International Legal English Flashcards

  • Introduction to International Legal English (IILE): A course designed for intermediate-level learners needing English in law studies and the legal profession. Suitable for both classroom and self-study, especially for pre-ILEC students.
  • Focus: Commercial Law, covering Real Property Law, Contract Law, Company Law, and Comparative Law. Incorporates legal concepts from the UK and USA but extends to other countries and systems, encouraging an international perspective by comparing laws across jurisdictions.
  • Structure:
    • Ten units, beginning with a reading text that provides an overview of the topic area.
    • Core legal concepts are in bold and defined in the Glossary.
    • Each unit is split into “The study of law” and “Law in practice”.
    • Language Focus section for vocabulary and language exercises. There are also case studies based on actual cases and audio transcripts, answer keys, and a glossary.
  • Course Aims:
    • Improve legal writing skills (letters, memorandums).
    • Improve reading comprehension of legal texts (law journal articles, commercial legislation, correspondence).
    • Enhance understanding of spoken English in legal contexts (lectures, presentations, interviews).
    • Strengthen speaking skills for law-related situations (client interviews, discussions).
    • Introduce language-related aspects of commercial lawyer work.
  • Course Methodology:
    • Analysis and production of authentic legal texts.
    • Focus on language functions in legal texts.
    • Vocabulary learning within the context of legal phrases and word combinations.
    • Analysis of text types and their constituent parts.
  • Addressing self-study:
    • Glossary and Answer key are provided.
    • Sample answers for writing tasks are provided.
    • Speaking tasks may need to be adjusted to fit self-study use, like recording a presentation or role-playing both sides of a discussion.
  • Additional resources:
    • Provides TransLegal website link for legal English vocabulary building

Unit 1: A Career in Law

  • Study of law features:
    • Typical core courses in the UK include Criminal Law, Contract Law, Tort Law, Land Law, Equity and Trusts, Administrative Law, and Constitutional Law.
    • Optional courses may be taken, such as Family Law, Employment Law, and Housing Law for small partnerships, or Company Law, Commercial Law, Litigation, and Arbitration for larger practices.
    • Law clinics and voluntary advice centers offer practical, free legal assistance.
    • Essential qualities looked for by law firms: education, personality, work experience, and language ability, with English being crucial.
  • Reading 2 focuses on:
    • Introduction to Law course aims to familiarize students with legal study and skills including analysis, synthesis, and interpretation of legal decisions and statutes, as well as comprehension of the legal process.
    • Contract Law covers governing principles regarding formation, interpretation, performance, and enforcement of contracts, requirements of offer and acceptance, consideration, formal requirements, public policy, and the Uniform Commercial Code.
    • Tort Law addresses topics including liability for injuries to person and property caused intentionally or negligently, strict liability, vicarious liability, ultra-hazardous activities, products liability, defamation, and accident compensation plans.
    • Criminal Law introduces basic concepts of criminal law, including crimes against persons, property, and public administration, with special emphasis on homicide.
    • Second-year courses mentioned are Evidence, Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, and Legal Reserach and Writing.
  • Reading 1 speaking tasks include types of law firms, optional courses, and elective courses.
  • Discussion between Heidi and Pavel law courses they were required to take. A Legal English course includes writing, research, terminology, presentations, and the country's legal system.
  • English Language:
    • Comparative and superlative forms in comparing legal courses e.g., comparative adjectives with -er or using more, adjectives with -est or using most, irregular forms, and the use of than in comparative structures.

Law in Practice

  • Barker Rose Graduate Recruitment Programme:
    • Offers first-rate work in a challenging environment for ambitious graduates wishing to train as commercial lawyers.
    • Requires approximately 15 exceptional trainee solicitors each year for London and Manchester offices.
    • Training program includes company, commercial and finance, commercial litigation, employment, media, energy, trade and commodities, shipping and property law, plus essential business skills.
    • Requires strong academic qualifications including a 2.1 degree (any discipline), but takes a flexible approach.
    • Provides full sponsorship including course fees for both the GDL and LPC, plus maintenance (£6,000 during GDL and £7,000 through LPC).
  • Barker Rose presentaion and benefits offered:
    • Generous starting salary.

Language Focus

  • Vocabulary and prepositions used in law firms.

Unit 2: Contract Law

  • Contract Law Basics:
    • Contract law governs promises that create legal rights.
    • Formation requires an offer and acceptance; some systems require consideration (something of value).
    • Offer and acceptance must align; if not, a counter-offer is made.
    • Oral contracts are valid, but specific contracts (e.g., land sales) may need to be written.
    • Contracts grant rights and obligations.
    • Breach of contract leads to lawsuits for damages.
    • Remedies include damages and specific performance (court orders to perform the contract).
    • Assignment involves transferring contractual rights to another party.
  • Contract textbooks includes various remedies for breach of contract:
    • restitution.
    • compensation.
    • specific performance.
    • damages is the usual remedy that a court awards.
  • Clarification and explanation in asking questions and how to define legal terms including:
    • damages
    • specific performance
    • resitution
    • assignor/assignee
    • lecturer talks about agreement becoming a settled deal, offer, acceptance, and consideration.
  • How to analyze contract clause, and the obligations of seller and buyers.
  • Terms of contract:
    • condition breach.
    • warranties breach.

Language and expressions focus:

  • Collocations, collocations with preopositions, and word use. The use of can/could/may/might.
  • Email and letter writng.

Unit 3: Tort Law

  • Tort Overview:
    • Tort is a civil wrong resulting in harm (physical, emotional, financial).
    • Remedies include damages and injunctions.
    • Torts can be intentional, negligent, or based on strict liability.
    • Tort law aims to provide relief and deter tortfeasors.
  • Case Notes: Summary of Palsgraf v. The Long Island Railroad Company
    • Addresses the question of negligence, if the harm was not deliberate, it must be dangerous.
  • Key points and case facts involved.
  • Procedural law focuses on case trials and information needed.
  • Common law is inspired by Liebeck v. McDonald’s and frivolous lawsuits.
  • Kent Law Clinic: Offers law students a chance to practice law with supervision through real clients. The clinic offers free legal services for all, with clinic work by volunteers and professionals.
  • Student and Lawyer Interviews: Lawyers give general, helpful advice and try to establish good faith.
  • Negative and positive questions for determining a client's action.
  • Initial Lawyer client interviews follow the WASP approach: welcome, acquire information, supply information, and part.
  • What do you do if a threat of defamation has been made?
- Defamation key terms:
  • Defamation is making a false statement. Libel and slander are types of defamation that result in various claims.

Language and key term focus:

  • Making proper questions and how to use legal verbs and prepositions.

Unit 4: Criminal Law

  • Core concepts associated with criminal law:
    • Prosecution is by the state, contrasts to civil law.
    • Criminal Intent is actus reas and mens rea.
    • Criminal Case Burden Proof is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. To secure any conviction, prosecutors must prove each element.
    • The penalties include civil action, imprisonment, parol, probation and community service.
  • Difference Between Torts and Crimes: Crimes occur against society, whereas torts are against an individual. A key difference is that a crime requires a criminal intent, whereas a tort can result without intent to cause harm.
  • How is the Passive Voice used in Criminal Law?
    • Action-oriented versus actor focus allows people to be passive, which is appropriate to the legal discourse conventions.
  • Understanding the O. J. Simpson trial:
    • O.J. Simpson's criminal trial and not-guilty verdict.
    • Subsequent ruling of responsibility in a civil context, demonstrating how criminal law and tort law may overlap.
  • Key terms in criminal sentences:
    • Sentences of community service, fines, imprisonment, and death penalties can be used, which is a key point and relevant, practical information.
  • Legal Language skills include passive voice for describing events, what passive voice is for expressing a situation, and a verb of action.
  • Talks from John Plous, a Law School University professor, about criminal law and changes in market crime, with fraud being a major form of white-collar crime that has increased.
    -Insider Dealing and Market Abuse: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) fined Mr. Arif Mohammed for market abuse relating to purchasing shares knowing the sale from Delta PLC. The information from this case was deemed precise enough to be used.
  • Identity Theft and Fraud: ID theft stems from fraud and having information stolen.
  • Listening and language tips for white-collar crime include active listening and advice to the counsel (WASP).
  • Negative Questions (How Lawyers Respond to Clients): A short statement or phrase of concern about what your question could be and how it helps improve information from the other party.

Language and key point focus

  • The use of passive voice and expressions of key terms relating to criminal law.
  • Making effective listening and key points on white collar crime.

Unit 5: Company Law

  • General overview of company law:
    - Law dealing with business entities: Company law or penal law
    - Group treated as a legal person rather than members, and it is seen a legal person that is separable from their members.
    - Business registration or incorporation can be done by anyone.
    - It can include formation of the company and regulations of its finance.
  • Business Management:
    • Internal: management, ownership, directors /External: creditor (3rd party who owes money or service).
  • In this unit, one can find a breakdown between course outlines, courses, and degrees for company law, together with directors and management's responsibilities.
  • Advantages and Disadvantages for business type:
    • More tax and government savings for LLCs.
      • Corporations have advantages in corporate power with shareholders but have more unemployment tax and regulations.
      • It is easy to run sole proprietorships but one is liable; they also have short lives.
  • Companies act highlight relationships:
    • In all companies the shareholders, the directors, the law and business practices, and its effect on communities.
  • What is the structure of the firm?
    • Legal counsel works with the executive branch that consists of 1) Chief Exec, 2) Director, 3) Marketing Manager.

Language Tips

  • Adjective use, complete forms, passive writing.

Unit 6: Commercial Law

  • Commercial Law Overview:
    • Focuses on regulations of trade and commerce, including agency, banking, bankruptcy, carriage of goods, dispute resolution, company law, contract, debtor and creditor, sale of goods and services, intellectual property, landlord and tenant, and tax law.
    • Lawyers deals with private and public law and it requires good knowledge and understanding of the business practices.
    • Work includes drafting contracts, both contentious and non contentious.
    • Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) adopted throughout the USA
  • Commercial Lawyers: lawyers make agreements with other countries as a part of their practice. They must focus on language that is technical, such adverbs, phrases, and professional lingo.

Language Tip

  • Look out for vocabulary and how their adjectives function.

  • Internship overview:

    • Interns are students that use an area from the organization where they do a legal term program. These have opportunities for course credit and are often a valuable experience.

  • Commercial agents overview:

    • Agent and principal roles and relationships are often governed by directive that increases harmony and reduces manipulation. This is common in international trade.

- Contracts:

- Agent-made boilerplate contracts are commonly used by businesses.
  • Must abide by terms set by principal and international chamber. It's necessary to prevent fraud.

EU Directive 86/65 regulations and terms:

  • In this case, EU law implemented into English means an agent should be entitled to damages.

    • In addition, compensation can apply for not being limited or being able to claim it.

Language focuses:

  • Word usage can cause a lot of ambiguity, in particular, how one is using idioms versus industry standards in law

Unit 7: Real Property Law

  • Estate is determined as land or real and personal property: It can cover a deceased or someone's future plans.
    • Freehold refers to the state of someone owning the land indefinitely, including any mineral rights, airspace, real buildings, crops, etc.
    • Life and Estate: can retain land for personal use like a charity in his will.
      • Property, sometimes, is classified with Tangible Properties, such as goods and other assets, and also has limited leasehold duration. This requires that there be rent payment, lease payment, and the presence of short leases.
      • Written contracts or instruments mean something such as fraud deeds and sales must all be applicable.
    • Title and transfer for a deed can create legal relationships.

- Terms of people in real property: A chain of person and terms needs to link all things on people's behalf. It can also dictate relationships.

  • It should be noted with the words using the following:
    - instruments /People

Understanding Word Formation / Adjectives & Prepositions:

 - Adjectives are great when creating the right verb for a sentenc.e
  • Investment overview:
    • Buy low is attractive for investment. However, there could many uncertatainties that would make investment more difficult.
  • Real property concepts often have their own telephone codes, so lawyers use telephone language.
  • Tenancy agreements and land owner follow up emails are a sign. However, they also use various telephone codes.
  • What about follow-up emails and structure for a business model?. It's important to use language related to your situation, whether formal, or informal.

Listen Carefully

  • Be aware of ways use language
  • Emphasize words.

Unit 8: Litigation and Arbitration

  • Dispute is a disagreement or legal problems. There are other ways of solving them too. What are these forms and what procedures are they involved?
  • Litigation is a hearing decided on by judge or jury and the process that happens during it (pre and post).
    • They can be individuals, businesses or public associations.
      • Pre-trial work has the party hire or file a suit. Settlements are put together before each step.
      Key Differences
      • In Arbitration: Disputing parties refer its self to arbitral tribunal (impartial referees). •In Litigation, the parties have a lawyer. Some also involved third-party (mediator.)

Language Tips:

  • Parties involved and procedural history need to be explained.
  • Legal and Future Forms, not only present.
    -A lawyer must welcome at the beginning to have some rapport. Lawyer must acquire and supply information.
    -Letter Writing.

Unit 9: International Law

  • The definition from a wider scope of public international law that applies between international relationships with states (treaties, government). It is created by the general law and the Vienna. This includes custom law (what is legally right).
    • Second, organizations follow.
    • Third, this is the relationship between individuals and entities from Sovereign law.

What happens when different jurisdictions merge?

  • It results with supranational law (regional agreements) and no applicable laws on a nation and its conflict.

Additional Vocabulary And Term Emphasis

• How would you apply a legal document ?
• It's important to have a strong grasp of prepositions and adjectives.

  • You should learn what the acronyms stand for in legal discussion, and what phrases are important, especially from legal documents.

Multiple jurisdictions in one case

• Legal practitioners must also have legal information and data based on facts. To do this, one has to understand the main stages involved in conflict of jurisdiction, which include:
- What happened in the past that gave way to the case now (cause of action).

Language:
  - It's important to know how to give certain information and the definitions of the subjects.

Unit 10: Comparative Law

  • Growing Factors of Comparative Law (to be a lawyer here): - The growth of different trading and the uniformity of law between different regions, e.g. what happened with the EU in South America. - Also related is international law between the applications of each sovereignty.
    • International laws is also how governments will be put into jurisdiction. It must be distinguished from public international because it governs law better, not public entities.
    • Many different laws must be compared to a global standard to prevent different enforcement.
    • Similar Social Objective Share by Both: individualism, liberalism and personal rights.
    • The key to solving this goal? Look at the UNIDROIT AND HCC bodies.
      What Are the Differences In Laws?

Civil

  • Roman origins
    • Highly systematized (declarations of board/genocide principals).
    • It can also be developed very easily for easy development.

Common:

  • Evolved from 11th century England courts.
    • Detailed in prescription and evolution, as well as private law between Wales, England and Ireland.
    • Must take account code.
    • Law depends. However, their importance is all the same.