From Legal Research to Client Advice: A Training Course in Preparing Legal Studies and Consultations
1Summary
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.
2Objectives and target group
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.
3Course Content
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.