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Course Details

Course Information
  • smart_display Format

    On-Demand

  • signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level

    Intermediate

  • work Practice Area

    Commercial Law

Date & Time
  • event Date

    Tuesday, August 5, 2025

  • schedule Time

    1:00 PM E.T.

  • timer Program Length

    90 minutes

Credit Information

  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.


  • Live Online


    On Demand

$297.00

This course is $0 with these passes:

CLE
ALL

This CLE course will guide business counsel on identifying and avoiding potentially costly pitfalls in drafting contracts. The panel will offer best practices for structuring, analyzing, and interpreting business agreements.

Faculty

Edwin E. Smith
Partner
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Mr. Smith concentrates his practice in commercial law, debt financings, structured financings, workouts, bankruptcies, and international transactions. He is particularly knowledgeable on commercial law and insolvency matters, both domestic and cross-border. His representations have included those in major bankruptcies including Lehman and the City of Detroit. Mr. Smith often advises financial institutions on documentation and risk management issues.

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Steven O. Weise
Partner
Proskauer Rose LLP

Mr. Weise practices in all areas of commercial law and has extensive experience in financing, especially in those secured by personal property, including structured financing. He is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Article 9 of the UCC. He is a member of the Permanent Editorial Board for the UCC and a member of the American Law Institute’s UCC Article 9 Drafting Committee. Mr. Weise is also the past chair of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section Legal Opinions Committee.

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Description

How key concepts are expressed in business contracts is often as important as the concepts themselves. Solid contract drafting skills are essential for any practitioner involved in transactions or business relationships.

Many contracts--even those developed by experienced counsel and relating to prominent transactions--are typically plagued with ambiguities, inconsistencies, unintended imprecision, and "bloat" from unnecessary legalese. Such mistakes can render contracts confusing, risky, and potentially very costly.

Listen as our authoritative panel reviews fundamental but often overlooked skills essential to drafting contracts. The panel will explain how to draft contract provisions to reduce costs and risks for businesses.

Outline

  1. Structuring
  2. Drafting techniques
  3. Boilerplate issues

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key issues:

  • What are the fundamental components of contracts generally, including "boilerplate" contracts that companies use?
  • What are some common and potentially costly drafting errors that attorneys make when drafting contracts?
  • What are the best practices for drafting, analyzing, and interpreting contracts?