McGeorge School of Law hosted a webinar featuring special guest Serena Kallas, an experienced business attorney currently working in-house for Impossible Foods, where she focuses on contract negotiation, drafting, and strategic business development. In the webinar, Serena discussed how to master contract drafting and provided a practical look at McGeorge’s Online MSL degree program.
Prior to her in-house role, Serena represented hundreds of clients across diverse industries, advising and litigating a wide range of legal and business issues. In addition to her legal practice, she serves as an adjunct professor at McGeorge School of Law, where she teaches Contract Drafting. In her teaching, she emphasizes practical, real-world skills, helping students develop clarity, precision, and confidence in their legal drafting abilities.
Your Mindset and Role as a Contract Drafter
The Contract Drafting course, as part of the MSL program, is designed to provide practical experience that will help students navigate different business and legal challenges faced in the workplace. “It can help you advance your career no matter what field you’re in,” Serena notes.
There is more to a contract than just a written document with rules to reiterate when required. “In my course, we like to think of ourselves as storytellers. Each contract tells a story about a relationship: how it begins, what is expected, and how it will end. Your job is to structure the story in a way that’s clear, legally sound, and mutually beneficial, so it can support a business’s objectives even after you are no longer involved with the deal.”
Principles of Contract Drafting
Contracts are critical because they set the foundation for business relationships. Misunderstandings or ambiguity in a contract can lead to disputes, costly litigation, and damaged partnerships. A skilled drafter prevents this by creating clear, unambiguous agreements and developing a strong relationship between parties from the start. “You are a storyteller who is involved in the story as well,” she says. “You help memorialize it on paper and control the tone.”
As the drafter, always assume that others will eventually have to read the contract for these fundamental reasons, acronymed with the word CURE:
Clarity: Ensure clarity on how to comply with performance or payment obligations
Understanding: Promote understanding of the overall contract
Remedies: Address how to pursue remedies if necessary
Ease of Adaption: Facilitate the preparation of adjustments to the contract
The course explores each of these principles and applies them to the contract review process.
Contract Review Process and Types of Contracts
The drafting process is one of organization, research, alignment, and refinement, a process that students learn in the course through many hands-on exercises that move from the initiation of a contract to the organization of a contract for final review. In practice, drafting a contract involves understanding business terms and expectations, organizing those terms logically, and reviewing and negotiating the document carefully.
The type of contract drafted is based on the objective of the relationship between parties. Common types of contracts include:
- Non-Disclosure, Confidentiality, or Material Transfer Agreement
- Services, Statements of Work, and Order Form
- Employment
- Equipment Purchase/Bill of Sale
- Licensing
- And more.
Each contract requires a tailored approach, and strategies for identifying that approach are covered in the course.
The Contract Drafting Course at McGeorge
In this course, students learn the fundamental contract concepts underlying the drafting process and how to draft contracts that effectively deliver the parties’ expectations, manage their risks intentionally, and address remedies. The course covers:
- Practical assignments in each module
- Redlining, drafting, and formatting exercises
- Real-world application
- Building a portfolio of clear, enforceable contract provisions
- Helping students gain confidence in drafting contracts that meet business needs
“The skills of drafting and negotiating contracts are in high demand across all industries. At the end of the day,” Serena assures, “In the Contract Drafting course, you’ll gain practical tools to approach them with confidence.”
An Online MSL Designed for Working Professionals
The webinar also included an overview of McGeorge’s online Master of Science in Law program and its flexible learning options. McGeorge offers several MSL concentrations, including:
- Business Law
- Government Law and Policy
- Water and Environmental Law
- Health (hybrid)
- Human Resources (hybrid)
The program is designed for professionals seeking a stronger understanding of legal concepts without pursuing a JD degree. Courses focus on real-world application and career-relevant skills that can support advancement across industries.
As highlighted during the session, courses like Contract Drafting help bridge the gap between legal concepts and day-to-day professional decision-making, giving students tools they can apply immediately in the workplace.
Schedule an appointment to learn more and start your application process today!