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ARTICLE · 14 AUGUST 2011

"Best endeavours" and "reasonable endeavours" – is there a difference?

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In the UK, the term best endeavours implies a higher standard than the term reasonable endeavours.

AustraliaReal Estate and Construction
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In brief – Australian interpretation different to the UK

In the UK, the term "best endeavours" implies a higher standard than the term "reasonable endeavours". However, in Australia the terms appear to have the same practical effect.

English position – "best endeavours" means a higher threshold must be met

In England, it seems that the terms "best" and "reasonable" are given their denotative meaning for the purposes of interpreting the standard associated with the terms "best endeavours" and "reasonable endeavours". The standard required to achieve "reasonable endeavours" is less than the standard required to achieve "best endeavours".

Sheffield District Railway Co v Great Central Railway Co

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