Roberta is being asked to pay £1,000 for the advert and £2,000 for first place in the lecture programme; Fatima is claiming an extra £5,000. Advise Roberta.

1. Roberta is head of the London College of Artificial Intelligence (LCAI) and she pays to have a stand at the upcoming UK Artificial Intelligence Conference. The LCAI pays Fatima £5,000 in advance to erect their stand. Part of the Conference package includes free advertising in the Conference programme and a slot of 15 minutes for Roberta to lecture to the conference participants. Roberta considers that the advertising she has been offered in the programme is insufficient and offers to pay £2,000 for a whole page spread; she also says she will pay £4,000 for her lecture slot time to be doubled and placed first in the programme. In the end Roberta is given a half page which is more than the other conference participants get and her slot time is placed first but remains only 15 minutes. Fatima is being too slow in organising the stand and so Roberta offers to double her money if she completes an hour before the conference begins. Roberta is being asked to pay £1,000 for the advert and £2,000 for first place in the lecture programme; Fatima is claiming an extra £5,000. Advise Roberta.

2. Emily owns a washing machine that has needed regular repair over the past two years. On the latest occasion on which it breaks down, she phones Walter, whose company has repaired the machine on previous occasions. He agrees to come out on the basis of an ‘all inclusive’ charge of £80. When Walter has completed the repairs, he hands her an order form, which refers Emily to his company’s website for terms and conditions. Those terms, amongst others, state that Walter will replace any parts that break down within three months, but that otherwise Walter accepts no liability for loss or damage caused by his work whatsoever. Emily, intent on having the work done, signs the form without hesitation. Two months later Emily uses the washing machine, and it floods, causing £500 worth of damage to Emily’s rugs. When Emily tries to switch it off, she receives a powerful electric shock from the casing, which severely burns her arm. Advise Emily.

3. Has the law of undue influence struck an appropriate balance between protecting both vulnerable persons, on one hand, and the economic interests of financial institutions, on the other. Discuss