Qualifications

BCL, MA (Oxford); Docteur Honoris Causa (Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas); Solicitor (non-practising)

Academic background

I retired in 2018 and am now Emeritus Student of Christ Church, and Emeritus Professor of the Law of Contract in the University. I read Classics (Honour Moderations), Law (Finals), and the BCL at Christ Church between 1977 and 1982, and was Tutor in Law at Christ Church from 1982 to 2018. In the University I was Lecturer in Law from 1982 to 2004, Reader from 2004 to 2008, and Professor of the Law of Contract from 2008 to 2018.

I was Junior Censor at Christ Church from 1995 to 1997, and Senior Censor from 1997 to 1999.

From 2007 to 2017 I was also Professor of Anglo-American Private Law at the University of Leiden.

I taught at Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas (formerly Université Paris II) from 2002 to 2024, first as professeur invité, and from 2019 as professeur contractuel de droit privé: droit du common law).

Research interests

My interests lie in English and comparative private law, especially contract and property. From 2015 to 2018 I was Director of the Institute of European and Comparative Law in the Law Faculty, and I remain a Research Fellow of the Institute.

Featured publications

Recent publications include:

Books:

Misrepresentation, Mistake and Non-Disclosure: 7th edn, Sweet & Maxwell, 2025

Formation and Variation of Contracts: 4th edn, Sweet & Maxwell 2024

Contract Law: An Introduction to the English Law of Contract for the Civil Lawyer: 4th edn, Hart Publishing, 2023

Property and Contract: Comparative Reflections on English Law and Spanish Law (jointly with ÁM López y López): Hart Publishing, 2022

Articles:

‘Default Rules in Contract Law’ in B Häcker and J Ungerer (eds), Default Rules in Private Law, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025

‘The Role of Consideration in English Law’ in B Rodriguez-Rosado, R Caro Gándara and A Legerén-Molina (eds), Cause and Consideration: Exploring the Foundations of Contract Law, Hart Publishing, 2025

‘Precedent in English and Welsh Private Law’ in C Ramberg (ed), The Role of Legal Precedent in Private Law A Comparative Study, Intersentia, 2024

‘Good Faith in English Contract Law: Lessons from Comparative Law?’ in E Peel and R Probert (eds), Shaping the Law of Obligations, Oxford University Press, 2023

For a detailed list of publications, see https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/people/john-cartwright