A practical guide to ending contracts early

English law has long respected the binding force of contracts, and the certainty this brings is one of the reasons it is such a popular choice of governing law.

However, there are exceptional circumstances in which contractual obligations may fall away, or a party may be entitled to bring a contract to an end, even where there is no express termination clause. In a less predictable geopolitical environment, parties may be more likely to explore these routes to avoid unfavourable contractual terms or end contracts entirely.

This three-part guide explains the key routes to termination or escape from contractual obligations: frustration, repudiatory breach, misrepresentation, mistake, and illegality.