Master-class on «Legal writing for International Lawyers» by Kostantin Mishin

Lots of students took part in the master-class on 'Legal Writing for International Lawyers' on 12 October 2022. The speaker was Konstantin Mishin, associate at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin & Partners, LL.M. in International Arbitration (American University Washington College of Law). 

The speaker shared some tips and recommendations for drafting different legal documents, such as memorials, contracts, claims and others. The essential advice was that every legal document should be brief, clear and direct ('BCD'). Konstantin Mishin stressed that «every lawyer has to understand who his or her reader is». Therefore, if your reader is a professor, it’s better to use professional terminology and an academic style of writing. However, in the event your reader is a non-lawyer, you should better use simple language without any complicated terms and expressions. Also, if there is a chance, it is better to avoid wimpy words and long sentences and add more verbs and adjectives in order to make your text be brief and straightforward. Thus, you will save time for your readers. Finally, Konstantin Mishin discussed examples of structures of legal drafting with the audience, such as Umbrella (Intro, Block Quote, Architecture, Apply & Eliminate, Transition) and CREAC (Conclusion, Rule, Explanation, Application and Conclusion).