It is well recognised that company law is a large and complex subject which has expanded rapidly in recent years. This is partly due to the need to comply with the European Union directives and regulations and partly due to the increasing complexity of commercial life generally. All of this places enormous pressure on any company law course. This book presents the core principles of company law in a readable and intelligible form, focusing particularly on the important cases and extracting key passages of judgment.

For this new edition, discussions of many recent cases and their ramifications have been incorporated into the text. These new cases include Hood Sailmakers Ltd v Axford, Ord v Belhaven Pubs Ltd, Re Astec plc, Re Duckwari plc and Re Duckwari plc (No 2), Ross v Telford, RW Peak (Kings Lynn) Ltd and the House of Lords decisions in Smith New Court Securities Ltd v Scrimgeour Vickers and Williams v Natural-Life Health Foods Ltd. The latest developments in corporate governance are considered following the publication of the Hampel Report. There is also discussion of the Law Commissions proposals for reform of the law relating to shareholder remedies and directors duties and the DTI inspired review of company law in Modern Company Law for a Competitive Economy.