Overview

The constant requests for templates reveal that candidate attorneys are unable to approach legal drafting from scratch. Legal drafting is the bread and butter of attorneys’ practice and basic skills must be learned. There are immutable basics that have remained over time which can be easily learned and understood. The Rules of Court (Magistrates’ Court and Uniform Rules of Court) form the backbone of legal drafting.

Join Adv. Lisa Thomas on the 10th of August 2023 from 10:00am -12:00pm  as she demystifies drafting and helps candidate attorneys approach the monster with the confidence of a senior legal practitioner.

Learning objectives

By the end of this webinar the attendee should know:

• They will know why and when legal drafting is required
• They will understand the basic structure and content of court documents (actions and applications)
• They will understand the basic structure and content of a general letter of demand
• They will know the importance of drafting in accordance with the Rules of Court
• They  will understand the role of document template/precedents

Content

The webinar will cover the following topics:

• Why do we draft?
• Letters of demand (general and statutory notices)
• Letters of demand (general): basic letter structure - receipient’s details at the top, date, mode of delivery, heading (nature of matter & parties’ names), cause of action, demand, time period, bank details (where necessary) legal action warning, signature, firm’s details
• Letters of demand(statutory notices): structure and content will follow the section of legislation mandating the notice (e.g. Section 129 notice/letter of demand)
• Structure of pleadings (action): court heading, case number, parties’ names and designation, document name within tramlines, merits of matter, prayer, attorney’s signature and firm details
• Content of pleadings: facta probanda v facta probantia, necessary and relevant facts, cause of action/defence, attachments/annexures
• Structure of affidavits (applications): court heading, case number, parties’ names and designations, affidavit type within tramlines, deponent’s evidence, prayer, deponent’s signature, oath, commissioner’s signature
• Content of affidavits: less formal than pleadings (personal evidence), depends on type of affidavit (founding, opposing/answering, replying, or supporting)
• Rules of Court (Magistrate’s and Uniform Rules)
• Templates/precedents

About the presenter

A former criminal defence advocate and in-house counsel in Durban, Lisa has seen the law practice from both sides. She graduated with her LLB, completed her pupillage, and was admitted as an advocate in 2008. Her current area of interest is in alternative dispute resolution, specifically mediation. She is a maverick for humanity and ethics within the legal profession in South Africa with a focus on candidate attorneys

Who should attend?

Candidate attorneys

Law Students

Pupil Advocates

Paralegals

Young/Junior legal practitioners 

Price

• R 100.00 per person
• Discount available for group bookings

For those of you who are unable to attend the live webinar, the recording will be made available to you shortly after the event.

Additional material

By attending this webinar you will be provided with:

• A summarised slide presentation.
• Reference documents and/or course material where available.
• You can ask questions during the webinar and you will also have access to the presenter after the webinar.