Introduction:
There is a misconception that legal writing and legal drafting are the same. Still, there is a substantial difference between the two. While legal writing typically involves persuasive documents such as court briefs and letters, legal drafting involves creating documents such as contracts. They are both equally important in legal practice.
Legal writing is an important skill needed in every practice area of law. Words are used to advocate, inform, persuade, and instruct. Are you giving the right impression? Are your clients receiving the right message?
This legal secretary duties and skills course focuses on clear legal writing for a global audience. Effective communication with English-speaking lawyers is about more than words. It entails understanding the unique way these speakers think and approach the legal, political, and business world.
What is a Legal Secretary?
Understanding the role and importance of a legal secretary is crucial before delving into the specifics of the training. A legal secretary serves as an essential support system for attorneys, providing a range of administrative and legal tasks. By undertaking a legal secretary training program, individuals prepare for a thriving career that demands precision, an understanding of legal terminology, and a dedication to meticulous legal work.
Targeted Groups:
- Lawyers.
- Legal secretaries.
- Commercial managers.
- Contract managers.
- Anyone who must draft, amend, or update contracts, legal letters, and legal opinions.
- Non-native English speakers looking for a better understanding of English legal terms.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this legal secretary duties and skills course, the participants will be able to:
- Apply plain English style of writing to all legal documents.
- Recognize the need for legal clarity in different legal documents: legal letters, emails, memorandums, and opinions.
- Apply good legal writing practice.
- Demonstrate the register of legal writing.
- Correct common mistakes in legal writing.
- Dispense and deal with pitfalls and issues relating to legal jargon.
- Proofread effectively.
Targeted Competencies:
At the end of this legal secretary duties and skills training, the target competencies will:
- Drafting letters.
- Proofreading.
- Writing in plain English.
- Understanding legal terms.
- Legal writing practice.
Legal Secretary Responsibilities:
This legal secretary duties and skills training include knowledge of the concise scope of legal secretary duties and responsibilities. Legal secretaries are responsible for myriad tasks that aid in the smooth operation of legal practices.
This legal secretary duties and skills course covers all of these topics comprehensively. They range from document drafting, court filings, and communication coordination to meticulous proofreading and document management.
To become a certified legal secretary specialist, one must undergo a comprehensive certificate program. This title denotes proficiency in the necessary skill set. It highlights a dedicated commitment to understanding the intricacies of legal work. Our course is designed to guide participants toward achieving certification and excelling in their roles as legal secretaries.
This legal secretary training program is among the best available for aspiring professionals. It balances practical skills with an in-depth look at the dynamics of legal secretarial work, providing participants with the tools to become adept legal secretaries.
Course Content:
Unit 1: Legal Drafting:
- Signs of a well-drafted contract: The simple rules!
- The language of drafting: Will vs. Shall vs. Must.
- Identifying the legal formalities for a binding contract.
- Structure and formation of a commercial contract: follow the formula, and you will go right.
- The importance of Boilerplate clauses: overlooking them can cost the business billions of pounds.
- The preliminary documents use the heads of terms effectively.
- Vague words and expressions in commercial contracts - know the pitfalls!
- Overview of cross-border contracts: Distribution vs. Joint venture vs. Agency agreements.
- Share Purchase Agreements: allocating risks between the buyer and seller.
- Troubleshooting: Trace and correct errors in your contract.
Unit 2: Plain English in Legal Correspondence:
- Good legal writing practice.
- Moving from legalese to Plain English.
- Unnecessary, archaic, and meaningless phrases.
- Collocations.
- Pitfalls and issues relating to the use of legal jargon in legal writing.
- Writing short emails.
- Writing long emails.
- Writing formal emails.
Unit 3: Writing A Legal Letter:
- Layout of a letter.
- Body of a letter.
- Putting a letter together.
- The register of letter writing.
- Typical sentences in legal letters.
- The letter writing clinic: looking at the ten most common problems.
- Rewriting letters.
- Rewriting informal sentences to modern alternatives.
- Correcting common mistakes in letter writing.
Unit 4: Legal Writing Troubleshooting:
- The problem of English idioms.
- Rephrasing English idioms.
- Easily confused words.
- Cutting unnecessary words.
- Use of consistent terminology.
- Ambiguity: how to avoid it.
- Vagueness: how to avoid it.
- Misuse of prepositions in dates.
- Problem words.
- Constantly litigated words.
- Personal pronouns.
- Choosing the right words.
- Rewriting sentences to remove gender-specific language.
Unit 5: Negotiation and Drafting:
- Contract development and negotiation.
- Price vs. Risk.
- Negotiation process.
Conclusion:
Upon completing a legal secretary certificate course, individuals have the expertise to handle legal secretary responsibilities. They are positioned to advance in their careers. Certification signals to employers a verified level of proficiency and commitment to excellence in legal support.
