LAW218 Legal Writing and Drafting
LAW218 Legal Writing and Drafting
Syllabus | International University of Sarajevo - Last Update on Apr 04, 2026
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Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Law
Mirza Ljubović
Course Lecturer
Course Objectives
The main objective of this course is to instruct students to master the necessary knowledge for the process of drafting legal documents. In that way, except of gaining knowledge for writing legal documents, they will be able to critically analyse existing ones.
Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Course Materials
Required Textbook
1. Drafting Legislation (Philosophy and Theory of Law: European Law), Constantin Stefanou, Helen Xanthaki 2008. 2. Pravno normiranje (Legal drafting), Muba Peleš Dizdarević, Sarajevo, 1988.
Additional Literature
Unified Rules For Legislative Drafting In The Institutions Of Bosnia And Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH”, No. 11/05, 58/14 and 60/14) Materials provided by the lecturer.Teaching Methods
Class discussions with examples
Active sessions for engaged learning and continuous feedback on progress
Team and individual assignments
Weekly Topics
| Week | Topic | Readings / References |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to nomotechnics. | Stefanou et al., 321-335 |
| 2 | Legal Drafting and Writing systems. | Peleš, pp. 14-25 |
| 3 | The hierarchy of legal acts. | MPP |
| 4 | Legislative power and legislation process | Peleš, pp. 25-38 |
| 5 | Structure of the regulations: the introductory part; preamble, title. | Peleš, pp. 51-57, Unified Rules |
| 6 | Structure of the regulations: view of the content, subject, definition. | Peleš, pp. 57-59, Unified Rule |
| 7 | Structure of the regulations: the main part; the final part; annex. | Peleš, pp. 60-66 |
| 8 | MID-TERM EXAM | All above |
| 9 | Nomo technical parts: part, chapter, section, article, paragraph, point, indent. | Unified Rules |
| 10 | The terminology of regulations: citation; quotation; use of abbreviations; | Peleš, pp. 107-112, Unified Rules |
| 11 | The terminology of regulations: making Amendments to the regulations; production of the revised text; regulations adjustments; | Peleš, pp. 112-118, Unified Rules |
| 12 | Explanation of regulation: draft and proposed regulations.MPP; Student's visit to an institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina | MPP; Stefanou et al., 35-49 |
| 13 | Legal drafting in EU: types of legal acts. - QUIZ | Stefanou et al., 177-179 |
| 14 | Legal Drafting in EU: structure of legal act. - Debate on a given topic | MPP |
| 15 | Review | Covers the preceding materials |
Course Schedule (All Sections)
| Section | Type | Day 1 | Venue 1 | Day 2 | Venue 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAW218.1 | Course | Thursday 12:00 - 14:50 | A F1.25 | - | - |
Office Hours & Room
| Day | Time | Office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 13:00 - 15:00 | A F2.22 | |
| Tuesday | 13:00 - 15:00 | A F2.22 | |
| Wednesday | 15:00 - 16:00 | A F2.22 |
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Assessment Components
Final Exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1 2 3 4 5
Midterm Exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1 2
Quiz
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1 2 3
Debate on a given topic
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 2 3
IUS Grading System
| Grading Scale | IUS Grading System | IUS Coeff. | Letter (B&H) | Numerical (B&H) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 44 | F | 0 | F | 5 |
| 45 - 54 | E | 1 | ||
| 55 - 64 | C | 2 | E | 6 |
| 65 - 69 | C+ | 2.3 | D | 7 |
| 70 -74 | B- | 2.7 | ||
| 75 - 79 | B | 3 | C | 8 |
| 80 - 84 | B+ | 3.3 | ||
| 85 - 94 | A- | 3.7 | B | 9 |
| 95 - 100 | A | 4 | A | 10 |
Late Work Policy
Information about late submission policies will be shared during class and posted in this section. Please check back for official guidelines.
ECTS Credit Calculation
📚 Student Workload
This 3 ECTS credit course corresponds to 75 hours of total student workload, distributed as follows:
Lecture and Tutorials Hours
45 hours ⏳ (15 week × 3 h)
Final Exam Study
10 hours ⏳ (5 week × 2 h)
Midterm Exam Study
6 hours ⏳ (3 week × 2 h)
Quiz
7 hours ⏳ (1 week × 7 h)
Debate on a given topic
7 hours ⏳ (1 week × 7 h)
75 Total Workload Hours
3 ECTS Credits
Course Policies
Academic Integrity
All work submitted must be your own. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action according to university policies. When in doubt about citation practices, consult the instructor.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to adhere to the attendance requirements as outlined in the International University of Sarajevo Study Rules and Regulations. Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, may impact academic performance and eligibility for assessment. Mandatory sessions (e.g., labs, workshops) require attendance unless formally exempted. For detailed policies on absences, documentation, and penalties, please refer to the official university regulations.
Technology & AI Policy
Laptops/tablets may be used for note-taking only during lectures. Phones should be silenced and put away during all class sessions. Audio/video recording requires prior permission from the instructor.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage: The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) varies by assessment component. Please refer to the AI usage indicator next to each assessment item in the Assessment Methods and Criteria section above. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work, where AI is not explicitly allowed, constitutes an academic integrity violation.
Communication Policy
All course-related communication should occur through official university channels (institutional email or SIS). Emails should include [LAW218] in the subject line.
Academic Quality Assurance Policy
Course Academic Quality Assurance is achieved through Semester Student Survey. At the end of each academic year, the institution of higher education is obliged to evaluate work of the academic staff, or the success of realization of the curricula.
Learning Tips
Be prepared to contribute thoughtfully during class discussions, labs, or collaborative work. Active participation deepens understanding and encourages critical thinking.
Complete assigned readings or prep materials before class. Take notes, highlight key ideas, and jot down questions. Aim to grasp core concepts and their applications—not just facts.
Use course frameworks or methodologies to analyze problems, case studies, or projects. Begin early to allow time for reflection and refinement. Seek feedback to improve your work.
Don’t hesitate to reach out when something is unclear. Use office hours, discussion boards, or peer networks to clarify concepts and stay on track.
Syllabus Last Updated on Apr 04, 2026 | International University of Sarajevo
Print Syllabus
Referencing Curricula Print this page
| Course Code | Course Title | Weekly Hours* | ECTS | Weekly Class Schedule | ||||||
| T | P | |||||||||
| LAW218 | Legal Writing and Drafting | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| Prerequisite | None | It is a prerequisite to | - | |||||||
| Lecturer | Mirza Ljubović | Office Hours / Room / Phone | Monday: 13:00-15:00 Tuesday: 13:00-15:00 Wednesday: 15:00-16:00 |
|||||||
| mljubovic@ius.edu.ba | ||||||||||
| Assistant | Assistant E-mail | |||||||||
| Course Objectives | The main objective of this course is to instruct students to master the necessary knowledge for the process of drafting legal documents. In that way, except of gaining knowledge for writing legal documents, they will be able to critically analyse existing ones. | |||||||||
| Textbook | 1. Drafting Legislation (Philosophy and Theory of Law: European Law), Constantin Stefanou, Helen Xanthaki 2008. 2. Pravno normiranje (Legal drafting), Muba Peleš Dizdarević, Sarajevo, 1988. | |||||||||
| Additional Literature |
|
|||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Class discussions with examples. Active sessions for engaged learning and continuous feedback on progress. Team and individual assignments. | |||||||||
| Teaching Method Delivery | Face-to-face | Teaching Method Delivery Notes | ||||||||
| WEEK | TOPIC | REFERENCE | ||||||||
| Week 1 | Introduction to nomotechnics. | Stefanou et al., 321-335 | ||||||||
| Week 2 | Legal Drafting and Writing systems. | Peleš, pp. 14-25 | ||||||||
| Week 3 | The hierarchy of legal acts. | MPP | ||||||||
| Week 4 | Legislative power and legislation process | Peleš, pp. 25-38 | ||||||||
| Week 5 | Structure of the regulations: the introductory part; preamble, title. | Peleš, pp. 51-57, Unified Rules | ||||||||
| Week 6 | Structure of the regulations: view of the content, subject, definition. | Peleš, pp. 57-59, Unified Rule | ||||||||
| Week 7 | Structure of the regulations: the main part; the final part; annex. | Peleš, pp. 60-66 | ||||||||
| Week 8 | MID-TERM EXAM | All above | ||||||||
| Week 9 | Nomo technical parts: part, chapter, section, article, paragraph, point, indent. | Unified Rules | ||||||||
| Week 10 | The terminology of regulations: citation; quotation; use of abbreviations; | Peleš, pp. 107-112, Unified Rules | ||||||||
| Week 11 | The terminology of regulations: making Amendments to the regulations; production of the revised text; regulations adjustments; | Peleš, pp. 112-118, Unified Rules | ||||||||
| Week 12 | Explanation of regulation: draft and proposed regulations.MPP; Student's visit to an institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina | MPP; Stefanou et al., 35-49 | ||||||||
| Week 13 | Legal drafting in EU: types of legal acts. - QUIZ | Stefanou et al., 177-179 | ||||||||
| Week 14 | Legal Drafting in EU: structure of legal act. - Debate on a given topic | MPP | ||||||||
| Week 15 | Review | Covers the preceding materials | ||||||||
| Assessment Methods and Criteria | Evaluation Tool | Quantity | Weight | Alignment with LOs | AI Usage |
| Final Exam | 1 | 40 | 1,2,3,4,5 | Not Allowed | |
| Semester Evaluation Components | |||||
| Midterm Exam | 1 | 40 | 1,2 | Not Allowed | |
| Quiz | 1 | 10 | 1,2,3 | Not Allowed | |
| Debate on a given topic | 1 | 10 | 2,3 | Not Allowed | |
| *** ECTS Credit Calculation *** | |||||
| Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | |||
| Lecture and Tutorials Hours | 3 | 15 | 45 | Final Exam Study | 2 | 5 | 10 | |||
| Midterm Exam Study | 2 | 3 | 6 | Quiz | 7 | 1 | 7 | |||
| Debate on a given topic | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||||||
| Total Workload Hours = | 75 | |||||||||
| *T= Teaching, P= Practice | ECTS Credit = | 3 | ||||||||
| Course Academic Quality Assurance: Semester Student Survey | Last Update Date: 16/04/2026 | |||||||||