Effective Legal Writing For Non-Lawyers

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Effective Legal Writing For Non-Lawyers 17 – 20 November 2013 Dubai International Convention Centre, Dubai, UAE

Attend This Practical Course And You Will: •

Improve your understanding of the legal documents you encounter in your workplace

•

Enhance your writing confidence by using practical techniques to improve the clarity of your legal writing

•

Apply correct templates and layout guidelines to streamline your writing process

•

Learn how to structure different types of legal writing and avoid common errors

•

Improve your internal and external communication abilities

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Strategic Career Partner:

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Effective Legal Writing For Non-Lawyers 17 – 20 November 2013 • Dubai International Convention Centre, Dubai, UAE Course Timings: Registration will be at 08:00 on Day One. The course will commence at 08:30 and conclude at 14:30.There will be refreshment breaks at approximately 10.30 and 12:30 and lunch will be served at approximately 14:30

Course Outline

Course Introduction Many employees and managers encounter a wide variety of legal documents in their work. Legal documents include contracts, legal advice and legal opinions that are prepared by attorneys or government regulators, but may also include email, letters and other correspondence that may be written by attorneys or nonlawyers. Employees and managers must be able to recognise the different types of legal writing and their purposes and understand how to interpret what these legal documents say. In addition, many employees are responsible for drafting or editing documents that have legal implications.

At this course, delegates will learn how to decipher legal jargon, how and when to use or avoid legal jargon in their own writing, how to recognise and better understand legal documents written by others, and how to enhance your own legal writing skills through techniques that result in clearer and more effective writing.

10 Key Learning Objectives

Introduction To Legal Writing • Distinguish legal writing from other writing styles -

What are the advantages of good legal writing?

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What problems are associated with bad legal writing?

• Distinguish between different legal writing formats • Identify the goals of different legal writing formats • Characteristics of “Legalese”?

• When to use “Legalese” and when to use so-called plain English?

• Effective legal writing in the Middle East -

English-only documents

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Documents intended for translation for Arabic-only readers

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Documents intended to be presented in dual-language format

• Special considerations in a multi-cultural environment -

Documents drafted by non-native speakers

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Differences between British English and American English

Learn how to distinguish between the different types of legal writing sent to you by lawyers including analytical writing and persuasive writing

• Identify and understand commonly used legal terms and phrases

2.

Know how to decipher and understand legal writing

3.

Know how to match the type of legal writing to its purpose

4.

Structure your document to get your message across clearly and accurately

Understanding Legal Writing: How Non-Lawyers Can Become Better Consumers Of Documents Written by Lawyers

5.

Adopt thinking techniques to develop a persuasive argument

1.

6.

Learn techniques to help you organise legal documents to enhance clarity

7.

Learn techniques to check your communication for accuracy

8.

Learn how to understand legal jargon – and when to avoid using it

9.

Learn the meaning of frequently used legal terms and phrases

10. Understand how the format of your document communicates meta-information about you and your company

• Introduction to the legal method -

The role of precedent

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Compare and contrast “Precedent” and “Authority”

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Citations and the use of footnotes by lawyers

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The use of Latin, law French and archaic/obsolete words and phrases

• Understanding analytical writing prepared by a lawyer -

How to identify analytical writing

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How to understand legal analysis

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How to identify the writer’s style, and how to deal with

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How to differentiate between strong and weak legal analysis

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The difference between strong assertions and strong analysis

different styles

• Understanding persuasive writing prepared by a lawyer

Who Should Attend?

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• Professionals who are responsible for drafting or editing documents that have legal implications • People who want hands-on training in improving their skills in drafting/editing contracts

+971 4 335 2437

• How to “sound like a lawyer” – and the risks of doing so

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Understanding the difference between analysis and persuasion

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How to identify persuasive writing

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When to expect persuasive writing

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How to identify flaws in persuasive writing

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• Other types of writing prepared by lawyers -

Contracts

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Laws and regulations

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Cases and court judgments

Practical Exercises 1. Group and individual review of sample documents; classify these as examples of as “effective” legal writing or “poor” legal writing

• General principles for how to review a contract • General principles for how to review laws, regulations, cases and court judgments

2. Group and individual suggestions to correct/improve sample documents 3. Group exercises to identify “Legalese” including archaic/ obsolete terms, overly formalistic language and other characteristics of highly formal writing

How Non-Lawyers Can Become Better Legal Writers • Identify the types of legal documents often written by non-

4. Group exercises to determine when Legalese is appropriate and when it is inappropriate

lawyers • Understand the risks of trying to sound like a lawyer

5. Group exercises to replace legalese with plain English

• The importance of structure and organisation -

Organisation at the document level

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Organisation at the paragraph level

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Organisation at the sentence level

6. Individual exercises in which delegates edit sample legal documents 7. Individual exercises in which delegates prepare documents incorporating the various legal writing styles discussed in the course; instructor or group review and editing of the documents prepared by the individual delegates

• The “Fallacy of Chronology” • Principles of organisation at the document level • How to strike the right balance between saying too much and saying too little • Techniques for clearer and more effective writing -

Linking ideas through introductions and transitions

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Using verbs to create crisper and more effective sentences

Meet Your Expert Course Leader Herbert S. Wolfson is the Managing Partner of Emirates Law Network, an American law firm focusing on the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring countries. He began his career as a securities lawyer in Washington in 1990 and went on to practice in Riyadh, New York, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Philadelphia.

• Techniques for emphasising important points • What to do about weak points in your argument • Recognising when to be forceful and when to be cautious -

Understatement and overstatement

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Dealing with uncertainty

• Understanding how and when to use definitions and defined terms • Understanding why consistency is important • Understanding how to use templates and forms, and the limits of cutting and pasting • Re-writing and editing • Guidelines and techniques for the bilingual writer -

How to write for the translator

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Recognising words/phrases English-to-Arabic translators often get wrong

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Recognising words/phrases Arabic-to-English translators often get wrong

• Meta-information -

He has more than 20 years of experience working in the Middle East. He serves as lead counsel for multinational corporate clients in transactions in the UAE and neighbouring countries. He has provided expert testimony in US courts on commercial disputes governed under the UAE, Saudi Arabian and Egyptian legal systems.

Herb Wolfson’s publications include a detailed analysis (accompanied by his own English translation) of UAE Federal Law No. 4 of 2000, which established the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority. He has a degree in law Magna cum Laude, as well as an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree in Arabic, all from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2003, Herb was the lead drafter for a new contract law for the Government of Afghanistan.

Information communicated by the overall visual format of a document

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How to use formatting to enhance the effectiveness of your content

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Would you like to run this course in-house?

How to format a bilingual English/Arabic document for maximum clarity and effectiveness

• Proof-reading -

Why is it important?

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Techniques for effective proof-reading

The in-house training division of IIR Middle East Tel: +971 4 407 2624 • Email: CTS@iirme.com www.iirme.com/cts

+971 4 335 2437

+971 4 335 2438

register@iirme.com

www.iirme.com/legalwriting

Effective Legal Writing For Non-Lawyers 17 – 20 November 2013 • Dubai International Convention Centre, Dubai, UAE FIVE WAYS TO REGISTER IIR Holdings Ltd. P.O Box 9428 Dubai, UAE

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DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR 2 OR MORE PEOPLE CALL – +971 4 335 2483 E-MAIL – a.watts@iirme.com WEB BC5134 Event

Course Fee Before 1 September 2013

Course Fee Before 22 September 2013

Final Fee

US$ 3,895

US$ 4,395

US$ 4,695

Effective Legal Writing For Non-Lawyers 17 – 20 November 2013

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Course fees include documentation, luncheon and refreshments. Delegates who attend all sessions will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

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