PREPARING & WRITING EFFECTIVE CONTRACTS
“Drafting Clear, Defensible, and Commercially Balanced Agreements That Work in Practice”
Course Schedule
| Date | Venue | Fees (Face-to-Face) |
|---|---|---|
| 27 – 31 Jan 2025 | Dubai, UAE | USD 3495 per delegate |
| 14 – 18 Dec 2025 | Manama, Bahrain | USD 3495 per delegate |
Course Introduction
Contracts are the foundation of commercial relationships—and yet, many contracts are unclear, incomplete, or unfit for purpose. Effective contract preparation and drafting reduces ambiguity, prevents disputes, and ensures obligations are enforceable and aligned with business intent.
This intensive five-day course equips professionals with the legal and practical tools needed to write contracts that are clear, balanced, and executable. Whether dealing with vendors, clients, partners, or subcontractors, participants will learn to prepare agreements that allocate risk fairly, define responsibilities precisely, and withstand legal and commercial scrutiny.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the structure and essential elements of a well-drafted contract.
- Identify key clauses that govern rights, obligations, and risk.
- Draft clear and enforceable contract language for various industries.
- Avoid vague or ambiguous language that causes disputes.
- Align contract terms with business and operational needs.
- Review, revise, and negotiate contract terms more effectively.
Key Benefits of Attending
- Improve your confidence in preparing and drafting commercial contracts.
- Learn best practices in legal language, structure, and clause development.
- Reduce your organization’s exposure to poorly written agreements.
- Ensure consistency between legal intent and business execution.
- Support better outcomes through clearer responsibilities and remedies.
Intended Audience
This program is designed for:
- Contract managers and procurement professionals
- Legal officers and in-house counsel
- Project managers and administrators
- Engineers and commercial officers involved in contracting
- Business professionals who prepare or review agreements
Individual Benefits
Key competencies that will be developed include:
- Legal and commercial contract literacy
- Drafting and editing of contract clauses
- Risk allocation and commercial logic
- Clause negotiation preparation
- Alignment of contracts with operations
Organization Benefits
Upon completing the training course, participants will demonstrate:
- Reduced legal disputes due to clearer documentation
- Improved consistency and quality of agreements
- Stronger contract compliance and stakeholder alignment
- Faster contract preparation and negotiation cycles
- Greater ability to defend and enforce contracts
Instructional Methdology
The course follows a blended learning approach combining theory with practice:
- Clause-by-Clause Lectures – Structure and meaning
- Drafting Exercises – From templates to custom language
- Case Studies – Real-world disputes and enforcement
- Group Work – Review and redraft unclear clauses
- Templates – Sample contracts, clause libraries, and checklists
- Role Plays – Negotiating and finalizing sample agreements
Course Outline
Detailed 5-Day Course Outline
Training Hours: 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Daily Format: 3–4 Learning Modules | Coffee breaks: 09:30 & 11:15 | Lunch Buffet: 01:00 – 02:00
Day 1: Contract Basics and Structural Clarity
- Module 1: The Purpose and Role of Contracts (07:30 – 09:30)
- Legal enforceability and contract intent
- Why contracts fail: lessons from litigation
- Internal and external users of contracts
- Module 2: The Structure of a Well-Written Contract (09:45 – 11:15)
- Cover pages, schedules, annexes, definitions
- Order of precedence and document hierarchy
- Drafting for business and legal readability
- Module 3: Drafting the Core Agreement Terms (11:30 – 01:00)
- Scope of work, deliverables, responsibilities
- Performance obligations and timing
- Tools for consistency across clauses
- Module 4: Exercise – Redrafting Ambiguous Clauses (02:00 – 03:30)
- Review and simplify unclear or conflicting language
Day 2: Commercial Terms and Performance Provisions
- Module 5: Pricing, Payment, and Invoicing Clauses (07:30 – 09:30)
- Lump sum, unit price, T&M, milestone
- Taxation, withholding, invoicing accuracy
- Interest, penalties, and payment conditions
- Module 6: Warranties and Service Level Clauses (09:45 – 11:15)
- Express vs. implied warranties
- Performance guarantees and service levels
- Remedies for non-performance
- Module 7: Change Control and Variation Clauses (11:30 – 01:00)
- Types of changes and impact on scope
- Documenting changes and approvals
- Change orders and cost/time implications
- Module 8: Group Exercise – Drafting Payment and Warranty Terms (02:00 – 03:30)
- Crafting clear clauses for case scenarios
Day 3: Risk, Remedies, and Legal Safeguards
- Module 9: Limitation of Liability and Indemnity (07:30 – 09:30)
- Capping liability and types of damages
- Carve-outs and uncapped clauses
- Third-party claims and consequential loss
- Module 10: Termination and Suspension Clauses (09:45 – 11:15)
- Termination for cause vs. convenience
- Termination fees, rights, and consequences
- Force majeure and excusable delay
- Module 11: Confidentiality, IP, and Non-Compete Clauses (11:30 – 01:00)
- Protection of sensitive information
- Ownership of deliverables and licenses
- Duration and enforceability
- Module 12: Practical – Risk Allocation in Drafting (02:00 – 03:30)
- Compare and modify templates based on scenario risk appetite
Day 4: Execution, Disputes, and Local Considerations
- Module 13: Governing Law, Jurisdiction, and Enforcement (07:30 – 09:30)
- Choice of law, venue, and enforcement tools
- Arbitration, mediation, and litigation
- Practical tips for global and regional contracts
- Module 14: Contract Execution and Document Control (09:45 – 11:15)
- Signature blocks, authorized parties, and witnesses
- E-signatures and legal recognition
- Version control and distribution
- Module 15: Post-Contract Management and Amendments (11:30 – 01:00)
- Contract handover and team briefing
- Extensions, renewals, and amendments
- Documentation and audits
- Module 16: Simulation – Contract Signing and Change Scenario (02:00 – 03:30)
- Participants walk through a full contract lifecycle
Day 5: Final Review, Negotiation & Planning
- Module 17: Drafting for Negotiation Flexibility (07:30 – 09:30)
- Flagging negotiable vs. fixed terms
- Cross-border sensitivity and localization
- Internal stakeholder preparation
- Module 18: Reviewing and Redlining Third-Party Contracts (09:45 – 11:15)
- Spotting red flags and boilerplate traps
- Review techniques and markup standards
- Framing pushback and counterproposals
- Module 19: Contract Templates and Clause Libraries (11:30 – 01:00)
- Clause checklists and risk heatmaps
- Standardizing language and leveraging past learning
- Customizing templates for reuse
- Module 20: Final Case Study and Wrap-Up (02:00 – 03:30)
- Group presentation of a full draft contract
- Instructor feedback and course certification
Certification
Participants who complete the program will receive a Certificate of Completion in Preparing & Writing Effective Contracts, recognizing their capability to draft clear, defensible, and strategically aligned agreements for varied business contexts.