Writing Effective Legal Documents and Commercial Contracts

Introduction

Those who deliver written legal advice or draft contract documentation are sometimes criticized for being verbose, obscure, or unhelpful. The criticism can apply whether the person is an external adviser or in-house counsel working alongside the company management team. But, if the job is done effectively, the Lawyers / Advisers can add real commercial value with the written work.

Well drafted legal documents – whether they comprise advice, correspondence, contracts or other written materials – lead to more successful outcomes: better performing contractors, more satisfied internal and external customers, reduced risks and smaller liabilities.

This GLOMACS Writing Effective Legal Documents and Commercial Contracts training course will help to develop the skills of in-house and external Lawyers / Advisers, turning them into highly effective written communicators and legal draftsmen. It will highlight why effective English legal writing is important and teach participants how to write well-structured and useful advisory and contractual documents.

This training course will include:

• How to make your legal writing effective
• How to use appropriate legal language
• Tips to follow and traps to avoid in legal writing
• How to structure your legal memorandum in the most effective way
• How to adjust your writing style to adapt to the reader audience
• How to use appropriate language in a contract
• What to look for to identify and avoid typical risks in contract clauses
• When to consider using standard templates and model form contracts
• How to draft concisely and without ambiguity
• How to structure the contract to create a logical flow
• Using checklists to identify gaps in the contract document
• How to work with the draft contracts supplied by the opposing party

Objectives

By the end of this training seminar you will be able to:

• Better understand the needs of their internal and external clients
• Create more effective legal documents in English
• Structure their documents using best writing practices
• Select appropriate English language for the legal tasks they face
• Improve the clarity and usefulness of their legal writing
• Structure a standard commercial contract
• Identify the key terms and conditions that they should include in a contract
• Use model contracts and templates as a basis for their own work
• Draft appropriate terms and conditions for a range of commercial activities
• Identify unacceptably risky terms and conditions in the proposed contracts of partners, contractors, vendors or other parties
• Propose alternative draft wording to protect their client’s commercial interests, when negotiating with others

Training Methodology

The facilitator will deploy a full range of lively and interactive training methods, including exercises, case studies, drafting sessions and group discussions.

Each topic will be underpinned by a presentation that highlights key issues to focus on. The learning experience will be supported by a reference manual containing templates and examples of best practice. Participants will draft documents, make presentations and receive personal feedback on their work.

Model legal documents will be reviewed and analysed. Alternative approaches will be considered. Real examples will be discussed.