ENGLISH FOR
LAWYERS I
UNIT 1
What Is
Meant by
Law?
Introduction to law: BASIC TERMS
Which terms do you associate with “LAW”?
JUDGE
JURY
to TRY
LAWYER
GUILTY
to ACCUSE
COURT
MURDER
to APPEAL
WITNESS
INNOCENT
Basic legal terms
Match verbs with nouns:
cross examine
break
commit
hear
pass
the law
a crime
a verdict
a case
a witness
BASIC LEGAL TERMS
Which terms do you associate with “LAW”?
lawyer
illegal
lawful
legal
LAW
lawmaker
unlawful
BASIC LEGAL TERMS
What do we do with “LAW”?
pass --- enact --- lay down
impose --- enforce
break --- violate --- apply
What is meant by “LAW”?
The whole procedure has been conducted BY LAW.
It is against the LAW to bully.
A new LAW on financial leasing has recently been
passed.
Her uncle has been practising LAW for 20 years.
She is studying LAW at he University of Zagreb.
It is not easy to understand THE LAW.
What does LAW mean?
LAW
(a/the/Ø)
LAWS OF A
COUNTRY
(RULES)
BRANCH OF
KNOWLEDGE
SUBJECT
PROFESSION
LEGAL SYSTEM
THE POLICE
THE COURTS
JUDGES
Definitions of LAW
From Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary:
1. SYSTEM OF RULES
(U) (also the law) the whole system of rules that everyone in a country or
society must obey
2. ONE RULE
(C)a rule that deals with a particular crime, agreement etc.
3. SUBJECT/PROFESSION
(U) the study of law as a subject at university; the profession of being a
lawyer
4. POLICE
(U) (the law) used to refer to the police and the legal system
5. OF ORGANIZATION/ACTIVITY
(c) one of the rules which controls an organization or activity
How do you understand the following terms in the
context of «THE LAW»?
rules
conduct / behaviour
norms
to enforce
to impose
a state
social purpose
coercion
power
Read the text and match the subtitles with
the paragraphs:
 The law – not a pure system of norms
 A number of different laws
 Law – a difficult term to define
 The law in the sense of the legal system – the
most common definitions
The most common definitions of LAW
1) Find the three most common definitions of
LAW in the text.
2) Translate them into Croatian.
3) Discuss the definitions. What do you think of
them?
Finish the following sentences according to the
text.
1. The law cannot be defined as _____________.
2. The law cannot be separated _____________.
3. The law is based on _________________and
has _________________________.
4. The social purpose of the law is ____________
______________________________________.
Which verb collocates with which noun?
Match them.
conform (to)
impose
law
violation of the law
enforce
rules
avenge
physical force
apply
actions
Essential terms:
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law = pravo; zakon; propis
lawyer = pravnik, odvjetnik
legal = zakonit, legalan, pravni
illegal = protupravan, protuzakonit, nezakonit
lawful = zakonit, zakonski
unlawful = nezakonit, protuzakonit, nelegalan
a jurist = (znameniti) pravnik, jurist
to conform TO rules = prilagoditi (se) pravilima, biti u skladu s pravilima
rules of conduct = pravila ponašanja
to impose = nametnuti
to enforce = provoditi, provesti
an infraction / violation of a law = kršenje zakona
application (of physical force) = primjena
coercion (physical of psychological) = prisila, prinuda
to regulate (human behaviour) = urediti/uređivati
to establish (social order) = uspostaviti