Legal Aspects of Purchasing Online Course

Course Outline

At the completion of this lecture, students will be able to explain:

• Various contract laws, including the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), the Convention for International Sale of Goods (CISG), the US Code and The Federal Acquisition Regulation (US Federal/Public sector contracts) and other national contract law.
• The requirements for formation of binding contracts
• The legal ramifications of certain contract clauses
• How best to protect organizations in contracting situations
• The obligations and potential liabilities of the purchaser in a principal/agent relationship

 Contract Formation 

 A. Offer and Acceptance
B.  Mutual Assent
C. Consideration
D. Lawful Purpose & Competent Parties
E.  The “Battle of Forms”

Law of Agency

A. Principal - Agent Relationship
B. Duties of the Parties
C. Authority of the Agent
D. Liability of the Parties

The Role of the Legal Counsel 

A.    Corporate legal services
B.     Outside legal services
C.     Alternate dispute resolution
D.    Mediation
E.     Arbitration
F.      Litigation

Contract Formalities & Defects

A.  Written Contracts
B.  Oral Contracts
B.  Defective Contracts
C.  Long Term Contracting

Contract Performance

A. Buyer's & Seller's Obligations
B. Risk of Loss
C. Defenses for Lack of Performance
D. Termination & Cancellation of Contracts

Warranties & Product Liability

A. UCC, CISG, Federal, and Other National Contract Law
B. Express Warranties
C. Disclaimers of Warranties
D. Product Liability

Remedies

A. Generally
B. UCC - Sale of Goods
C. CISG
D. Federal Contract Law
E. Contract Law of other Nations
F. Limitation of Liability & Indemnification

Other Laws Affecting Purchasing

A.  Intellectual Property
B.  Antitrust and Unfair Trade Practices
C.  Environmental Law
D. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
E. Sarbanes-Oxley
F. Other Federal Laws