Ron Villanova

Legal Promise Ron Villanova

The substance of this book is derived from lectures presented to working paralegals as the third in a series of "foundation courses" intended to supplement their prior education and experience and to enhance their capacity to more competently handle tasks normally handled by lawyers. The course, and thus this essay, focuses on the many meanings of consideration and through the use of case law attempts to show the conceptual and societal underpinnings of contract formation and the legal basis for recognition and enforcement of promises. The perspective departs from the normal contracts course in that, first, the element of consideration is taken up in historical detail. Second, the use of consideration as the integrating factor leads to a critical analysis intended to show that some black letter law is of dubious origin and that, in any event, rules are often malleable when they meet the vagaries of diverse fact patterns. Third, some suggestions of what it means are advanced that are not traditionally found in textbooks. About the author: The author has practiced law since 1967. During his tenure as Counsel with a major financial services corporation, he was responsible for its law department's paralegals and paralegal development program. Those duties led him to develop the three foundation courses that are now available in book and digital form: Legal Logic, Legal Promise, and Legal Method.