Bowstead and Reynolds on Agency is the essential reference source for commercial practitioners. Part of the long-established Common Law Library, this new edition updates all relevant aspects of law and how they relate to agency agreements, including contract law, administrative law, tort, commercial/company law, the law of property and the conflict of laws.

The 23rd edition has been fully updated to take account of all developments in agency, including new text on:

implied limits to actual authority and onus of proof of authority;
sub-agency, and agent’s rights to indemnity;
vicarious liability;
and undisclosed principals.

The text has been updated with all key cases, including:

Wood v Commercial First Business Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 471 on bribes and secret commissions
Law Debenture Trust Corp Plc v Ukraine [2023] UKSC 11 on capacity, actual and apparent authority
Philipp v Barclays Bank UK Plc [2023] UKSC 25 on actual and apparent authority
Barton v Morris [2023] UKSC 3 on scope of quantum meruit for services by agent
Barclay-Watt v Alpha Panareti Public Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 1169 on agent’s liability for misrepresentation and joint tortfeasance
And new cases from Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand

The second cumulative supplement to the 23rd edition takes account of all developments in agency, including:

Considerable revision to the material on fiduciary duty and on secret commissions in chapters 6 and 8
New textual material on: delegation of authority; nature of a solicitor’s retainer; identity of parties to a contract and undisclosed principals.
Three significant cases from the Supreme Court on aspects of breach of fiduciary duty: Rukhadze v Recovery Partners GP Ltd [2025] UKSC 10; Stevens v Hotel Portfolio II UK Ltd [2025] UKSC 28; and Hopcraft v Close Brothers Ltd [2025] UKSC 33. Privy Council case on exercise of powers for proper purposes: Tianrui (International) Holding Co Ltd v China Shanshui Cement Group Ltd [2024] UKPC 36.

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Bowstead and Reynolds on Agency, 23rd Edition, 2nd supplement

Bowstead and Reynolds on Agency, 23rd Edition, 2nd supplement