With publication of the second edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, I’ve been taking stock.
I roam the land giving public and in-house seminars. I teach at a great law school. And I get to explore and write pioneering stuff about a vital yet problematic activity—contract drafting. I love what I do, and I feel tremendously lucky to be doing it.
But it doesn’t occupy all my time, so I’m looking to continue those activities but also establish a relationship with a law firm or company. I’d welcome a way to even out the highs and lows of my current regime, which has me largely idle over the summer and during the winter holidays and on the road for extended periods the rest of the time.
Why am I going public about this? Because the world of rational contract drafting is still largely uncharted territory—the sort of relationship I’m looking to establish doesn’t currently exist, so it would be futile of me to expect anyone to propose it, and I don’t see much point in relying on my limited circle of contacts.
So here’s what I have in mind:
At a law firm—presumably one of the bigger ones—I could act as drafting-expert in residence: I’d conduct seminars; provide one-on-one training, help develop templates, and review drafts. Having me be responsible for much of the training and review side of the contract process would help it run more smoothly and efficiently and would, I suggest, improve associate morale and effectiveness.
At a company, I could provide training, overhaul templates, and oversee document-assembly initiatives. This sort of relationship could be open-ended or it could be for a limited period. I’ve said many times elsewhere that by redrafting its contracts and retooling its contract process, any company with a high volume of contracts could save considerable amounts of time and money. Having me involved would make it possible to achieve those savings.
So there you have it. If this is something you’d like to discuss, send me an email.
