ENGLISH FOR
LAWYERS I
INTRODUCTION
Lecturer
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Prof.dr.sc. Lelija Sočanac
Office hours: Monday, 15.30 – 16.30 h,
Gundulićeva 10, Office 5
E-mail: lelijasocanac@yahoo.com
Textbook:
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Zlata Pavić;Branko Smerdel; Dunja M.
Vićan : Engleski za pravnike : English for
Lawyers, Zagreb : Narodne novine, 2012.
Additional teaching materials
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Foreign Language Department’s web
page:
Ppt presentations
Learning Outcomes
Additional materials
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)
English-Croatian Law Dictionaries
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Gačić, Milica, Englesko-hrvatski rječnik
prava, međunarodnih odnosa,
kriminalistike, kriminologije i forenzičnih
znanosti. Zagreb : Naklada Ljevak, 2004.
Gačić, M. Englesko-hrvatski rječnik prava i
međunarodnih poslovnih odnosa =
English-Croatian Dictionary of Law and
International and Business Relations.
Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 2010.
English 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 I
MONDAY 11.00 – 12.30 (S-Ž, IV)
,
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5 Oct. UNIT 1. Introduction
12 Oct. UNIT 2. What is Meant by Law?
19 Oct. UNIT 5. Sources and Varieties of English
Law
26 Oct. UNIT 3. The Doctrine of Precedent
2 Nov. UNIT 6-7. Statute Law in Britain
16 Nov. UNIT 4. The Legal Profession in
England; Talking to a Barrister
TIMETABLE ENGLISH I
MONDAY 11.00 – 12.30 (S-Ž, IV)
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23 Nov. UNIT 10. The British Judiciary
30 Nov. UNIT 9. A Day in a Criminal Court
7 Dec. UNIT 8. A Day in a Civil Court
14 Dec. Legal Aid
21 Dec. REVISION I
11 Jan. REVISION II
18 Written exam
25 Jan. Results
Exam
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Written test:
A) grammar (tenses, modal auxiliaries,
passive...)
B) legal terms
C) translation
English I: Units 1-10
English II: Units 11-18
Presentations: Suggested Topics
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Theory of law: Law and ideology; Law and
morality; Law and justice; Law and
religion; Law and language;
Common law: history, principles, cases;
Statute law;
The UK Parliament: history, composition,
functions, the law-making procedure;
Suggested topics
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The legal profession in England
The British court system
The British judiciary;
Criminal procedure; criminal cases;
Civil procedure; civil cases;
Legal Aid...
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.
1.1. Definition
1.2. Historical Background/TheoreticBackground/Problem
2. The main argument
3. Conclusion
References:
Oakland, John (2000), British Civilization : an Introduction
.- 4th ed .- London; New York : Routledge.
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Quoting
“If the question is asked: ‘what is the role
of law in society?’ a common response
would be ‘to maintain order”. (Partington
2006: 13)
References
 Partington, Martin (2006), An Introduction
to the English Legal System .- 3rd ed .Oxford University Press.
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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
PAPERS: P-O-W-E-R
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Produce (something worth saying)
Organize
Write
Edit
Refine
PRESENTATION
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1. Think of your audience
2. Collect your materials
3. Organize your presentation
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...’)
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. Use simple and clear language
2. Check and practise the pronunciation of
difficult words
3. Pay attention to your intonation
4. If possible, do not read (notes, keywords)
5. Use visual aids, or write on the blackboard
6. 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?
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
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
Use simple and clear language
Eliminate anything not essential to the
points you are making
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
PRESENTATIONS: KISS
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Keep
It
Short and
Simple
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
LINK-SITES
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