Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977: Key primary legislation governing the fairness and enforceability of exclusion clauses and limitation of liability provisions in contracts under English law
Consumer Rights Act 2015: Legislation that must be considered if any party to the release agreement is acting as a consumer, providing additional protections and requirements
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999: Legislation governing how third parties may enforce terms of a contract, relevant for hold harmless provisions affecting third parties
Limitation Act 1980: Statute establishing time limits within which various types of claims must be brought, important for understanding the scope of claims being released
Doctrine of Consideration: Common law principle requiring that each party must provide some value or consideration for the agreement to be legally binding
Contractual Capacity Rules: Common law principles determining who has the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts
Contractual Interpretation Principles: Common law rules governing how courts interpret contractual terms and provisions
Personal Injury Liability Rules: Legal principles restricting the ability to contract out of liability for personal injury, particularly under UCTA 1977
Fraud Liability Restrictions: Legal principles preventing the exclusion of liability for fraudulent acts or statements
Death/Personal Injury Negligence Rules: Statutory restrictions on excluding liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence
Reasonable Notice Requirements: Common law principles requiring that contractual terms, particularly onerous ones, must be properly brought to the attention of the parties
Hedley Byrne Principle: Case law establishing principles regarding liability for negligent misstatement, from Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd [1964]
Fundamental Breach Doctrine: Legal principle from Photo Production Ltd v Securicor Transport Ltd [1980] regarding the relationship between fundamental breach and exclusion clauses
Canada Steamship Guidelines: Principles from Canada Steamship Lines Ltd v The King [1952] providing guidelines for interpreting exclusion clauses
Data Protection Act 2018: Legislation governing the processing of personal data, including requirements for data protection in contractual relationships
UK GDPR: Post-Brexit data protection regulation implementing European-style data protection requirements in UK law
Human Rights Act 1998: Legislation incorporating European Convention rights into UK law, which may affect the interpretation and enforcement of release agreements
Equality Act 2010: Legislation prohibiting discrimination, which must be considered to ensure the agreement contains no discriminatory terms
