Masterclass on the Fundamentals of Contract Drafting

Course Overview

In today’s commercial world, with mounting workloads and shorter deadlines, it is imperative for a drafter to quickly grasp the essence of a contract, and know how to make it “watertight,” to secure positive outcomes and projected profits.

This Masterclass will equip you with the knowledge and skills to ensure that your contracts capture and deliver your commercial objectives. You'll gain an understanding of which clauses and arrangements carry particular contractual risks, and how they may be amended, managed, or mitigated.

Learn how to examine different types of contracts across various industries, expand and enrich your knowledge base, utilise multiple opportunities to draft a plethora of contractual terms and conditions, and review what works and what doesn’t. 

Learning Outcomes

  • Fundamental principles and techniques for creating effective and enforceable contracts 
  • Draft clear and concise terms and conditions 
  • Common contractual clauses and negotiation strategies
  • Capture commercial objectives within the overarching legal/contractual framework 
  • Identify, manage, and mitigate contractual risks 
  • Strategise commercial arrangements and structure contracts to improve commercial outcomes 
  • Understand various legal/contractual strategies that can provide an upper hand in negotiating and securing more favourable deals 

About ALA Academy

ALA is a professional development arm of Brickfields Asia College and primarily focuses on bridging the gap between a formal legal education and what is required from the legal industry. We seek to provide an avenue where law students and aspiring legal practitioners can equip themselves with the necessary skill sets upon setting foot into the legal industry. ALA collaborates with industry professionals to provide focused and practical programmes, ranging from more advanced and in-depth Pro-Plus courses to Bootcamps, Masterclasses, Advocacy Prep Sessions, Workshops, Webinars and Career Fairs, which are directed more towards budding law students and young practitioners. Additionally, we also run the ALA Value Add Course, which is conducted year-round for students.

All ALA courses will be awarded by Brickfields Asia College 

About Brickfields Asia College

BAC has been offering top quality tertiary education since 1991, and has a proven track record of producing excellent results for our various programs. Our students have consistently won top globally-recognised academic awards for the subjects of Business and Law.

Who Should Attend

  • Legal practitioners and support staff
  • Compliance Managers/ Executives
  • Corporate Counsel and Consultants
  • Those interested in expanding their knowledge in this industry 

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Course Modules

Module 1: 

  • Formation of Contract  
  • The Purpose of Contracting 
  • Understanding the Parties’ Key Objectives and Challenges 
  • How to Construct a Contract 
  • From Scope of Work to Contracting 

Module 2: 

  • How to Construct/Review a Clause 
  • Review of Problematic Phrases in Contracts 
  • Checklist of Key Clauses  
  • Substantive clauses 
  • Most Negotiated Terms 

 Module 3: 

  • Detail Examination of Liabilities and Risks  
  • Drafting and Negotiating Liabilities and Risks 
  • Ignore Boilerplate Clauses At Your Peril! 
  • Dispute Resolution Clauses 

Module 4: 

  • Examining Common Commercial Agreements 
  • Identifying Key Concerns within Commercial Agreements 
  • Drafting Key Clauses of Tenancy, Agency, Distributorship Agreements 
  • How to Structure Legally and Contractually Sound Deals 

Module 5: 

  • Detailed Examination and Drafting of Various Preliminary Agreements 
  • Non-Disclosure Agreements 
  • Heads of Agreements 
  • Memorandum Of Understanding 
  • Memorandum of Agreement 

Module 6: 

  • Tendering & Procurement Environment 
  • Choosing the Right Contract for Your Deal 
  • Reviewing Contracts and Protecting Your Interests 
  • What to do if it’s the “Wrong Type” of Contract 

Module 7:  

  • Dealing with Multi Party Agreements 
  • Joint Venture Agreements 
  • Consortium Agreements 
  • Bid Bonds 
  • Bank Guarantees 
  • Parent Company/ Third Party Guarantees 

Module 8: 

  • Drafting Letters of Intent 
  • Drafting Letters of Award 
  • Pitfalls of LOIs and LOAs 
  • Subcontracting and Supply Agreements  
  • Novation Agreements 

Trainer's Profile

Karen Dawson

(Legal Consultant & Trainer)

Karen Dawson is an accomplished in-house counsel, trainer, and consultant with excellent contracting skills and commercial savvy, honed over two decades.

Karen, who is considered an authority on oil and gas contracting by her peers, has used her substantial oratory and persuasive skills to negotiate win-win positions with major local and international industry players, such as Saipem, Sime Darby Bhd., ExxonMobil Malaysia Inc., Maersk Oil Qatar, Qatar Petroleum, Engineers India Limited, Sinohydro Corporation (PRC), Sarawak Hidro Sdn. Bhd., and Mustang Engineering, to name a few. 

Through her years as in-house legal counsel, and thereafter trainer and consultant to the oil and gas industry and beyond, Karen has understood the balancing act between business efficacy and the necessity for companies to be legally protected. 

She continues to train professionals across various industries to increase their understanding of contractual and legal matters, with the objective of assisting them in their various job functions. Karen is known for her lively sessions where she presents ideas and information, effectively and creatively to her target audience so that they “get it”. 

Tuition Fees

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