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Take the Next Step
to Becoming an Effective Transactional Drafter
Not long ago, we surveyed groups of both young and experienced
lawyers. Both groups agreed almost universally on one point: Lawyers
want more
training in effective transactional drafting.
Building on Chicago-Kent's
expertise with its renowned writing program, we have designed
an innovative one-day workshop for participants who will work
directly with faculty from our writing program.
Join us for a unique
one-day hands-on experience where you will learn:
»Tips on audience
analysis – how to meet your client's needs, your boss's needs,
and deal with lawyers for the other party to the deal
»Tools for effective
transactional writing, including Plain English
»Tips to speed
your drafting
Unlike other programs,
where you listen while someone else talks, you will spend much of
the day working in small groups with a faculty "Drafting Coach."
You will come out of
the workshop with work you have negotiated, written, analyzed
and edited, with input at every step of the process from your
Coach.
There will be plenty
of opportunity for questions and discussion of strategies.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
8:30 Registration
9:00 Overview & Audience Analysis
How to translate your expertise on facts and financing into the
results your audience needs
Your client: wants it plainly written, wants it quickly,
wants it cheaply, wants it "right"
Your boss: wants a happy client, wants a product she can
show off and reuse, wants to be informed
Lawyer for the other guy: should want the deal to go through,
probably wants specific language on her client's key points, wants
to be treated like a
professional (but may be too busy to focus, wedded
to a standard "form," or just a lousy writer)
9:30-10:30 Small group session
Using a sample form contract, you will identify common elements
of transactional work, client objectives, and the pitfalls of
cookie cutter forms.
10:45-12:00 Small group session
Using Plain English, you will make your document more readable
for your client, less ambiguous, and concise and straightforward.
You will create checklists and use them to draft provisions.
12:00-1:00 Box Lunch
1:00-2:00 Small group session
Using a document from your practice, you will edit yourself using
your new tools, and then pair up with a colleague for peer-editing.
Tips on editing the other lawyer’s work.
2:00-2:30 Plenary
Hear from an expert on how to edit your boss (or your boss's
form) without getting fired.
2:45-4:00 Final small group
Work with your “drafting coach” to edit and polish
your own document. Drafting to get the deal done.
4:00 Q & A
Refreshments & Hors d’Oeuvres
PROGRAM FACULTY
Elizabeth De Armond
Professor De Armond is a visiting assistant professor of Law at
Chicago-Kent, where she has taught courses in legal writing and
real estate transactions. After completing a federal appellate
court clerkship she practiced for several years in Dallas, Texas,
where she advised clients in a variety of real estate and other
transactions. She received a J.D. from the University of Notre
Dame Law School and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.
Douglas Godfrey
Professor Godfrey practiced for twelve years before joining the
Chicago-Kent faculty full-time. He has a graduate degree in English
and Rhetoric from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from the
University of Michigan. He brings a practitioner’s sense
of the need to write quickly, clearly, and concisely.
Mary Rose Strubbe
Professor Strubbe is director of the Legal Research and Writing
Program and assistant director of the Institute for Law and the
Workplace at Chicago-Kent, where she teaches courses in legal
writing and research, employment law, and estates and trusts.
She received her J.D. from Chicago-Kent, where she served as an
editor of the law review, in 1981 with high honors. Prior to joining
the Chicago-Kent faculty, she focused her practice on civil litigation,
with an emphasis on employment law.
Register Early!
Limited space available.
Click
here to register online or print registration information.
Registration Fee (per person)
(A $15 per person discount is available to firms that register
4 or more individuals.)
Early Registration Fee . . . . . . . . .$350
After June 1, 2005 . . . . . . . . . . .$380
Program Location
The conference will be held at Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565
W. Adams Street in Chicago.
Cancellations and
Refunds
Written notification of cancellation is required. A full tuition
refund is available if notification is received prior to May 17,
2005; 25% will be charged if notification is received between
May 17 and June 3, 2005. No refunds will be granted after June
3, 2005.
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