ENGLISH FOR
LAWYERS III
INTRODUCTION
Lecturer
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Prof.dr.sc. Lelija Sočanac
Office hours: Monday 15.30 – 16.30 h,
Gundulićeva 10, Room 5
E-mail: lelijasocanac@yahoo.com
lelija.socanac@pravo.hr
lelijasocanac@gmail.com
Textbook:
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Dunja M. Vićan, Zlata Pavić, Branko
Smerdel: Engleski za pravnike : English for
Lawyers, Zagreb : Narodne novine, 2012
General Dictionaries
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Bujas, Željko, Veliki hrvatsko-engleski
rječnik .- Zagreb: Nakladni zavod Globus,
1999
Bujas, Željko, Veliki englesko-hrvatski
rječnik .- Zagreb : Nakladni zavod Globus,
Advanced Learner’s Dictionaries (Collins
Cobuild, Oxford, Longman)
Law Dictionaries
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Gačić, Milica, Englesko-hrvatski rječnik prava i
međunarodnih i poslovnih odnosa. Zagreb :
Školska knjiga, 2010.
Law Dictionaries
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Black's Law Dictionary / ed. Bryan A.
Garner.- Thomson West, 2004.
Collin, P.H., Dictionary of Law .- London :
Bloomsbury, 2004
Osborn’s Concise Law Dictionary .- Sweet
and Maxwell, 2001
Oxford Dictionary of Law / ed. Martin,
E.A.; Law, J..- Oxford University Press,
2006.
TIMETABLE ENGLISH III
MONDAY 17.00-18.30 (Dv. II)
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5 Oct. UNIT19. INTRODUCTION;
12 Oct..UNIT 20. CRIME
19 Oct. UNIT 21. DEATH AND THE LAW
26 Oct. UNIT 22. THE DEATH PENALTY
2 Nov. UNIT 23. MARRIAGE
16 Nov. UNIT 24. DIVORCE
23 Nov. UNIT 25. WILLS AND INHERITANCE
30 Nov. UNIT 26. THE LEGAL CHARACTER OF
INTERNATIONAL LAW
TIMETABLE ENGLISH III
MONDAY 17.00-18.30 (Dv. II)
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7 Dec. UNIT 27. THE CHARTER OF THE
UNITED NATIONS
14 Dec. THE EUROPEAN COURT OF
JUSTICE
21 Dec. REVISION
11 Jan. REVISION
18. Jan. WRITTEN EXAM
25 Jan. RESULTS
PREPARING YOUR PAPER
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1. Collect as much material as you can
2. Organize your materials
3. Structure your paper:
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1. Introduction
2. Elaboration
3. Conclusion
References
STRUCTURE
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Name
TITLE
 Abstract
(A short summary of what you are going to write about)
1. Introduction.
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1.1. Definition
1.2. Historical Background/ Theoretical Background/or Problems
addressed
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2. The main argument
3. Conclusion
References:
Oakland, John (2000), British Civilization : an Introduction
.- 4th ed .- London; New York : Routledge.
SUMMARY
Quoting
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“If the question is asked: ‘what is law in society?’ a
common response would be ‘to maintain order’.
Much public debate and political rhetoric links
‘law’ and ‘order’. There are two problems with
this response. First it is extremely ambiguous.
There is no single concept of order, but rather a
variety of orders in relation to which the law may play
a role” (Partington 2006: 13)
References
Partington, Martin (2006), An Introduction to the English
Legal System .- 3rd ed .- Oxford University Press.
PARAGRAPHING
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A paragraph: several sentences contained
in the topic (or key) sentence
The topic sentence: usually the first one,
contains the main idea or topic
The other sentences support it by adding
further information or examples
A paragraph should link logically with
previous and following paragraphs
Exercise
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A) It is mainly formal, impersonal and objective.
B) In most of these the writer is expected to include
references to other writing or research
C) Academic writing is a particular kind of writing that
can be recognised by its style.
D) These include essays, research reports and articles,
case studies, surveys, dissertations, theses, and
examination papers.
E) Other distinctive features will depend upon the
specific types of academic writing
PRESENTATION
1. Think of your audience
 2. Structure your presentation:
 a) Start by saying what you are going
to talk about
 b) Focus on the most important
points with good illustrative examples
 c) Sum up
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Structure
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1) Beginning: start by saying what you are
going to talk about (“Tell them what
you’re going to tell them”)
2) Middle: most important points with
good illustrative examples (“Tell them”)
3) End: sum up (“Tell them again what
you’ve told them”)
4) Invite questions
Points to remember
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1. Check and practise the pronunciation of
difficult words
2. Pay attention to your intonation
3. If possible, do not read (notes
preferable to reading a full text)
4. Use visual aids, or write on the
blackboard to stress your point
5. Do not forget about your TIMING!!! (15
min)
CHECKLIST:
Preparation
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Consider your audience. What are they
interested in? What do they need to
know? What is the best way of presenting
it?
Check the equipment
Consider what visual aids you will be using
Place your materials in the order you need
them for the presentation
Power-point
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Check the equipment
DO NOT put too much text on a slide (no
more than 6 lines)
Text large enough for everyone to see
Be careful about background colours and
pictures
STRUCTURE: BEGINNING
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Introduce yourself (Good
morning/afternoon/evening. My name
is...I’m going to speak to you today
about...)
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Make an impact – say something that will
make the audience want to listen to you
Give a preview of the argument you are
going to present
MIDDLE
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Divide speech into a few manageable
points (‘I’m going to make a couple of
points today. Briefly, these are...’
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Place them in a logical order
Demonstrate how each point contributes
to the main theme of the presentation
END
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Indicate that you have reached the end of
your presentation (And finally...; In
conclusion...)
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Summarise the key points of your
presentation (‘By way of summary...’)
End with a clear, decisive statement (‘The
most important effect of all this is...’)
Throughout
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Project your voice so that everyone can
hear you
Maintain eye contact with your audience
Use visual aids to illustrate your points
Avoid contradicting yourself
Do not use vague or trivial language
Do not assert that something is true
without backing it up with evidence
Team presentations
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Choose who will lead the presentation
Divide your topics
Rehearse how each person will hand over
to the next
Identify what each person will be doing
while another is speaking
K-I-S-S
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Keep
It
Short and
Simple
Papers: P-O-W-E-R
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Produce (something worth saying)
Organize
Write
Edit
Refine
A few quotations…
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Writing is the hardest way of earning a
living, with the posible exception of
wrestling alligators. (Olin Miller)
It usually takes me more than three weeks
to prepare a good spontaneus speech.
(Mark Twain)
STUDENT-MENTORS
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If your English is good enough, you can
help your colleagues on a regular basis (1
session a week)
If you have problems with your English,
contact a student mentor at the beginning
of the academic year (web page)
Tempus reading room
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TMT 3 (basement)
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 10.0014.00h
ELECTRONIC SOURCES
www.curia.eu.int (ECJ judgements)
www.hmso.gov.uk
www.parliament.uk
www.lawreports.co.uk
www.courtservice.gov.uk (court forms and
judgements)
www.companieshouse.org.uk
www.thelawyer.com
Electronic sources
www.ials.sas.ac.uk/eagle-i.htm (Institute of
Advanced Legal Studies)
www.venables.co.uk/legal
www.balii.org
www.barcouncil.org.uk (The Bar Council)
www.lawsociety.org.uk/home.law (The Law
Society)
www.law.cam.ac.uk/jurist/index.htm