a sum of money to put the
aggrieved party in the position he would have enjoyed had the contract not
been broken. The sum is paid, of course, by the contract breaker following the
award of the court. In certain special circumstances, the court may order the
contract - breaker to carry out his contractual promise specifically. This is known
as the equitable remedy of specific performance. Specific performance is never
awarded where damages will suffice.
 
9 - Specialty Contracts. The terms of some contracts are embodied in a
document which is then signed, sealed and delivered by the parties. This is the
most solemn formality of contract- making known to English law. The most
important practical difference between simple contracts and specialty contracts
is that the period of limitation is six years and twelve respectively. The period of
limitation is the period of time in which that action for breach of contract may be
brought. The Limitation Act 1980 provides that an action upon a specialty
contract cannot be brought after the experiation of twelve years from  the date
on which the cause of action accrued, i.e. the date of the breach of contract
( see . 17:32). A promise given under seal is binding even if was given in return
for consideration from the promise (sea 4:1).   Source:  Major, W. T. The Law of
Contracts, London, 1992.
 
B) Actividades

1. Escriba el título de la sección donde usted encuentra los siguientes

temas. (5pts.)

 Derechos y Obligaciones. Sección N°: 7 – Derechos y Obligaciones

 La intención y el acuerdo.   Sección N°: 2 – Elementos esenciales o

fundamentales

 Los contratos simples.   Sección N°: 1 – Contratos simples

 Los elementos esenciales. Sección N°: 2 - Elementos esenciales o

fundamentales

 El modo de acuerdo. Sección N°: 3 – Forma de acuerdo

2. Encuentre en el texto las siguientes ideas y transcríbalas en inglés. (42pts)

a) Se considera incumplimiento de contrato cuando una de las partes

desatiende o rehúsa cumplir una obligación contractual.

 Breach of contract Where the party neglects or refuses to honour a

contractual obligation, there is a breach of contract.
b) El recurso usual para el incumplimiento es daños y perjuicios.

 The usual remedy for breach of contract is damages

c) En ambos casos la intención de las partes es fundamental.

 In both issues the intention of the parties is paramount.

d) La ley reconoce los derechos y obligaciones que surgen del acuerdo.

 The law recognizes rights and obligations arising from the agreement.

e) Para determinar si se llegó a un acuerdo entre las partes, es común analizar

las negociaciones respecto de la oferta y la aceptación.

 In order to discover whether agreement was reached between the

parties, it is usual to analyse the negotiations into offer and acceptance

f) Todo estudio general de la ley de contratos debe estar relacionado casi por
completo con los contratos simples.

 Any general study of the law of contract must be concerned almost

entirely with simple contracts.

3. Establezca si las siguientes expresiones son Verdaderas o Falsas. Corrija

las respuestas falsas. (30 pts)

 Cada vez que las partes realizan un contrato de obligaciones crean

derechos y obligaciones entre las partes.

VERDADERO.

 Las partes deben haber arribado a un acuerdo, o deben estar obligados

a haber alcanzado un acuerdo.

FALSO. Las partes deben haber llegado a un acuerdo o se debe considerar

que han llegado a un acuerdo

 La intención de las partes se establece por escrito en el contrato.

VERDADERO

 La diferencia práctica más importante entre los contratos simples y los

sellados es la firma y el sello.

FALSO. La diferencia práctica más importante entre los contratos simples y los
contratos de especialidad es que el plazo de prescripción es de seis y doce
años respectivamente.
  Son necesarias pruebas adecuadas que permitan a la Corte decidir los
casos que presentan conflicto.

VERDADERO

 La Corte no tiene atribuciones para ordenar a quien viola un contrato a

que lleve a cabo su promesa contractual.

FALSO. En determinadas circunstancias, el tribunal puede ordenar al infractor

del contrato que cumpla expresamente su promesa contractual. Esto se conoce
como el remedio equitativo de cumplimiento específico.

4. Traduzca al castellano el primer párrafo del texto. (23pts)

1- Simple Contracts A contract is made where parties have reached

agreement, or where they are deemed  to have reached an agreement , 
and  the law recognizes  rights and obligations arising from the 
agreement . Almost all contracts are simple contracts, as distinguished
from specialty contracts, i.e. contracts made under seal. Any general
study of the law of contract must be concerned almost entirely with
simple contracts.
LOS CONTRATOS SIMPLES: Un contrato se considera celebrado cuando las
partes llegan a un acuerdo o se estima que han llegado a un acuerdo. La ley
les reconoce derechos y obligaciones a partir de ese acuerdo. Casi todos los
contratos son simples, a diferencia de los especiales, por ejemplo: aquellos
hechos bajo sello. Todo estudio general de la ley de contratos debe estar
relacionado casi por completo con los contratos simples.