module specification

LC7033 - Drafting Skills (2017/18)

Module specification Module approved to run in 2017/18
Module title Drafting Skills
Module level Masters (07)
Credit rating for module 2.25
School Guildhall School of Business and Law
Total study hours 22.5
 
18 hours Guided independent study
4.5 hours Scheduled learning & teaching activities
Assessment components
Type Weighting Qualifying mark Description
Other 100% 50 Take-Away Assessment
Running in 2017/18

(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change)
Period Campus Day Time Module Leader
Autumn semester City - Afternoon

Module summary

This module focuses on the skill of drafting legal documents.

Module aims

The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their legal drafting skills.

Syllabus

1. Introduction to the drafting of legal documents.

  • understanding why legal documents are drafted as they are;
  • identifying drafting errors;
  • drafting/amending clauses of a business agreement;
  • explaining the effect of certain clauses in a business agreement.

2. Drafting practice

  • analysis of an agreement to ascertain consistentency with  the client’s goals and instructions;
  • drafting/amending the agreement so that it meets the client’s goals and instructions.

Learning and teaching

1 one-hour and thirty minutes tutor led session and 2 one-hour and thirty minutes student led sessions in the Foundation Course and further teaching and practice throughout the course.

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the Legal Drafting sessions students should:

  1. understand the content and requirements of formal legal documents in the core practice areas
  2. understand the principles of good drafting and editing
  3. be able to explain their own and others’ drafting.

Element 1: Drafting and amending documents
Students should be able to draft and amend basic documents or provisions that:

  1. demonstrate an understanding of the relevant legal, factual and procedural issues
  2. meet all formal legal or other requirements
  3. demonstrate a considered choice, use and adaptation of templates or precedents
  4. are in prescribed or generally accepted form.

Element 2: Style of drafting and amending
Students should be able to draft and amend documents that:

  1. use accurate, straightforward and modern language
  2. use correct spelling, grammar, syntax and punctuation
  3. are easy to follow, internally consistent and free of ambiguity
  4. use recitals, definitions and boilerplate correctly and appropriately
  5. have a clear, logical, consistent and appropriate structure, layout and use of numbering and schedules.

Element 3: Explaining and editing
Students should be able to:

  1. explain in clear and simple terms the meaning and effect of basic documents and the possible implications for the client
  2. review and edit their own and others’ drafting to identify and correct omissions, errors and unnecessary provisions.

Assessment strategy

The assessment is a take away assessment set in the context of Business Law & Practice. The assessment is designed to replicate practice and enable students to demonstrate the application of legal principles in a realistic, practical context. Students are given a formative assessment and receive written feedback.

Bibliography

‘Skills for Lawyers’ manual published by College of Law Publishing
Supporting Weblearn materials and student study materials.
The publication ‘Legal English’ (published by Pearson Education and which is co-written by the member of staff who supervises legal writing).