Presented by
Falconbury
The complete guide to drafting and negotiating clear and concise commercial agreements in English. Presented by expert linguists with extensive experience in commercial law.
★★★★★ "The speaker was very professional and I particularly liked the usage of plain English for drafting c... more"
14-16 November 2023
from £1099
Most international agreements are drafted in the English language irrespective of the nationality of contracting parties. Language errors in the text and unclear and inconcise phrasing cause confusion and can ultimately lead to a dispute if they go unnoticed. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the common pitfalls, key areas of risk and up-to-date drafting techniques in English to ensure you protect your organisation against unnecessary risk.
This training course is part of our Commercial Contracts Training Course collection which has been designed for the in-house lawyer.
During this practical session, participants will apply the principles above to the redrafting of a range of clauses from international commercial agreements. Both individual and group work exercises will be undertaken with results reviewed in a group forum and constructive feedback and guidance supplied by the expert trainer.
During this session, participants will work through exercises both individually and in groups to develop their knowledge of legal vocabulary.
The participants will apply the principles above by redrafting a badly written piece of legal correspondence.
Participants will carry out exercises in which they have to identify and correct a series of errors in legal correspondence and memoranda including:
Following a review of the principles of clear drafting taught during day one, the participants will develop these skills further by redrafting more complex clauses whilst making necessary amendments to protect the interests of one of the parties.
There will be a series of exercises to develop the knowledge of the participants of legal vocabulary including the differences between British and American English.
All participants are invited to bring with them examples of their own work/contracts, edited to ensure confidentiality, for review by the expert trainer. Constructive feedback will be given in each case. (NB: Because of time constraints, it will not be possible to review entire agreements or extensive sections. Participants are requested to limit their contributions to selected clauses or short sections.)
Participants will be working in small teams to draft a number of clauses from scratch based on written instructions. The clauses will be taken from the following types of agreements:
Participants will also write letters of advice in relation to some of the clauses that they have redrafted during day one and day two.
The letters will seek to:
Exercises on the use of prepositions and countable nouns in a legal context.
Alan Simmons LLB (Hons) in Law with French LLM, RSA CETEFLA. Alan is a highly experienced trainer of legal English who has been working with international lawyers across the globe for over 20 years to enhance their skills at drafting concise and watertight clauses in the English language. He qualified as a solicitor in England and has passed the New York Bar with a view to becoming a US qualified lawyer. He studied law in the UK, Strasbourg and the European University in Florence and then went on to train as a solicitor in an international law firm and practised in commercial law in law firms in London. He has used this experience to successfully train legal staff from junior counsel to judges in all elements of international commercial law across the world. Alan is a dynamic trainer and applies a highly interactive style to ensure complete understanding and an enjoyable learning experience.
NEW higher discounts for multiple bookings - bring your colleagues to make your training budget go further:
Please contact us for pricing if you are interested in booking 5 or more delegates
14-16 November 2023
Live online
09:30-17:00 UK (London) (UTC+00)
10:30-18:00 Paris (UTC+01)
04:30-12:00 New York (UTC-05)
Course code 12693
Until 10 Oct
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for 7 days, no obligation
* Early booking discounts may not be combined with other discounts or offers. As such, the discounts for 2nd/3rd/4th delegates are based on the full price.
The course was excellent thanks to Alan and his working method. His passion for language and words were such an inspiration. I would recommend this course !
Nov 15 2022
Laure Corbier
Lawyer, UEFA
Nov 13 2019
The speaker was very professional and I particularly liked the usage of plain English for drafting commercial contracts.
Xaypaseuth Phomsoupha
Chief Contractual Consultant, Sivath & Associates Sole Co., Ltd
Mar 12 2019
This was a great training. Thanks to the speaker's interactive approach you have the opportunity to learn a lot on contract drafting, legal vocabulary, punctuation and grammar. Finishing touch are the proverbs. The training is useful for non-native speakers. Tips and tricks are included in the training material.
Tinneke De Boeck
Paralegal, Terumo Europe NV
Mar 12 2019
Very good speaker, friendly with a lot of knowledge and patience. Practical hands on course. Excellent.
Elsbeth Bertheux
Senior Legal Counsel, Interxion HeadQuarters BV
Nov 13 2019
The course provides a clear and relevant overview of the most important lessons for drafting contracts and I received many practical and useful tips. Alan is very clear in his communications and is able to explain everything very well and keep the course interesting for the whole three days. The course definitely enables you to put the lessons learned into practice right away.
Raph Dijkstra
Junior Legal Counsel, Royal HaskoningDHV UK Lts
Mar 13 2018
The presentation was excellent and the content was interesting.
Sandrine Foster
Head of Purchasing Group / Contracts Officer, EUMETSAT
Mar 13 2018
I liked it. I will consider coming back for other courses conducted by Falconbury.
Hammad Al-Hammad
Legal Researcher, Saline Water Conversion Corp.
Mar 13 2018
Alan Simmons is an excellent individual with amazing teaching skills.
Radhika Mahass
In Legal Training,
Mar 13 2018
I really enjoyed the training and I learned a lot. More than I expected. The content was good. Good mix of language/grammar/spelling exercises and drafting exercises. Lots of opportunity to ask questions and to discuss plenary. Engaging speaker.
Marjon Vloedbeld
International Legal Counsel / Advocaat, Ranstad Holding nv
Mar 14 2017
Mr Simmons is an expert in the topic and has great linguistic skills that are very helpful. He has a remarkable capacity to pass on his (considerable) knowledge in the clearest way and is very encouraging. The course was clear, dynamic and to the point. The best lecture I have attended.
Eliane Van Hoffelen
Nov 15 2017
The speaker is really good.
Kadi Raudsepp
Legal Director, Admiral Markets AS
Nov 14 2016
Very useful.
Rouda Bahzad
Legal Counsel, Qatar Foundation
Mar 14 2016
Excellent. I liked that we were well prepared by the speaker for all exercises. Alan gave us the e ssentials of grammar, vocabulary and punctuation in a shortened but accessible fashion. The training was interactive so it was easy to keep focus.
Anastasiia Bezulenko
Assistant Contracts Officer, Octagon Professionals
Mar 14 2016
The course is very interactive and the speaker is good.
Pilar Riviere
IOC Television & Marketing Services SA
Mar 14 2016
Three intensive days, proactivity required (which is really appreciated) and an excellent teacher!
Alice LANDRAIN
VALNEVA SE
Nov 11 2015
Clear, accurate and very skilled speaker.
Michela Carnini
Assistant Manager, Helsinn Healthcare SA
Mar 23 2015
Very good
Anastasia Iliopoulou
Legal Associate, Pharmaserve Lilly SACI
Mar 23 2015
Very useful and detailed
Borislav Dakic
Director of Legal Department, Hemofarm AD
Mar 23 2015
Great course
Efrat Eldan Schechter
Shamir Optical Industry
Mar 23 2015
Very good, high level
Aart Besuijen
VP Legal - Commercial Contracting, Interxion Headquarters BV
Mar 23 2015
Very useful and well organised
Maria Stefania De Santis
Legal Expert , Eurocontrol
Nov 12 2014
Wonderful
Natasa Sagernik
Contract Administrator, Nuklearna elektrarna Krsko d.o.o
Nov 12 2014
Wonderful
Natasa Sagernik
Contract Administrator, Nuklearna elektrarna Krsko d.o.o
Nov 12 2014
Very interesting and energetic training
Anna Chara
License Agreement Specialist, Polpharma Trade Office
Mar 24 2014
Really useful course
Veronica Rossi
Legal Counsel, DENSO Europe B.V.
Nov 12 2014
Overall the course (content and speaker) were high up in my expectations
Leticia Campos Buaiz
Legal Advisor, Trac Oil and Gas Ltd
Nov 12 2014
Very intensive and interactive course
Stéphane Adam
Head of Legal for Western Europe Region - IBFS, Societe Generale
Nov 12 2014
Pragmatic alive
Stéphane Adam
Head of Legal for Western Europe Region - IBFS, Societe Generale
Nov 13 2013
Very useful course. Thanks to brilliant Mr. Simmons!
Christian R. Frick
Senior Legal Counsel, OMV Aktiengesellschaft
Nov 13 2013
I liked everything – content, presentation and especially the speaker.
Anna Korneeva
Lawyer, JSC Polymetal Management
Nov 13 2013
The course was really interesting and useful. It wasn't hard to understand the speaker or to carry out the tasks but was challenging and interesting enough.
Evgeniya Kudrova
Lawyer, JSC Polymetal Management
Nov 13 2013
The course is a very useful training for non-native speakers. Through practical exercises and the interactive approach, you not only gradually improve your contract drafting skills, but also refresh your knowledge of grammar and legal vocabulary. The tips and tricks also have their relevance for contract drafting in general, regardless of the contract language.
Sophie Isebaert
In-house counsel, Honda Europe NV
Mar 25 2013
It was great and clear
Ohoud Almugairen
Dar Aluloom University, -
Nov 13 2013
Very concrete, useful.
Anne Mercier
legal counsel, ORANGINA SCHWEPPES
Nov 13 2013
Excellent course and a great speaker!
María Pedrosa Martínez
Contracts Lawyer, Repsol S.A.
Nov 19 2012
The speaker is an experienced attorney with a deep knowledge of several cultures. The course was condense and straight to the point.
Mohamad Malak
Associate Lawyer, MBC Group
Nov 19 2012
Mr Simmons helped me to improve my writing skills
Josef Gadermayr
Legal Counsel, UC4 Software GmbH
Nov 19 2012
It is fair for lawyers level
Ali Shabeb AbdulRahman Al Al Fuhaid
Senior Lawyer, Tawuniya
Netherlands
Switzerland
France
Belgium
Germany
Denmark
Austria
Saudi Arabia
Italy
Russia
Hungary
Luxembourg
Romania
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Czech Republic
Kazakhstan
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
Azerbaijan
Cameroon
Finland
Nigeria
Norway
Qatar
Brazil
Croatia
Cyprus
Ghana
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Albania
Angola
Belarus
China
Estonia
Greece
Guinea
Israel
Jordan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Malta
Monaco
Pakistan
Serbia
Sri Lanka
Ukraine
Zimbabwe
3 days
Typical duration
Pricing from:
We can customise this course to your requirements and deliver it on an in-house basis for any number of your staff or colleagues.
Contact our in-house training experts Aleksandra Beer and Yesim Nurko to discuss your requirements:
Multiple colleagues? See above for details of our discounts for 2, 3, or 4 delegates. For more, talk to one of our training experts to discuss how to: