Diploma in Legal Drafting & Legal Research

SEMESTER-1

1.  Legal Language:

Contents:

• Advance grammar blended with Legal terms.
• Advance level legal vocabulary/word power.
• Advance level legal texts reading & writing skills.
• Advance level aural & oral skills in legal contexts.
• Knowledge of celebrity cases/current legal cases/legal issues/legal vocabulary.
• Advance level presentations in legal topics.

Objectives:

• To gain proficiency in advance grammar structures.
• To expand and enlarge advance level Legal English vocabulary.
• To develop ability to read, comprehend and analyze legal texts in different formats, efficiently and accurately.
• To create and maintain interest of students in expressing & communicating in Legal English through various ‘Legal Language’ assignments.
• To develop positive attitude, confidence and competence in legal language.
• To create and maintain interest of student in current legal issues and cases.
• To develop creative thinking, analytical skills and legal research skills.
• To develop error free advance writing skills i.e. Paragraph writing, connectors and linkers, common errors, report writing, precis writing, summary writing, letter writing and basic email writing.

2. Legal Skills (Proofreading and Editing):

• Proofreading techniques and methodology including in detail rectifying irrelevant& redundant terms, wrong words and phrases, grammar and sentence structure errors, numbering systems, titles/subtitles, spellings/punctuation errors, factual discrepancies in drafts, citation errors etc.
• Editing of legal documents.
• Checking of style, structure, graphics and flow of information.
• Checking of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.
• Checking of URL links, captions, footnotes, references, images, table, quotes, citations, bibliography etc.
• Checking of word choice to fine tune the overall tone of the document.
• Examination of the document for inconsistencies in theme, style and factual information.
  Examination of the document to check copyright permissions to ensure zero possibility of legal conflict.

Objectives:

• To develop and refine required skills and in depth intellect to comprehend and correct the mistakes in various texts, drafts and documents as per their respective context.
• To attain expert knowledge in proofreading techniques matching international standards not only legal documents but also academic documents such as dissertations, theses, letters, various kinds of civil, criminal & corporate drafts.
• To develop expert skill in students to cater not only national but also global market in proofreading all kinds of documents.
• To empower students in critical reading, polishing, refining and enhancement of manuscript
• To enable students in doing authentic modifications, alterations and decisions from dual side view i.e. the point of view of both writer and audience.
• To develop improvising skills in students regarding additional research suggestions create better flow & clarity.

3. Legal Terms & Terminologies

Contents:

• Loan words and phrases from other languages.
• Legal Terms/ Legal Phrases/ Terms of art.
• Legal Terms/words often confused and misused.
• Use of Unfamiliar pro-forms in Legal Language.
• Synonyms and Antonyms in legal writing.
• Specialized words, phrases and idiomatic expressions.
• Words and titles used in Legal Language.
• Legal drafting/ Preparing case brief/summary.
• Famous foreign proverbs in English Legal Language.
• Quotidian words having different/special meanings in law.
• Doublets/Triplets in English Legal Language.
• One word substitutions in Legal Language.
• Propositional phrases.
• Use of Pronominal Adverbs.
• Argumentative writing on current legal issues.
• Study of national and international landmark cases that changed the legal landscape and played a decisive role in development of various laws.
• Reading, comprehending and making notes of all the legal terms and tough words/phrases/idioms etc.

Objectives:

• To gain expert level proficiency in comprehending, reading, writing and making accurate usage of legal terms and terminologies.
• To create and maintain in-depth knowledge and interest in current legal issues, amendment in laws, judicial reviews, court judgments, various national & international laws  and cases.
• To develop expertise in comprehending and analyzing various legal texts in different formats, efficiently and accurately.
• To develop extensive legal writing skills with respective citations, legal terminologies and precedents.

 

4. Legal Writing & Paraphrasing:

Analytical, logical and investigative articles, reviews and dissertations on current legal issues and amendments, to express legal analysis, legal rights and legal duties, properly backed up with relevant precedents, assertions and statements with citations to authority, using extensive legal terminologies i.e. Specialized words and phrases unique to law, ordinary words having different meanings in law, legal maxims, foreign legal words, pronominal adverbs, doublets and triplets, idioms, legal phrases etc.

• Paraphrasing and rewriting.

Objectives:

• To equip students in expressing important legal amendments, updations and issues in own words, to increase the general understanding of complex legal documents.
• To empower students to think in different ways and to express different interpretations of legal text, so as to increase the understanding of legal topics from different perspectives.

Semester-II

1. Legal Drafting

      Contents:

• General Principles of Drafting and Relevant Substantive Rules:
• Drafting and Conveyancing relating to Various Deeds and Agreements(Sale Agreements, E-Contracts, Leave and License, IPR Agreements, Promissory Note, Power of Attorney- General

and Special, Will, Relinquishment Deed, Deed of Dissolution of Partnership, Hire-Purchase Agreement, Deed of Sale of Land, Building, Mortgage, License, Lease, Assignment, Trust, Gift, Partnership, Drafting of Writs, Partnership Deed, Sale Agreements, Collaboration Agreements, Hypothecation Agreements, Drafting of Legal Opinion, Shareholder’s Agreement etc.)

• Pleading: Meaning and Importance -Functions of Pleadings – Essentials of Pleading – Particulars of Pleading – Striking out pleadings- Signing and verification.
• Civil Pleadings and criminal pleadings – Substantive Aspects and Drafts (Plaints, complaints, written statements, appeals, FIR, bail applications etc.)

Objectives:

• To attain expert knowledge of all kinds of drafting, pleadings and advocacy techniques.
• To develop extensive legal writing skills with respective citations, legal terminologies and precedents.
• To equip students in expressing important legal amendments, updations and issues in own words, to increase the general understanding of complex legal documents.
• To empower students to think in different ways and to express different interpretations of legal text, so as to increase the understanding of legal topics from different perspectives.
• To make original legal text more comprehensible, lucid and logical.
• To make implications of complex legal laws and documents clearer.

2. Legal Research

• Legislation Research(Primary and Secondary),  Intellectual Property research,  Regulatory and Administrative Law Research,  International legal research,  Case Law Research, Multi-Jurisdictional Research, Issue based Research, Compliance/ Regulatory Research, Market/ competition research, Cause of Action Research, Legal Articles and docs, Case Summaries, Foreign Law Research, Forthcoming laws research,  Second Opinions,  Legal Briefs etc.

Objectives:

• To develop creative thinking, analytical skills and legal research skills
• To develop extensive legal research techniques of literature/ previously published material/empirical surveys including collection of data through interviews, surveys, observations, questionnaires etc.

3. Essential Technical Skills:

• Introduction to various courts websites w.r.t. lodgment and rulings.
• Introduction to various online filing procedures.
• Introduction to the types and usage of various software used in legal firms/ companies/ audit firms.
• Introduction to various Softwares like ScribeManager, LexisNexis™, Net Lawman, Westlaw etc.
• Introduction to cyber security guidelines to be followed while storing, retrieving or communicating information online (through the internet).
• Introduction to the process and procedures for billing and recoveries.
• Use of the internet and social media networking.
• Email skills i.e. composing email, Checking email, Forwarding email, Attaching files, Downloading and Saving Attachments, Blind Copy, Carbon Copy, Forward, Labelling, Filtering functions, using Address book etc.
• Microsoft Office skills i.e. Word documents, Excel sheets, PowerPoint presentations, One Note, Outlook, text formatting, bookmarking, tables, graphs, and charts, slides etc.
• Search Engines: Understanding the basics of using internet search or by using key board functions to find things in a document, in My Documents or on a network.
• Error free typing on keyboard with full words arranged properly, spelling and grammar checks.
• File sharing i.e. uploading documents to an email or storing files in a cloud server, using Window’s SkyDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc for sharing and storing files.
• Keyboard short cuts.
• Operating system and file management: Converting Files (such as Word to Pdf, or Excel to CSV), Zip or Extract File, Looking up file sizes, renaming or saving files & folders, etc.
• Procedure and process to access analytical, logical and investigative articles from various electronic sources.
• Use of printers for printing, scanning, and making copies of documents.