The Parol Evidence Rule

A hundred years ago, a law professor said of the parol evidence rule, “There are few things darker than this or fuller of subtle difficulties.” Many law students who have studied the rule would agree with that assessment. Hopefully this exercise will illuminate the rule. It does so by examining the functions served by the rule, taking the user through a series of questions that can be used to resolve most issues involving the application of the rule. The Uniform Commercial Code enactment of the rule is examined in detail.