n
Lawyersuse Latinwordsand expressionswhen writing legal texts of everykind, from
statutesto emails.
Thefollowing excerptis from the legal documentknownas an 'answer'.It wassubmitted
to the court by the defendantfrom Listening1.
17 Underline the common Latin words and phrases in the text. Do you know what
they mean?
18 Match each Latin word or expression (1-8) with its English equivalent and the
explanation of its use (a-h).
1 ad hoc a thus (used after a word to indicate the original, usually incorrect,
spelling or grammar in a text)
2 et alii (et al.) b for example (used before one or more examples are given)
3 et cetera (etc.) c for this purpose (often used as an adjective before a noun)
4 exempli gratia (e.g.) d against (versus is abbreviated to 'v.' in case citations, but to 'vs.' in all
other instances)
5 id est (i.e.) e and others (usually used to shorten a list of people, often a list of
authors, appellants or defendants)
6 per se f and other things of the same kind (used to shorten a list of similar items)
7 sic g by itself (often used after a noun to indicate the thing itself)
8 versus (vs. or v.) h that is (used to signal an explanation or paraphrase of a word preceding it)
19 Match each Latin term (1-10) with its English equivalent (a-j).
1 de facto a among other things
2 ipso facto b per year
3 inter alia c number of shareholders or directors who have to be present
at a board meeting so that it can be validly conducted
4per annum d in fact
5pro forma e of one's own right; able to exercise one's own legal rights
6pro rata f proportionally
7quorum g by that very fact itself
8sui juris h as a matter of form
9ultra vires i as follows
10 videlicet (viz.) j beyond the legal powers of a person or a body
Unit 1 The practice of law
E
PARTII: A CAREERIN THELAW
ning 2:
20 ..:;: Several different words can be used to refer to a lawyer. Listen to three
law students in the UK talking about the kind of work they would like to do
when they have completed their law studies. Write the correct word for lawyer
in the gaps.
Anna:
Daniel:
Anna:
Jacob:
21 Discuss these questions.
1 Does your native language have more than one word for lawyer? Do they
correspond to the different English words for lawyer mentioned above?
If not, how do the concepts differ?
2 What is each type of legal practitioner in your jurisdiction entitled to do?
3 What English term do you use to describe your job or the job you would like
to do?
22 a Combine the nouns in the box with the verbs below to make combinations to
describe the work lawyers do. Some of the verbs go with more than one noun.
cases clients contracts corporations decisions defendants
disputes law legislation
1 advise
2 draft
3 litigate
4 practise
5 represent
6 research
b Choose three 'verb + noun' pairs from above and write sentences using
them.
23 Choose the words from the box which can be combined with the word lawyer to
describe different types of lawyer. Say what each one does.
bar corporate defence government patent practitioner
public-sector sole tax trial
~
on: e
In English-speaking countries, the Bar is a term for the legal profession itself, while a bar
association is the association which regulates the profession. A person who qualifies to
practise law is admitted to the Bar; on the other hand, to disbar a lawyer is to make him
or her unable to practise law.
The following text is an excerpt from a guide written for schoolleavers about courses of
study in English-speaking countries. This section of the guide deals with the study of law
and the requirements for entering the legal profession in the UKand the USA.
24 Read the text and say whether legal education in your country is more similar
to the UK or the US model.
a
~ as
ata set of barristers'
of grollPs 0£20+60 barristers.
l solicitor must also complete
ga~I1iI1ga law degree; the second stage
Practice Course (LPC); and the final
as a trainee solicitor with a firm of
of a local authority or large company.
Studying law in the USA
the a legal education comprises four years of undergraduate study
followed by three of law school. A law-school graduate receives the
degree of juris doctor G.D.). In order to qualifY as a lawyer, a law-
school graduate must pass the bar examination.
25 Find terms with the word bar in the introduction to this section and in the text
above which match these definitions.
1 a lawyer who is qualified to plead on behalf of clients
2 in the UK, a training course which enables people who wish to become
barristers and who have registered with the Inns of Court to acquire the
skills and knowledge to prepare them for the specialised training of the
pupillage
3 a ceremony held at the end of this training course, when a candidate enters
the profession
4 organisation regulating the legal profession
5 in the USA, an important test taken by law-school graduates which, when
passed, qualifies a person to practise law
6 granted entrance to the legal profession
7 to compel a lawyer to stop practising law due to an offence committed
Unit 1 The practice of law
~
c
26 Read the following CV (curriculum vitae)1 of a young British lawyer and answer these questions.
1 Where did he work in summer 2002?
2 What languages does he speak?
3 Where did he complete his first degree?
4 What was his main duty at the European Commission?
5 What is he doing now?
. Nationality: British
Date of birth: 12 May 1982
EDUCATION
2000-2004
2DD2-2003 Universite Paris X, Paris, France
DEUG (French law degree), Nanterre
Part of the degree programme at University of Essex included an intensive
course in French. Among subjects studied: European Community Law,
Information Law, Civil Law and Penal Law
LEGALWORK EXPERIENCE
June 2004- Europeat\Co1.llmissioll, Brussels, Belgium
February 2005 Legal Assistant witl1in the LegalDepartrnent ofthe Service Commtine Relex
(SCR).Drafting opip.ions in EngliSl1 and French dealing with contracts awarded
for projects
Summers G. R. Foster & Co. Solicitors, Cambridge, UK
2001 2004 Liaison with clients; conductil1gresearch into multiple legal areas,
including family law, tort law and contracts; assisting with trial preparation
Summer 2000 Westlake Chambers, Bath, UK
Mini-pupillage, involving shadowing a number of counsel; assisted in
daily activities
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
Languages: Native English speaker; fluent in French (written and spoken);
upper -intermediate Swedish
Computing: Proficient in Word, Windows, email
Membership: The Law Society
Strong researching and writing skills
INTERESTS
Skiing, French history, chess
References available upon request
,
1 (US) resume or resume
