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Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Legislative Drafting

Learning Outcomes

The primary goal of this diploma program is to provide students with a basic preparation to assume responsibility for planning, drafting, scrutinizing and evaluating legislation of all types including bylaws, statutes, and regulations. The following core learning outcomes have been identified:

1. Ability to explain the nature of legislative drafting in the Commonwealth tradition, the duties and responsibilities of legislative drafters, and the process of preparation of legislation
2. Competence to write clear English grammatically for legislative purposes
3. Capacity to analyze legislative instructions, seek clarification if necessary, and convert them into legislative sentences
4. Ability to explain constitutional, interpretive, and other constraints on legislation, and to work within them when drafting
5. Ability to explain the purpose of a legislative plan and competence in preparing a simple legislative plan
6. Ability to explain the common structure of legislation, the purpose of each portion, and competence in preparing simple examples of each element including commencement, definitions, interpretations, purposes, application, delegated powers, amendment and transitional provisions, and schedules
7. Competence in drafting simple compliance provisions and subsidiary legislation
8. Competence to prepare independently a complete piece of legislation suitable for enactment