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A Practical Guide to Drafting Contracts: From Concept to Closure, Third Edition

Authors
  • Cynthia M. Adams
  • Peter K. Cramer
Series / Aspen Coursebook Series
Teaching Materials
NO
Description
Table of contents
Preface

Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook on Casebook Connect, including lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities. Access also includes an outline tool and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes.

A Practical Guide to Drafting Contracts: From Concept to Closure, Third Edition, provides detailed coverage of contract drafting from A to Z, concept to closure. Moreover, it teaches readers how to review and adapt existing contracts and forms—including those generated by AI—to create new contracts tailored to a client’s specific needs, just as lawyers frequently do in practice. Step-by-step instruction walks readers through the contract concepts and the process for drafting a wide range of agreements. In this remarkably succinct text, authors Cynthia M. Adams and Peter K. Cramer explain and illustrate the purpose of each type of provision, and address the basic principles that apply to a wide range of domestic and international transactions.

New to the Third Edition
  • An all-new chapter on drafting pre-deal documents, including the purposes, advantages, and risks of using term sheets, letters of intent, or memorandums of understanding prior to reaching a definitive agreement
  • New drafting exercises that engage readers in critically reviewing and, where appropriate, effectively using provisions produced by GenAI
  • Expert insights into the benefits, challenges, and limitations of GenAI-assisted contract drafting 
  • An extensive online contract bank, including 40 non-competition agreements, 40 license agreements, 40 lease agreements, and 40 pre-deal documents
Professors and students will benefit from:
  • Practice exercises that develop readers' drafting skills and knowledge of the language and syntax of contract law 
  • Discussion of the strategic decisions behind contract drafting
  • Experiential exercises designed to
    • raise awareness of audience, purpose, and the appropriate phrasing
    • build familiarity with commonly occurring contract provisions 
    •  practice reviewing and adapting provisions from existing forms and contracts
  • For international students, the authors highlight key points of U.S. law regarding contract provisions and drafting issues
  • A wealth of online resources, including exercises and assignments that encourage readers to mine the book’s rich contracts bank for language and provisions appropriate to use in the drafting process
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Table of Contents
Summary of Contents

Table of Contents 
Preface 
Acknowledgments
About the Authors 


Chapter 1 Introduction 
Chapter 2 Preliminary Drafting Concerns 
Chapter 3 Contract Structure and Formatting
Chapter 4 Defined Terms 
Chapter 5 The Beginning of a Contract 
Chapter 6 The Importance of Clear and Concise Writing 
Chapter 7 Basic Categories of Contract Provisions 
Chapter 8 Word Choice 
Chapter 9 Sentence Structure 
Chapter 10 Core Provisions 
Chapter 11 Exit Provisions 
Chapter 12 Alternative Dispute Resolution Provisions 
Chapter 13 Miscellaneous Provisions 
Chapter 14 The End of the Contract 
Chapter 15 Pre- Deal Documents 

Glossary of Terms 
Index 
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Professor Materials
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About the authors
Cynthia M. Adams
Indiana University - Indianapolis

Cynthia M. Adams is a Clinical Professor of Law at Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Before joining the law faculty, she prac­ticed corporate law and business transactions. Professor Adams teaches var­ious theory and skills courses, including Contract Drafting, Negotiations, Integrated Contracts, and Secured Transactions. In addition to this book, Professor Adams coauthored The Guide to U.S. Legal Analysis and Communication (2d ed., Aspen, 2015). When not teaching, researching, or writing, Professor Adams explores the backcountry at home and abroad, on horseback and on foot.

Peter K. Cramer
Washington University – St. Louis

Peter K. Cramer, Ph.D., MA.TESOL, and LLM., retired Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs at Washington University School of Law, and for­mer Associate Director of the Center for Global Legal English at Georgetown University. In continuing to teach Legal Writing and Legal English courses at various law schools around the globe, Professor Cramer combines his exper­tise and training in common and civil law systems with his experience as a linguist and ESLspecialist. In his semi-retirement, he enjoys the benefits of a flexible work and travel schedule, which include extended bike rides in his native Bavaria.

Product Information
Edition
Third Edition
Publication date
2025-02-14
Copyright Year
2025
Pages
400
Connected eBook + Paperback
9798886148763
Connected eBook (Digital Only)
9798886148770
Subject
Drafting , Legal Writing
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