This course provides a practical, skills-based introduction to the drafting of contracts. Students will learn how to translate client goals into clear and enforceable legal language, structure contractual relationships, and anticipate and mitigate legal risk. Emphasizing the role of contracts in both transactional law and litigation, the course covers common contract provisions (boilerplate), deal-specific clauses, negotiation strategies, and the principles of plain English legal writing.
Through close analysis of examples and iterative drafting techniques, students will learn to identify ambiguity, allocate risk, and structure agreements that reflect commercial and legal realities. The course is essential for aspiring transactional attorneys, litigators, in-house counsel, and business professionals working closely with legal documents.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
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Draft enforceable, unambiguous, and logically structured contracts.
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Understand the core components of commercial contracts and their purposes.
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Translate business and legal terms into precise contract language.
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Identify and eliminate ambiguities, inconsistencies, and surplusage.
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Use standardized structures, such as recitals, definitions, and boilerplate, with sophistication.
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Tailor contract provisions to the needs, risks, and interests of clients.
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Incorporate principles of plain English legal writing and document formatting.
