Ask a bank's in-house counsel and a construction contractor what they need from a legal advisor, and you will get two completely different answers — because legal consultation is never confined to one field. A bank wants the rule of law applied to the cases in front of it so it can avoid legal exposure; a contractor wants the same applied to a labour dispute with an engineer or a property owner. What both need is an advisor who works from the same method.

That method is exactly what the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy built this course around: giving participants the research skills to gather the real facts of a case, the writing skills to prepare a sound legal study or report, and the judgement to turn both into consultation that actually matches the situation presented to them.

Who Should Attend?

• Managers of institutions and companies, and businessmen seeking legal expertise.
• Lawyers, legal consultants and trainees new to the profession.
• Staff working in legal administration of any kind.
• Law students and graduates from various universities.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Locate and use sources of legal scientific research.
• Write legal memos and reports, and structure legal documents correctly.
• Distinguish decisions by pillar and type, including implementation, withdrawal and cancellation.
• Tell the difference between legal and non-legal writing, and apply the practical forms legal writing takes.
• Construct a proper legal sentence, and use standard legal models for administrative contract annexes.
• Provide sufficient, well-grounded advice to individuals and institutions.

Module 1: Reading a Legal Problem Before You Write a Word

• Techniques for analysing a legal issue and weighing the evidence in front of you.
• Using a legal approach to thinking, and extracting the points that actually matter.

Module 2: Building the Research Base — Legal Systems and Research Skills

• The basics of law and the different types of legal systems: civil, criminal, administrative.
• Using sources such as legislation, judicial rulings and legal references.
• Legal research techniques, both online and in law libraries.

Module 3: The Mechanics of Legal Writing

• The fundamental difference between legal and non-legal writing.
• Constructing a proper legal sentence and applying its common patterns.
• Practical forms legal writing takes, and principles for organising legal documents.
• Standard legal models for administrative contract annexes, and how decisions differ by pillar, type, implementation, withdrawal and cancellation.

Module 4: From Analysis to a Written Legal Study

• Writing a comprehensive legal study that covers the problem, the analysis, and the recommendations.
• Applying the correct legal method in writing and documentation.

Module 5: Turning Analysis into Advice Clients Can Act On

• Providing professional, effective legal consultation to clients or other stakeholders.
• Handling a client's questions and legal needs appropriately.

Module 6: Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Legal Practice

• The importance of ethics and professional responsibility in the legal profession.
• Handling ethical challenges that arise in day-to-day legal practice.

Module 7: Case Studies — Applying the Method to Real Disputes

• Analysing legal cases and comparative studies to see the law applied in practice.
• Solving realistic legal problems and using the law effectively to resolve disputes.