This 15-day programme combines:
Translating Policy into Legislation: 05 days
Legislative Drafting: Essential Skills: 10 days

This course gives delegates the opportunity to understand the processes required, once policy has been formulated, to instruct those who have the responsibility to draft legislation, and then to familiarise themselves with the environment in which those drafters need to work.

In the first week, delegates will get an overview of how policy comes to be formulated and enacted. They will learn, by examining legislative and other rules, how a lack of clarity on the part of those instructing legislative counsel can lead to those rules being incomplete, ambiguous or difficult to understand. Practical suggestions will be offered as to the type of information needed in order to adequately instruct legislative counsel.

In the second and third weeks, the course will concentrate on the basic principles involved with creating rules that are easy to understand and implement. Delegates will be shown how this process involves writing texts that are clear, consistent and concise, and they will be asked to undertake a series of class and written graded exercises that encourage the putting into practice of principles learned.

Course Objectives

On completion, you will be able to:

• Understand the stages of the legislative process and the essential characteristics of good drafting
• Be aware of policy from a legislative drafter’s viewpoint, and analyse policy for the purposes of drafting legislation
• Better assist the process of amending and updating statute law
• Understand how to use language that maintains consistency and is clear
• Apply the skills learned in practical and written exercises

Key Topics

• How and where policy originates
• How policy needs to be communicated to those who will create the necessary legal rules to enable it to be implemented
• The essential characteristics of good legislative drafting that enable those affected by legislation to know exactly what is required of them

All courses will be conducted entirely in English. A proficient level of both spoken and written English is required by all delegates so that they are able to fully benefit from the course and participate in our interactive style of training.