關于代理法的介紹  LAW OF AGENCY INTRODUCTION

Definition 定義

“代理”雙邊協商一致，當事人一方委托授權另一方以他的名義代理執行任務。

"Agency" - a bilateral, onerous, consensual contract whereby one party, the principal, authorises another, the agent, to execute business on his behalf.

Agency involves three parties:

     •    Principal
     •    Agent
     •    Third Party
and two contracts:

Capacity 作用

Same rules regarding capacity as with any other contract.

The principal must have the necessary capacity.

Note the capacity restrictions on:
    
    •    Young people
   
    •    Enemy aliens
   
    •    Companies prior to incorporation

提魯內爾維利制糖有限公司訴莫里斯，屈臣氏和雅漾有限公司案（案例1）科爾納和巴克斯特（案例2）

Tinnevelly Sugar Refining Co Ltd v Mirrlees, Watson &Yaryan Co Ltd (Case 1)Kelner v Baxter (Case 2)

CONSTITUTION OF AGENCY 機構的憲法

Agency relationship may arise in one of five ways:
   
   •    Express Agreement
   
   •     Implied Agreement
               -   Implied by Conduct
               -   Implied by Law
   
   •    Holding Out

Creation of agency by holding out requires:
              
               -    Representation by principal
 
               -    Reliance by third party
 
               -    Alteration of third party’s position

          弗里曼、洛克耶和巴克赫斯特公園地產（案例3）
          Freeman &Lockyer v Buckhurst Park Properties (Case 3)
  
    •    Ratification

          Lass Salt Garvin v Pomeroy (Case 6)#p#分頁標題#e#

Requirements for ratification: 

               -    Principal in Existence
 
                    Kelner v Baxter (Case 2)
               -    Principal with Capacity
               -    Ratification must be Timeous
 
                    Goodall v Bilsland (Case 4)
               -    Agent Acting as Agent
 
                    KeighleyMaxted& Co v Durant (Case 5)
               -    Principal Aware of Material Facts
 

     •    Agency of Necessity
Requirements:
               -    Genuine necessity
 
               -    Communication impossible
               -    Actions in the interests of the principal
 
                    Great Northern Co v Swaffield (Case 7)
                    Springer v Great Western Railway Co (Case 8)
 
CATEGORIES OF AGENT 各類代理

Traditional distinction between general and special agents is now of limited importance.http://www.400190.com/dissertation_writing/Law/

Other common kinds of agent:

     •    Mercantile Agents
    People employed to buy and sell.

    Divided into factors and brokers.

          Glendinning v Hope & Co (Case 9)

     •    Del Credere Agents and Confirming Agents

    Mercantile agents who undertake to indemnify the principal if the third party fails to perform the contract.

     •    Estate Agents#p#分頁標題#e#

    Regulated by:      Estate Agents Act 1979   Property /Misdescriptions Act 1991

       •    Shipmasters

    Captain or similar officer of a ship has wide powers.

    •    Commercial Agents

    Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993     Self-employed intermediaries with continuing authority to negotiate and/or conclude sales.
 
AUTHORITY OF AN AGENT 代理人的權限

    Agent can only bind principal in contract with third party if he has the necessary authority.

    Authority may be:

     •     express

     •     implied

     •     ostensible or apparent

     •     presumed.

    The first two are actual authority, the others are deemed to exist by law.
 
     •    Express Authority

          Set out by contract.

     •    Implied Authority

          Defined by nature of employment or task.

          Barry, Ostlere& Shepherd v Edinburgh Cork Importing Co (Case 10)

         Riverford Finance v Kelly (Case 11)

         SMC Electronics Ltd v Akhter Computers Ltd (Case 12)

         Sinclair, Moorhead & Co v Wallace & Co (Case 13)

     •    Ostensible Authority

          Authority that the agent has been held out as having.

          International Sponge Importers v Watt (Case 14)

          Watteau v Fenwick (Case 15)

          Racing UK Ltd v Doncaster Racecourse Ltd (Case 16)

          British Bata Shoe Co v Double M Shah (Case 17)

     •    Presumed Authority

          Arises in cases of agency of necessity.
 

DUTIES OWED BY AGENT TO PRINCIPAL#p#分頁標題#e#

     •    Duty to Obey Instructions

          Gilmour v Clark (Case 18)

          Graham & Co v United Turkey Red Co (Case 19)

     •    Duty not to Delegate

          Delegatus non potestdelegare - an agent must not delegate. There are exceptions.

          De Bussche v Alt (Case 20)

     •    Duty of Care and Skill

     •    Duty to Account

          Tyler v Logan (Case 21)

     •    Duty of Relief

          Milne v Ritchie (Case 22)

     •    Fiduciary Duty

          Duty of loyalty and good faith. Restricted to what is done in the course of the agency.

          Lothian v Jenolite Ltd (Case 23)
 
          The duty has 3 aspects:

               -    Agent must not transact with the principal on his own behalf.
 
                    McPherson’s Trustees v Watt (Case 24)

               -    Agent must not receive any profit, commission or benefit from the third party. If he does, the following consequences may follow:

                    -  Principal can claim the benefit
 
                    Ronaldson v Drummond & Reid (Case 25)

                    De Bussche v Alt (Case 26)

                     -  Agent loses his commission and may be dismissed

                     -  Principal may be able to claim damages from third party#p#分頁標題#e#

                     -  Principal may be able to rescind the contract with the third party.

                     -  Criminal penalties under the Prevention of Corruption Acts 1906 and 1916.

                -    Agent owes a duty of confidence in respect of information gained through the agency.   Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society v Houston (Case 27)
 
 RIGHTS OF AGENT AGAINST PRINCIPAL  代理人的主要權利

     •    Right to remuneration

          Agreed rate, customary rate or quantum meruit ("as much as it is worth")

          Kennedy v Glass (Case 28)

         PJ Pipe & Valve Co Ltd v Audco India Ltd (Case 29)

     •    Reimbursement of legitimate expenses

          Drummond v Cairns (Case 30)

          Tomlinson v Scottish Amalgamated Silks (Case 31)

     •    Relief from legitimately incurred liability

          Stevenson v Duncan (Case 32)

          Marshall Wilson Dean & Turnbull v Feymac Properties (Case 33)

          Robinson v Middleton (Case 34)

     •    Lien

          The right to hold on to possession of goods until the owner of them has paid a debt or fulfilled an obligation. Lien may be general or special.
 

RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES OF THIRD PARTIES  權利與第三方的關系

Depend on the way in which agent contracts with third party.
 
     •    Agent transacting as agent for named principal

          Principal and third party are bound to the contract.

            Stone & Rolfe Ltd v Kimber Coal Co (Case 35)

          Armour v Duff & Co (Case 36)

Exceptions:
               -    Delcredere agents and confirming agents#p#分頁標題#e#

               -    Custom of trade - e.g. solicitors.

            Livesey v Purdom& Sons (Case 37)

               -    Agent has a personal interest in the contract

          Mackenzie v Cormack (Case 38)

               -    Principal is not a legal person
 
     •    Agent transacts as agent for un-named principal

          Gibb v Cunningham & Robertson (Case 36)

     •    Agent contracts as principal

               -    Principal can enforce contract
 
                    Bennett v Inveresk Paper Co (Case 40)

               -    Third party can elect to sue principal or agent

                    Ferrier v Dods (Case 41)

     •    Agent contracts as agent, but exceeds actual and ostensible authority.

No action under the contract, but agent can be sued for breach of warranty of authority.

           Collen v Wright (Case 42)

          Yonge v Toynbee (Case 43)

          Anderson v Croall& Sons Ltd (Case 44)

          Irving v Burns (Case 45)
 

TERMINATION OF AGENCY 終止代理

     •    Completion of transaction or expiry of time

     •    Mutual agreement

     •    Revocation by principal (not possible if there is a procuratory in rem suam)

     •    Renunciation by agent

     •    Frustration

          Agency is frustrated by:
 
               -    Death of principal or agent#p#分頁標題#e#

               -    Insanity of principal or agent

        But (Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990, s.71) insanity of principal will not terminate a power of attorney or deed of factory and

        commission granted after 1 January 1991.

               -    Bankruptcy of either party.

               -    Cessation of principal’s business

        Patmore & Co v Cannon & Co (Case 43)