Course Description

THE RATIONALE

There is an overarching need for lawyers in the services of organisations to justify their being on the payrolls of these organisations as corporate or company secretaries and legal advisers. This course is essential for new or experienced in-house lawyers wanting to refresh their skills and knowledge about their role, Lawyers transferring from private practice to a corporate role, Executive and Non-executive Company Directors, Public officials in a regulatory, supervisory or compliance functions and Company Secretaries of public companies.

It looks at the complementary role of the company secretary (who may be a lawyer) and his or her value to the Board of Directors and to the maintenance of high standards in corporate governance. Improved performances can be achieved through capacity building activities for them, in the form of training and retraining. This course has been designed to build the capacity of in-house lawyers in order to enhance their performances and shore up their contributions to the overall performances of their respective organisations.

THE COURSE OBJECTIVES:

By the end of this training, participants will achieve the following learning goals:

• Enumerate the roles of company Secretaries and Legal Advisers in organisations highlighting their importance.
• Effectively handle legal issues surrounding corporate activities.
• Acquire the skills for working with other lawyers in organization.
• To examine how company boards organize themselves
• To refresh existing and develop new commercial skills for executives working in or managing the legal function
• Describe how to select and manage external lawyers to be engaged by their organisations.
• Mention how to persuade and influence their colleagues to contribute effectively to the performances of their organisations.
• To highlight the checks and balance that apply to the boards of listed companies
• To consider alternative methods of resolving corporate disputes
• To practice tools and techniques in negotiation

THE COURSE OUTLINE

The course will cover the following:

MODULE 1: CORPORATE BEST PRACTICES

• The Duties Company Director
• The Role of the Non-Executive Director
• Creating an Effective Board
• Corporate Conduct – The Social Responsibilities of the Company
• Failure in Corporate Behaviour & Consequences

MODULE 2: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CORPORATE LEGAL DEPARTMENT

• The duties of an in-house lawyer
• Adding value to company performance
• Identifying and reducing corporate risks
• Measuring the effectiveness of the corporate legal department

MODULE 3: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMPANY SECRETARY

• Assisting the Board
• Record keeping
• Managing the registered office
• Supporting and managing board and company meetings

MODULE 4: NEGOTIATING, DRAFTING AND STRUCTURING LEGAL AGREEMENTS

• Contract law refresher
• Drafting legal agreements
• Negotiation principles
• Tools and techniques for negotiation
• Negotiable & Non-Negotiable

MODULE 5: RESOLVING LEGAL DISPUTES

• Location of the problems
• Resolving disputes without recourse to the courts
• Alternative dispute resolution techniques – arbitration, mediation, conciliation
• Other dispute procedures

TARGET AUDIENCE

Solicitors, Paralegals, Legal Executive, Secretaries, Heads of Legal Teams, Executive and Non-executive Company Directors, Public officials in a regulatory, supervisory or compliance functions Company Secretaries of public companies.

Delivery Method: Combines lectures, discussions, group exercises and illustrations

Venue:

Fee:

Duration: 1 week

Course Date: January 16th- 20th 2023