Andrew Griffiths, Contracting with Companies (Oxford and Portland, Oregon, Hart Publishing 2005) xxxiii + 313 pp. + index, ISBN 1-84113-154-7

Abstract

In 1998, the British Government started a comprehensive review of company law due to growing concerns regarding the adequacy of the British model of the company and its governance to cope with the reality of the modern corporation and with the competitiveness of the British economy in the context of globalisation. The Company Law Review explicitly acknowledged the economic significance of company law by stating that it needed to be assessed and justified according to its effectiveness in meeting the objective of enabling the competitiveness of British companies. It is in this context that Andrew Griffiths places his analysis of the legal issues arising when a company enters into a contract or other transaction with another party. The author uses an economic analysis to determine whether these rules governing the attribution of contracts to companies are effective in meeting the main goal of company law as identified by the Company Law Review. Also, Griffiths looks at the specific proposals made by the Company Law Review that will affect the law governing contracting with companies and argues that reform has been piecemeal and that there is a case for reforming other areas as well.