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Legal English

Objective:

The course is designed to enhance professionals' English speaking and writing capacities, with a specific focus on Anglo-Saxon legal terminology and principles. Concentrating on business law terminology, this course will assist practicing lawyers, advanced law students, legal translators and paralegals to become comfortable in working with English "legalese."

Pre-requisite:

Legal English is designed for students whose English is at the high intermediate to advanced levels. Those who need practice in grammar and basic comprehension should first take courses in Intermediate English.

To assist our staff into placing students in the correct level group, you should download and complete the Legal-English-Self-Assessment form and state the results in your course application.

Course Length:

12 Weeks, 60 in-class academic hours (48 clock hours).

Methodology:

The course has two sessions per week for two hours each. Through the examination of key business law themes, sessions provide an interactive learning style to enhance students' reading comprehension, speaking skills, and legal vocabulary.

Subjects to be Covered:

Sources of Law, Trial Process, Torts and Crimes, Contract Law, Property, Secured Transactions, Commercial Paper, Businesss Organizations Law

Sources of Law	Main actors in US and British legal systems: lawyer, attorney, barrister, solicitor, judge, jury, grand jury, magistrate, etc.; Differences between civil and common law systems’ traditions; Legal education and court systems in the US and Britain.
Trial Process	Differences in civil and criminal courts; Trial process terminology: jurisdiction, venue, pleadings, voir dire, etc.; Discussion of the discovery process and court hearings in Anglo-Saxon legal systems.
Torts and Crimes	Comparison of crime and tort terminology; Discussion of differences between Russian and Anglo-Saxon legal concepts: mens rea, burdens of proof, defenses to negligence, etc
Contract Law	Phraseology: “marked to the contract”, time is of the essence, “as is”, implied warranty of merchantability, etc.; Discussion of contract concepts, comparing Anglo-Saxon legal systems to that of Russia: consideration, transfer of legal versus equitable title, remedies for breach of contracts; Types of contracts: sale of goods, service, lease, etc.; Terminology related to contract formation
Property	Discussion of the nature and classification of business property in Britain and the US; Estates: estate in expectancy, estate in possession, etc.; Terminology: warranty of habitability, eminent domain, covenant of quiet enjoyment, etc.; Regulating land use: zoning, building requirements, subdivision regulation.
Secured Transactions	Security transaction instruments: pledge, mortgage, chattel paper; Examination of secured transactions under Article 9 of the UCC; Other provisions protecting creditor’s rights: liens, garnishments, creditor’s composition agreements, and assignments for the benefit of the creditors.
Commercial Paper	Types of commercial paper: money paper, commodity paper, and investment paper; Elements of negotiable instruments: drafts & notes - promissory note, collateral note, balloon note, draft, “bill of exchange”; financial concepts: holder in due course (HDC), lien on instrument, warranties on presentment, discharge.
Business Organizations	Roles of officers & directors in Anglo-Saxon corporate law; Corporate governance terminology: concepts of fiduciary duty, corporate opportunity doctrine, business judgment rule, derivative suits, etc.; Concepts of corporate finance: paid-in capital, surplus capital, rights issues, etc.

Text:

The course book is produced specially for the class, with supplemental material from cases, journals and legal films and documentaries.