Develop in-demand skills aligned with industry best practice you can apply immediately.
Taught by leading experts
Learn from internationally recognised academics and professionals with years of on the ground experience.
Shareable digital certificate
Showcase your capabilities with an industry recognised digital certificate you can share with your professional network. See an example certificate
What you will learn
Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.
The ability to draft clear and effective commercial contracts is an indispensable skill for lawyers and other professionals working in a globalised market.
This course is ideal for a range of professionals – legal and otherwise – seeking the practical skills, knowledge and confidence to understand and draft commercial contracts.
Explore drafting techniques and best practices
Examine the drafting process and outcomes across a broad range of transactions. Identify and contextualise the basic structure and architecture of a commercial agreement, and review the features of good drafting.
Learn the importance of language
Explore the fundamental rules of plain English and categories of contract language as well as nuances of language and legal interpretation.
Understand how to structure complex provisions
Consider the importance of structure and format when drafting a contract. Analyse the elements of complex provisions and explore how to structure them.
Receive feedback from seasoned legal experts
Using your new understanding, you'll learn to apply good practices in contract drafting to deliver appropriate solutions for clients and transactions, including in a cross-border context. Test your ability to identify potential drafting issues and receive indispensable feedback on your work.
Who you will learn from
Learn from skilled academics and professional experts who will share invaluable knowledge you can use in your job.
Dr Andrew Godwin
Principal Fellow
Andrew is a former partner in an international law firm and has over a decade of experience in the area of contract drafting training. He has trained lawyers in Australia, Asia and Europe. He is also the author of China Lexicon, a critically acclaimed bilingual book that examines Chinese and English legal terminology and concepts.
More from this series
Take multiple courses to deepen your knowledge or stack towards a full degree.
The Contract Drafting suite
This suite of Melbourne MicroCerts will provide you with the practical skills, knowledge, and confidence to draft effective commercial contracts that reflect the commercial needs of the parties to a contract. You'll examine key components of the contract drafting process, such as the fundamentals of contract language, how to structure complex contract provisions, and the value of strategic drafting as part of the negotiation process.
This micro-credential is for professionals – legal and otherwise – looking to gain the practical skills and knowledge to draft effective commercial contracts. To take this course, it is recommended you have at least one year of relevant legal or contract administration experience.
This micro-credential requires learners to have a minimum of one year of relevant legal or commercial contract administration experience.
Relevance to your job and industry
This micro-credential has been designed in close consultation with industry and is based on extensive experience in the design and delivery of industry training.
You'll gain insights from a diverse range of industry professionals to underline the diverse perspectives of stakeholders such as clients, solicitors and in-house counsel.
Learning has been designed to adhere to Plain English rules and clear drafting principles as recognised in various contexts, including legislative drafting, disclosure requirements, and effective contract drafting guides produced by professional bodies.
Skills and learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you'll have a deeper understanding of how to draft commercial contracts using good drafting practices. You'll be able to:
Identify and contextualise the basic structure and architecture of a commercial agreement
Analyse the elements of complex provisions and the precise and nuanced uses of words and phrases in contract drafting
Apply good practices in contract drafting to deliver appropriate solutions for clients and transactions, including in a cross-border context.
Workload and assessment
This course runs over four weeks.
Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:
7 hours guided learning
10 hours assessment tasks
25 hours independent study and reading
Assessment:
Issue-spotting exercise (30%)
Simulated drafting exercise (70%).
Your digital certificate
Once you've completed this course, you will be awarded your Contract Drafting Skills micro-credential. This digital certificate will warrant the achievement of knowledge, skills and capabilities outlined in the learning outcomes. It may also include artefacts (such as videos and written material) related to both experiential and work-integrated learning, including translatable assessment that is practical to your professional life. You can also share your micro-credential digitally and via social media by adding it to your personal platforms, such as LinkedIn. See example certificate.
Pathways to further study
Contract Drafting Skills can be taken as a stand-alone course or complemented with any other micro-credential in the Contract Drafting suite to deepen your knowledge and skills.
Contract Drafting Skills is usually undertaken as the first micro-credential in this suite, but this is not a requirement.
Throughout this course, you'll learn alongside other professionals within our innovative online learning environment. You'll undertake guided learning activities such as peer learning and interaction on discussion boards, as well as synchronous discussions or interactive seminars via video conferencing.
You'll begin to put your skills into practice and receive vital feedback from your instructor, a seasoned legal expert. To underline the diverse perspectives of stakeholders, such as clients, solicitors, and in-house counsel, you'll also hear from a range of industry professionals.
