Transactional Writing Tips For Lawyers

No matter what your practice area is, mastering clear written communication is an essential skill. PLI offers two courses of interest to those looking to refine their writing in transactional practice, including contract drafting. 

The first is Writing for Transactional Lawyers 2022, a half-day program that will teach attendees how to apply the principles of effective writing and drafting to transactional legal practice. The program will emphasize the perspectives of your intended audience, including clients and those who litigate and adjudicate commercial disputes.

Other topics to be covered include:

• How to apply clear drafting techniques, including the use of “Plain English”
• How to tailor your writing to suit different purposes and circumstances, including making words and numbers work, capturing all foreseeable future events, and addressing unforeseeable events
• What your clients want to see their counsel do differently
• Best practices for working with your litigation colleagues at the drafting stage to identify potential litigation issues, draft to achieve better outcomes, and reflect a changing legal landscape
• How to handle specific contract provisions

The program is ideal for any transactional attorney who wants to improve their writing and drafting skills. Register today.

Another PLI writing course focuses on contracts. The half-day program, Fundamental Concepts in Drafting Contracts 2022, will highlight the fundamental—but often unconsidered—drafting principles that will assist both newly admitted and seasoned attorneys with drafting, analyzing, and interpreting contracts. 

Unlike many other contract-drafting courses that focus on the substance of particular provisions or contracts, this course focuses on the manner in which concepts are expressed in a contract, including:

• The importance of language in contracts
• The different categories of contract language (including language of accomplishment, covenants, discretionary language, representations and warranties, acknowledgments, and administrative language)
• The distinction between shall, will, and must
• What is conditional language
• The language of exception and subordination
• The concept of deemed
• References to time (and how to use them)
• Ambiguities associated with and and or
• Legal archaisms (and how to avoid them)

Solid contract-drafting skills are essential tools for any professional who deals with transactions or business relationships. Anyone looking to improve their writing and drafting skills and gain a better understanding of how concepts are and should be expressed in contracts will benefit from this program. Register today.