Main areas covered:

• Use of Legal English and avoiding legalese or legal archaism
• Main Common Law doctrines crucial for proper contract drafting and interpretation
• Language skills necessary for proper negotiating skills
• Drafting client letters, advising clients in telephone conversations and by e-mail, drafting legal memoranda whether for clients or other firm lawyers
• Examination of main contract types with specific reference to participants’ specialization or practice areas
• Proper contract structure and sequence including recitals and schedules
• Examination of “boilerplate clauses” such as entire agreement, no partnership or agency, counterparty, guarantee of performance, severance, time of the essence, retention of title, confidentiality, force majeure, good faith, waiver, set-off, liquidated damages (particularly as to how this clause differs from “kara umowna”), joint and several liability, indemnity, ADR and other clauses.
• Miscellaneous topics: “group” companies and application of SOX legislation, directors’ liabilities, European Union law and Directives.

This program is foremost aimed at improving English language contract drafting skills of Polish lawyers practicing in Polish law firms or Polish offices of international law firms. It also trains Polish lawyers in the proper legal interpretation of contracts drafted in English whether or not actually prepared in a Common Law jurisdictions. The program is suitable for Polish lawyers who advise their clients on English language contracts or actually themselves draft English language contracts, which will be applied in either Common Law jurisdictions or in non-Common Law jurisdictions that use English language contracts in their commercial transactions. The program is tailor cut to the specific requirements of the participants so that there is a greater focus on certain contract types and/or areas of legal practice reflecting the participants’ practice areas or specializations. The program is not limited to contract drafting and interpretation skills. It also focuses on writing client letters and legal memoranda, as well as examining basic negotiating skills. Throughout the program attention is paid with the assistance of the participants as to how Polish law differs from law applied in English speaking and Common Law jurisdictions and specifically how to avoid legal and language misunderstandings with foreign clients and lawyers.