Legal English : how to understand and master the language of law

More and more law students seeking a legal qualification find that their English language skills let them down. Legal English will enable students to confidently write on and discuss legal topics as well as conduct legal work -- such as drafting legal documentation, negotiating, litigating, advising, presenting, writing and acting as an advocate. Cover 1 Legal English 2 Table of contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 10 Part 1 Business law and practice 12 Company formation 14 Company law 14 Exercise 1–reading 15 Exercise 2–comprehension 16 Exercise 3–drafting 16 Grammar notes 24 Board meetings 25 Introduction 25 Exercise 1 – comprehension 26 Exercise 2 – convening a board meeting 28 Law notes 28 Grammar notes 28 Shareholders’ meetings 30 Introduction 30 Exercise 1 – reading 31 Exercise 2 – preparing the notice of the meeting 32 Exercise 3 – preparing the minutes 33 Exercise 4 – comprehension 35 Exercise 5 – drafting (i) 35 Exercise 6 – post-meeting documentation–drafting (ii) 36 Law notes 39 Grammar notes 39 Boardroom battle! 41 Removal of a director from the board 41 Exercise 1 – reading and comprehension 42 Exercise 2 – vocabulary (i) 44 Exercise 3 – letter writing 45 Exercise 4 – vocabulary (ii) 46 Exercise 5 – composition 47 Exercise 6 – role-play (i) 47 Exercise 7– role-play (ii) 47 Law notes 52 Grammar notes 52 Marketing agreements 54 Introduction 54 Exercise 1 – comprehension 55 Exercise 2 – document completion 56 Exercise 3 – sentence structure 58 Exercise 4 – drafting 58 Exercise 5 – interviewing and advising 59 Law notes 61 Grammar notes 62 Part 2 Civil litigation 66 Injunctions 68 Introduction 68 Drafting injunction orders 68 Exercise 1 – reading 69 Facts pattern 69 Exercise 2 – drafting 70 Language practice 72 Exercise 3 – comprehension 72 Exercise 4 – modal verbs 73 Exercise 5 – tense review 73 Law notes 73 Grammar notes 74 Breach of contract claim 75 Introduction 75 Language practice 76 Exercise 1 – comprehension 76 Drafting (i) 76 Exercise 2 – letter writing 76 Exercise 3 – vocabulary 79 Drafting (ii) 79 Exercise 4 79 Exercise 5 81 Exercise 6 – relative pronouns 82 Law notes 83 Grammar notes 84 Road traffic accident! 85 A tort claim in negligence 85 Exercise 1 – language practice 86 Exercise 2 86 Active and passive verb structures 88 Exercise 3 – verb structures 88 Exercise 4 – tense review 88 Exercise 5 89 Collocations 92 Exercise 6 – adjective and noun collocations 92 Exercise 7 – verb and noun collocations 92 Exercise 8 – letter writing (i) 93 Exercise 9 – letter writing (ii) 94 Law notes 94 Grammar notes 95 List of collocations 96 Trial 99 Advocacy guide 99 Exercise 1 100 Exercise 2 100 Tasks 101 Exercise 3 – brief to counsel 103 Exercise 4 – advocacy preparation 105 Exercise 5 – advocacy practice 107 Law notes 110 Grammar notes 110 Employment law 111 Unfair dismissal 111 Exercise 1 – composition 112 Exercise 2 – comprehension 114 Exercise 3 – drafting 114 Exercise 4 – drafting 118 Exercise 5 – language practice (i) 122 Exercise 6 – language practice (ii) 122 Exercise 7 – letter writing 123 Exercise 8 – vocabulary 125 The Employment Tribunal 125 Exercise 9 – preparing for the Employment Tribunal 125 Exercise 10 – Employment Tribunal hearing 128 Exercise 11 – reading and pronunciation 130 Exercise 12 – grammar practice 133 Law notes 134 Grammar notes 135 Part 3 Law bulletin 138 Law bulletin 140 Text 1 – solicitor or barrister? 140 Exercise 1 – comprehension 142 Exercise 2 – word search 142 Text 2 – techniques for cross-examining a witness in court 143 Exercise 3 – word collocations 145 Exercise 4 – word search 145 Text 3 – the Asian legal market 146 Exercise 5 – comprehension 149 Exercise 6 – vocabulary 149 Exercise 7 – tenses 150 Exercise 8 – idioms 150 Exercise 9 – comparatives and superlatives 151 Text 4 – international litigation 152 Exercise 10 – gerunds and infinitives 155 Exercise 11 – discourse markers 155 Exercise 12 – discussion 156 Appendix 1 Study and research guide 158 Appendix 2 Glossary 167 Appendix 3 Answer key 174 Index 194 Cover......Page 1 Legal English......Page 2 Table of contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 Part 1 Business law and practice......Page 12 Company law......Page 14 Exercise 1–reading......Page 15 Exercise 3–drafting......Page 16 Grammar notes......Page 24 Introduction......Page 25 Exercise 1 – comprehension......Page 26 Grammar notes......Page 28 Introduction......Page 30 Exercise 1 – reading......Page 31 Exercise 2 – preparing the notice of the meeting......Page 32 Exercise 3 – preparing the minutes......Page 33 Exercise 5 – drafting (i)......Page 35 Exercise 6 – post-meeting documentation–drafting (ii)......Page 36 Grammar notes......Page 39 Removal of a director from the board......Page 41 Exercise 1 – reading and comprehension......Page 42 Exercise 2 – vocabulary (i)......Page 44 Exercise 3 – letter writing......Page 45 Exercise 4 – vocabulary (ii)......Page 46 Exercise 7– role-play (ii)......Page 47 Grammar notes......Page 52 Introduction......Page 54 Exercise 1 – comprehension......Page 55 Exercise 2 – document completion......Page 56 Exercise 4 – drafting......Page 58 Exercise 5 – interviewing and advising......Page 59 Law notes......Page 61 Grammar notes......Page 62 Part 2 Civil litigation......Page 66 Drafting injunction orders......Page 68 Facts pattern......Page 69 Exercise 2 – drafting......Page 70 Exercise 3 – comprehension......Page 72 Law notes......Page 73 Grammar notes......Page 74 Introduction......Page 75 Exercise 2 – letter writing......Page 76 Exercise 4......Page 79 Exercise 5......Page 81 Exercise 6 – relative pronouns......Page 82 Law notes......Page 83 Grammar notes......Page 84 A tort claim in negligence......Page 85 Exercise 2......Page 86 Exercise 4 – tense review......Page 88 Exercise 5......Page 89 Exercise 7 – verb and noun collocations......Page 92 Exercise 8 – letter writing (i)......Page 93 Law notes......Page 94 Grammar notes......Page 95 List of collocations......Page 96 Advocacy guide......Page 99 Exercise 2......Page 100 Tasks......Page 101 Exercise 3 – brief to counsel......Page 103 Exercise 4 – advocacy preparation......Page 105 Exercise 5 – advocacy practice......Page 107 Grammar notes......Page 110 Unfair dismissal......Page 111 Exercise 1 – composition......Page 112 Exercise 3 – drafting......Page 114 Exercise 4 – drafting......Page 118 Exercise 6 – language practice (ii)......Page 122 Exercise 7 – letter writing......Page 123 Exercise 9 – preparing for the Employment Tribunal......Page 125 Exercise 10 – Employment Tribunal hearing......Page 128 Exercise 11 – reading and pronunciation......Page 130 Exercise 12 – grammar practice......Page 133 Law notes......Page 134 Grammar notes......Page 135 Part 3 Law bulletin......Page 138 Text 1 – solicitor or barrister?......Page 140 Exercise 2 – word search......Page 142 Text 2 – techniques for cross-examining a witness in court......Page 143 Exercise 4 – word search......Page 145 Text 3 – the Asian legal market......Page 146 Exercise 6 – vocabulary......Page 149 Exercise 8 – idioms......Page 150 Exercise 9 – comparatives and superlatives......Page 151 Text 4 – international litigation......Page 152 Exercise 11 – discourse markers......Page 155 Exercise 12 – discussion......Page 156 Appendix 1 Study and research guide......Page 158 Appendix 2 Glossary......Page 167 Appendix 3 Answer key......Page 174 Index......Page 194