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Legal English (Þðèäè÷åñêèé Àíãëèéñêèé)

Call for more information 495-649-2273


Prof. Engelke introduces the course (This recording was made in Summer 2022 for a previous session of the course. Please excuse the dates and time frames mentioned.)

Objective:
Legal English for Global Business Lawyers is designed to enhance professionals' English speaking and writing capabilities, 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 important legal terms and concepts regularly used in the practice of law in common law countries such as the United States and United Kingdom.

Those students successfully completing the course will receive a Pericles Certificate of Completion.

Prerequisite:
Legal English is designed for students whose English is at the high intermediate to advanced levels. Those who need practice with more basic English vocabulary and comprehension should first take the course “Approaching Legal English”.
To assess your general English level, you can take an English Proficiency Test offered by Pericles by creating a student account and clicking 'Login to Moodle'>'Proceed to Moodle'> Enroll me'.
If you need help with the test, please call for more information at 495-649-2273.

Course Length:

9 to 12 Weeks, depending on the group. 60 in-class academic hours (48 clock hours). Please check the course schedules for these details.

Methodology:

The cost of the course includes Pericles’ specially authored course book as well as exclusive access to supplemental online materials, including videos and excerpts from legal films and documentaries.
The course has two sessions per week for two to three hours each (depending on the group). Through the examination of key business law themes, the class 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, Business Organizations Law.
Students will learn to put the language of these subjects into practice through class exercises, negotiations and dispute resolution scenarios.



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; depending on the group, 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, and depending on the group, 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 the United Kingdom and the United States; 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 and 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.