ABSTRACT

English is the dominant language of international business relations, and a good working knowledge of the language is essential for today’s legal or business professional.

This book provides a highly practical approach to the use of English in commercial legal contexts, and covers crucial law terminology and legal concepts. Written with the needs of both students and practitioners in mind, this book is particularly suitable for readers whose first language is not English but need to use English on a regular basis in legal contexts.

The book covers both written and verbal legal communication in typical legal situations in a straightforward manner. In addition to chapters on the grammar and punctuation utilised in legal writing, the book features sections on contract-drafting and the language used in negotiations, meetings and telephone conversations. It features a companion website which contains exercises covering the majority of the topics covered in the book’s chapters.

This edition thoroughly revises and expands the content of the companion website and contains updated examples, more detailed explanations of problematic areas and an expanded section on writing law essays.

part 1|214 pages

Written English

chapter 1|10 pages

Introduction to legal English

chapter 2|24 pages

Grammar for legal writing

chapter 3|11 pages

Punctuation for legal writing

chapter 4|6 pages

Sentence structure

chapter 5|7 pages

Legal writing standards

Dates, numbers, citations and headings

chapter 6|9 pages

Terminology and linguistic peculiarities

chapter 8|17 pages

What to avoid

chapter 9|10 pages

British and American English

chapter 10|8 pages

Contracts Structure and interpretation

chapter 11|23 pages

Contract clauses

Types and specimen clauses

chapter 12|18 pages

Drafting legal documents

Language and structure

chapter 13|20 pages

Correspondence, memoranda and essays

chapter 14|8 pages

Applying for a legal position

chapter 15|16 pages

Self-study exercises

part 2|168 pages

Spoken English

chapter 16|10 pages

Aspects of spoken English

chapter 18|11 pages

Interviewing and advising

chapter 19|6 pages

Dealing with difficult people

Ten-point guide

chapter 20|5 pages

Court advocacy

chapter 21|32 pages

Negotiation

chapter 22|7 pages

Chairing a formal meeting

chapter 23|14 pages

Making a presentation

chapter 24|8 pages

Telephoning

chapter |61 pages

Glossaries

chapter |7 pages

Chapter answer key