Workshop on Legislative Drafting

Program Overview:

Legislative drafting is the act of transforming government policies into written laws, with the aim of ensuring that legislation is clear, concise and understandable to those affected by it. Achieving this can be challenging as government policies often involves around many complex issues that are difficult to convey in a simple and everyday language.

Consistency is key in all aspects of drafting as these may including use of vocabulary, structure, language and style, and building sentences to convey the intended meanings. This highly interactive course will equip participants with a range of good drafting tools used to create well written legislation.

For Whom:

This program is designed for professional legislative drafters from drafting offices from around the world; policy experts employed in agencies not directly involved in drafting, but who want to be able to better work with their legislative drafting counterparts. Legal Officers and others who perform related functions will equally benefit from this program.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• draft legislation clearly and concisely;
• list and explain the principles of good legislative drafting techniques;
• use plain language;
• make laws more readable and understandable to those affected by them;
• amend outdated legislation; and
• list and explain how to avoid the common drafting mistakes.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to law-making

• Government Systems
• The role and Functions of the Legislature

• Institutions of government
• Separation of powers
  • The Executive, Judiciary & Legislature

o    Principles of legislative drafting

o    Turning policy into legislation

• The presidential system

Day 2: Legislative Tools and Procedures

• Types of legislation
• Primary and secondary legislation
• Dissecting a statute
• Structure and elements of an Act of Parliament
• Assembling the machinery of an Act
• Problems with how laws work

Language in legislation:Drafting with Clarity

• Understanding good and bad legislative drafting

• Principles of drafting
• Dos and Don’ts in drafting
• Writing instructions for the parliamentary draftsman

• Drafting clear legislative sentences
• Plain language, gender neutral, active voice, use of singular, etc.

• In-class exercises to build your skill sets

Day 3: The Law-Making Process: Using Legislative Drafting Tools

• From policy to the draft Bill
• What is policy and Sources of policy
• Setting policy priorities
• The process of turning policy into new laws
• Gaining buy-in to legal change
• Role and responsibilities in policy making
• Stages of the process
• Legislative timetables
• Assessing regulatory impact
• How the Bill team functions
• Constraints on the process of making laws
• Amending and developing the law
• Compliance and enforcement
• Avoidance and evasion

Day 4: Understanding the Components of a Bill

• Organization of provisions within a bill
• Titles and headings
• Enacting and resolving clauses
• Purposes, findings, and senses of Congress
• General rules and exceptions
• Effective dates and sunset provisions
• Authorization of appropriations
• Savings clauses and severability clauses

Drafting a Simple Bill

• In-class practice turning a proposal for

legislation into legislative language

Day 5: Drafting Amendments to Bills

• The legislative process for amending bills
• The form and language of amendments to bills

                Drafting Amendments to Statutes

• The form and language of amendments to statutes
• Drafting inside and outside of the quotes

      Technology in Legislative Drafting

• Computer software options for legislative drafting
• Tips and tricks to make formatting easier

      Drafting a Complex Bill

• Organization of Legislative Provisions
• Close Supervision and Review of Drafting Work

Training Methodology

• Lectures, discussions, exercises, case studies, audio-visual aids will be used to reinforce these teachings/learning methods.

ADEBAYO, BAMIDELE OLASEHINDE- B.Sc. (Political Science); LL. B; B.L; LL.M; PhD (in view); FCIS, ACIPMN, MNITD; MNIM, MIBA. Adebayo is a seasoned and experienced legal practitioner of nearly three decades work experience. Adebayo is a graduate of University of Lagos where he studied Law at first degree and Masters Levels with outstanding performance. He attended the Nigerian Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar. Adebayo also studied Political Science at first degree level at the then Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University). Adebayo is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Adebayo, at different times in his working career, has worked with Negris Holdings Limited as the Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser; Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria as the Assistant Registrar (Marketing and Corporate Affairs) and later Deputy Registrar of the Institute. He also had a stint at Gani Adetola-Kaseem (SAN) Legal Practitioners as a Senior Counsel, among others. Adebayo is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and the International Bar Association, among many other professional bodies.  He has facilitated in many workshops and Conferences. He will join others to share their experiences on this program.

Abosede Eniola Ogundimu – LLB, BL., LLM - Former Contract Manager – Raw/Packaging Materials, Nigerian Breweries Plc. Currently Group Audit, Legal and Compliance Manager, Quinn McGrath Limited. Mrs. Ogundimu has worked and obtained expertise in legal services, manufacturing, agro-allied, agriculture, banking; food, beverage and tobacco, oil and gas. Her key skills and experience include negotiation; legal advisory; mediation; advocacy; corporate secretaryship; corporate governance; corporate administration; internal audits and reviews; compliance audits and reviews; contract negotiation, review and drafting. She is a member, Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association (IBA), Product Law and Advertising Committee of the Legal Practice Division of the IBA. She will join others to share her experience on this program. 

Group nomination of 5 and above participants attracts 10% discount