Kenneth A. Adams, the foremost authority on the building blocks of contract language, will be giving his “Drafting Clearer Contracts” seminar in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 12, 14, and 15, 2012.
The seminars will be held at 3, rue François Bellot, at the Geneva offices of the international law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Each seminar will be limited to 10 participants; lunch and refreshments will be provided.
The “Drafting Clearer Contracts” Seminar
The traditional language of business contracts is dysfunctional. Ken Adams offers an antidote—a uniquely rigorous overview of issues relating to contract language, based on his bestselling book A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting (American Bar Association, 2d ed. 2008). This book has become the standard reference work; for more information about it, go here. Participants will receive a copy of the book at no extra charge.
This day-long seminar explores how to draft contracts that express deal terms clearly and effectively, thereby saving time and money, enhancing competitiveness, and reducing risk. Ken uses throughout examples drawn from actual contracts. Rather than simply lecturing, he uses questions and drafting exercises to encourage participation. He also addresses practical considerations relating to the drafting process. Go here for the seminar agenda.
This seminar would be valuable for both junior and senior lawyers, and for both native and non-native English speakers. The recommendations in Ken’s book apply to all contracts drafted in English, whatever the governing law.
Many participants describe this seminar as the best continuing-legal-education seminar they have ever attended; to see some recent testimonials, go here. And here are some testimonials from previous Geneva “Drafting Clearer Contracts” seminars:
For any lawyer drafting English language contracts in an international environment, “Drafting Clearer Contracts” is a brilliant seminar. It offers simple and practical drafting solutions to promote clearer and universally understandable contracts.
Sandy Gros-Louis, Legal and Policy Advisor, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Central Secretariat
This seminar encourages you to use straightforward language, do away with redundancies and obsolete jargon, and constantly question the adequacy of traditional usages. Non-native English speakers should find it especially valuable. Case examples and skilful presentation, coupled with Ken’s obvious passion for his subject and his sense of humor in conveying it, made the seminar truly enjoyable and persuasive.
Karlis Alksnis, Senior Counsel, SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA
For any European lawyer who is routinely called on to review, revise, or explain U.S.-style contracts, Ken Adams’s seminar is a blessing. He shows you that English-language contracts can, and should, be drafted much more clearly than they currently are.
Arndt Welge, Corporate Counsel, VeriSign Switzerland S.A.
The registration fee is US$650 for one person. To register two or more persons from one organization, the fee for the second person is US$550 and the fee for all additional persons is US$450 per person. Payment is by PayPal; if you’d prefer to pay by bank transfer, please contact Ken Adams.
To register participants for this seminar, go here.
If you cancel at least one month before the seminar, we will refund your entire fee, minus any wire-transfer fees. We cannot accept cancellation after that.
About Kenneth A. Adams
Ken Adams gives seminars in the U.S., Canada, and internationally, acts as a consultant and expert witness, and is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He’s also founder of Koncision Contract Automation, developer of online document-assembly contract templates.
According to The Lawyers Weekly, “In the world of contract drafting, Ken Adams is the guru.” And in a recent opinion, Chancellor Strine of the Delaware Court of Chancery, the foremost business-law court in the U.S., described A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting as “thought-provoking” and noted that “One can even share and in fact applaud Adams’ encouragement of clearer forms of contract drafting.”
As part of its “Legal Rebels” project, in 2009 the ABA Journal, the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association, named Ken one of fifty leading innovators in the legal profession. Until December 2010 he maintained the AdamsDrafting blog; the ABA Journal included it in its 2010 and 2009 “Blawg 100”—its list of the hundred best law blogs. He now blogs at The Koncise Drafter.
Ken was raised in Europe and Africa, so he’s attuned to the particular challenges non-native English speakers can face when dealing with traditional contract language. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1989, Ken practiced corporate law in New York and Geneva, Switzerland, with major U.S. law firms.
Go here for a list of Ken’s mentions in the press. And go here for a list of his articles.
