Legislative Drafting

Commonwealth Distance Training Course in Legislative Drafting (Commonwealth Secretariat, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division, 2003) by Keith Patchett.

The curriculum for the Commonwealth of Learning/Commonwealth Secretariat's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division (ComSec) legislative drafting programme was put together by an international project advisory group of expert trainers and is based on Commonwealth legal practice. Course design and development was jointly funded by COL and the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC).

The author, Professor Keith Patchett, is a legislative drafter and trainer from the Royal Institute for Public Administration (RIPA) in London, and instructional design was provided by TDA Consulting Group Ltd. of Kew, England. The guided independent study course uses print materials and audio tapes, in some cases supplemented by local mentor support, and is designed for adaptability to individual jurisdictions. It serves both as an introduction to drafting as well as an upgrade for practising professionals. A field test with a group of trainee drafters in Barbados further refined the course; a six-module version was approved in 1993, and a revised edition for 2000 was issued.

These materials are not currently available on-line but the 2000 edition is available in the Commonwealth of Learning's Information Resource Centre and some extracts are available to download from the Commonwealth of Learning's website.

The course offers both a student and instructor version and the material also includes projects, exercises and audio clips. Modules include:
 * Orientation
 * Module 1A: Back to Basics
 * Module 1B: Getting Going
 * Module 2: Working within Limits
 * Module 3A: Making the Right Expression
 * Module 3B: Putting on the Style
 * Module 4: Getting Organised
 * Module 5A: Topping...
 * Module 5B: ... and Tailing
 * Module 6: Particular Cases