As I prepare for corporate law internships, I have realised that many firms expect students to possess a basic understanding of practical skills such as contract drafting, contract review, due diligence, and legal research. While these skills are frequently mentioned during internship discussions, I often find it difficult to understand the best way to develop them during law school.
Although there are numerous certificate courses that claim to teach these practical skills, I am unsure whether they truly prepare students for real legal work or whether practical exposure through internships is significantly more valuable.
how would you recommend developing practical skills such as drafting, contract review, and due diligence? What learning methods genuinely prepare students for internships, and what role, if any, do certificate courses play in that journey?
At the outset be cautious of the famous saying that Rome was not built in a day.
In my view, drafting, contract review, due diligence and legal research cannot be learnt properly only by watching lectures or collecting certificates. These are practical skills, and they improve mainly through repeated practice, feedback and exposure to real documents. A certificate course may help you understand the basics, but it should not be treated as a substitute for internships or actual drafting work.
For contract drafting, start with simple agreements such as non-disclosure agreements, service agreements, consultancy agreements and employment-related clauses. Do not begin by trying to draft very complex transaction documents.
First and foremost, understand the structure of an agreement: parties, recitals, definitions, obligations, payment terms, representations, warranties, indemnity, limitation of liability, termination, confidentiality, dispute resolution and governing law. Once you understand why each clause exists, drafting becomes much easier.
For contract review, take any sample agreement and read it as if you are advising a client. Ask yourself: What is the client required to do? What happens if there is a delay or breach? Are the payment terms clear? Is the liability too wide? Can the agreement be terminated easily? Are there any one-sided clauses? This habit of identifying commercial and legal risks is more important than using complicated legal language.
For due diligence, the best way to learn is to understand checklists and documents. A student should know what lawyers generally review in a corporate due diligence exercise, such as constitutional documents, shareholding records, board and shareholder approvals, material contracts, licences, employment records, litigation, borrowings, related party transactions and compliance filings. The skill is not merely to read documents, but to identify red flags and explain them in a clear note.
Legal research is equally important. A good intern should be able to find the relevant law, read it carefully and summarise it in a short, useful manner. Instead of writing long academic answers, practise preparing short research notes with three parts: the issue, the legal position and the practical conclusion. In a law firm, seniors usually appreciate clarity, accuracy and usefulness more than length.
My practical suggestion would be to create a small self-learning routine. Every week, pick one agreement, read it fully, mark risky clauses, rewrite one or two clauses in simpler language, and prepare a short note on the issues you found. Similarly, take one due diligence checklist and try to understand what each item means and why it matters. Over time, this exercise will make you much more comfortable during internships.
Internships remain the most valuable source of learning because they expose you to real deadlines, real documents and real expectations. Even if you are given basic work, take it seriously. Ask for feedback, maintain a notebook of drafting points, observe how seniors mark agreements, and try to understand the commercial reason behind every legal comment.
Certificate courses can be useful if they are practical and assignment-based. A good course should make you draft clauses, review agreements, prepare due diligence reports and receive feedback.
In short, the best approach is a combination of basic reading, practical exercises, internships and feedback. Do not worry if you do not know everything before your first corporate internship. Firms do not expect students to be experts. They expect curiosity, discipline, attention to detail, willingness to learn and the ability to communicate clearly.
If you consistently practise reading agreements, identifying risks, writing short notes and improving your drafts based on feedback, you will gradually develop the confidence required for corporate law internships.
