Drafting “Legal” Clauses in Commercial Contracts

This popular, one-day course provides training and practical exercises in the drafting of ‘legal’ clauses in commercial contracts. In the morning, we focus on warranties, indemnities and limitation of liability. In the afternoon, we move on to boilerplate clauses, including entire agreement, force majeure and law and jurisdiction. For each topic, we explain the meaning of the term used, how the courts interpret it, and relevant practice points, and discuss examples of drafting.

The course is designed for lawyers and commercial managers who have at least two years’ experience of drafting and negotiating contracts, and who wish to increase their technical understanding of legal clauses.

Specific topics to be considered in the workshop will include:

• The meaning of terms such as warranty, representation, covenant, term and condition
• Examples of good and bad drafting practice
• Techniques for limiting or extending the effect of warranties, indemnities and other terms
• International issues, including the use of US legal expressions such as “hold harmless”
• The purpose of boilerplate clauses, whether they are needed, and associated practice points
• Drafting tips