Jan 11

Legal English in Focus: The Language of Contracts – The Language of Legal Correspondence

English Language Training, Language Training Courses, Legal English Training Courses 1 Comment »

Legal correspondence forms an important part of the day-to-day work of a lawyer, particularly since the advent of the email. It is often assumed that emails are less formal than letters. However, in reality, the required degree of formality will invariably depend on factors such as the relationship of the writer with the recipient, the level of seniority of the recipient and the subject matter of the email.

Anyone working in a legal context in English should be familiar with the key expressions and terminology of Legal English. Here are a few important expressions used in semi-formal legal correspondence.

Business Meeting 12LajosRepasi i1 Legal English in Focus: The Language of Contracts The Language of Legal Correspondence

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Salutation
Where there is no named recipient, the phrase “Dear Sirs” is used. However the phrase “Dear Sir/Madam” is often preferable because it is gender neutral.

Where, on the other hand, the letter is written to a named individual with whom the writer does not have a close relationship and is thus not on first name terms, the appropriate gender specific title must be used. With regard to women, unless the writer knows that the recipient is married (where “Dear Mrs” is used), the appropriate title is “Ms”. Even if you know that the recipient is not married, it is best to avoid the title “Miss” as this tends to be considered too pejorative. The exception would be if the recipient has identified herself as “Miss”, possibly using her maiden name in her professional work, in previous correspondence.

A thorny problem arises where the name of the recipient does not make it clear whether the recipient is a man or a woman. For example if you had to write to a lawyer in Finland called Teppi Jaskalainen and were unsure whether Teppi was the name of a man or a woman, the appropriate solution would be to write the entire name in the salutation e.g. “Dear Teppi Jaskalianen”.

References to Previous Correspondence
There is a great variety of possible phrases that seek to refer to previous correspondence between the writer and the recipient such as:

  • “Further to your email dated 18 November, I am pleased to inform you that our client is willing to accept the proposed amendments to the confidentiality clause.”
  • “Thank you for your email dated 18 November”.
  • “I refer to your email dated 18 December”

Be aware that the second and third sentences are more succinct than the first, which in addition to referring to previous correspondence also seeks to set out the purpose of writing the letter.

Introducing Comments
Where the email sets out numerous comments on a particular clause in an agreement for example, including one of the following sentences that introduces the comments is common:

  • My comments on Clause 7 are as follows:
  • We have the following comments on Clause 7:
  • Our comments on Clause 7 are set out below:

Sending Documentation
When sending documentation by email we use the word “attach” but when we include documents with a letter we write “enclose” instead:

  • Email: “I have attached the draft shareholder agreement.”
  • Letter: “I have enclosed the marked up Schedule 2.”

If the writer expects the recipient to read the document or react in some way (e.g. give his comments), they would write “I attach for your attention”. However, where no action is expected on the part of the recipient, we would merely write “I attach for your information.” This would be appropriate, for example, when sending to a client a new brochure or an update on the law.

Giving Good and Bad News
You can introduce good news by using the common phrases “I am pleased to inform you” or “you will be pleased to hear that” in the following ways:

  • “I am pleased to inform you that Regional Court has rejected the Defendant’s counter-claim.”

The common phrases “I regret to inform you” or simply “unfortunately” introduce bad news:

  • “I regret to inform you that the court fees for lodging a claim at the Regional Court will be 575 Euro from 1 February 2011.”

Closing Remarks
There are several expressions that typically come at the end of a legal letter or email:

  • “Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter”: This expression is extremely helpful when the writer has made several requests earlier in the letter.
  • “If you have any questions regarding this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me”: This phrase should be inserted when the letter contains advice. The phrase can be made slightly less formal by using the words “please feel free to contact me…”
  • “I hope that this matter will receive your prompt attention”: This phrase is useful when the writer has expressed his concern earlier in the letter that the recipient has failed to do certain things. e.g. pay an invoice. This phrase therefore acts as a reminder for the recipient to remedy the situation

Requesting Future Contact
It is common to end letters with the phrase “I look forward to hearing from you” irrespective of whether the writer expects the recipient to respond in writing or merely telephone him.

Signing Off

There are different ways of signing off depending on the context and relationship to the individual you are writing to.

  • If the letter begins with the salutation “Dear Sir/Madam” the appropriate ending is “Yours faithfully”.
  • If the letter is to a named individual e.g. Dear Mr Peters, then the appropriate ending is “Yours sincerely”.
  • Where the relationship with the recipient is closer, one can end the correspondence with “Kind regards”, “Best regards” or simply “Regards”.

Anyone taking a Legal English training course or looking to improve their Legal English skills can benefit immensely from reading through the key expressions and their use that we highlight in this series about the language of contracts.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Jul 21

Legal English in Focus: Liquidated Damages Clauses

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Legal English is often full of impenetrable terms that make contracts unnecessarily difficult to understand. The role of a legal contract should be to make the terms and conditions of any agreement clear and transparent rather than confusing. This article forms part of our series on Legal English and will shed light on some of the major terms and clauses found in legal contracts.

One clause you may often come across is the Liquidated Damages Clause, but what exactly is it?

Business Writing Viorika Prikhodko i Legal English in Focus: Liquidated Damages Clauses

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In a contract involving two parties, a Liquidated Damages Clause is put into place to serve the best interests of each party and to discourage both parties from breaking the rules of the contract. For example, if Party A fails to uphold their side of the agreement, they must pay a fixed and previously agreed upon sum of money to Party B, who has fully adhered to the agreement.

In this case, Party A is known as the ‘defaulting party’ while Party B is called the ‘non-defaulting party’. Both of these terms will occur frequently in a Liquidated Damages Clause. Importantly, this clause does not aim to punish the defaulting party (Party A) but indeed to compensate the non-defaulting party (Party B).

The courts have developed laws whereby they can control the contents of Liquidated Damages Clauses. The basic rule is: the Liquidated Damages Clause can be enforced if the amount of money to be paid has been estimated prior to the start of the contract, and that this estimate reflects as accurately as possible the loss that would be suffered by the non-defaulting party (the individual or group who sticks to the agreement).

It is important that this estimate is indeed genuine as it will remain fixed in the event that the contract is broken, even if the actual loss suffered is worth more. If the non-defaulting party does actually lose more than originally estimated, they will not be able to sue for their full loss because they are bound to the initial. However, if it is proved that the estimated sum of money was not a genuine reflection of the potential loss suffered, then the non-defaulting party will be able to fully sue for their loss. In this case, the clause would then become known as a ‘penalty clause’. To find out more about penalty clauses read an interesting article in The Student Law Journal entitled ‘Commercial Law’.

One of the principal advantages of this clause is that it helps to avoid uncertainty so it’s really important to master it. It makes each party aware of the consequences that might occur if they do not hold their end of the bargain. Mastering the Liquidated Damages Clause however requires an extended knowledge of Legal English. Undertaking a Legal English course will help you to gain a better understanding of the terminology and specific vocabulary used in contracts or legal documents. The skills and knowledge gained in Legal English will improve your confidence and ability to write contracts or legal documents effectively.

According to case law, there is a presumption that it is a penalty when the clause requires a single lump sum to be paid, on the occurrence of several events, some of which may lead to serious damage and other may result in minor damage. Therefore, when drafting a contract in Legal English, it’s essential to distinguish between serious and minor breaches of contract.

Moreover, a clause will held to be a penalty clause if the amount to be paid is “unconscionable and extravagant” compared with the loss that could be suffered as a result of the breach. Courts however will be reluctant to conclude that a clause is a penalty when it has been agreed by commercial parties who are able to protect their interests.

It’s important to emphasise nevertheless that the function of this clause is to fix the amount that must be paid by the defaulting party regardless of the actual loss suffered by the non-defaulting party. This way, if the loss suffered is greater than the amount set out in the clause, the non-defaulting party is not allowed to ignore the clause and sue for the entirety of the loss.

However, if the amount of damages payable under the clause does not constitute a genuine pre-estimate of loss, it will be considered to be a “penalty clause” and will not be enforceable. The aim of a penalty clause is to punish the defaulting party, which is not permitted under English law. Where a clause is found to be a penalty clause, and thus unenforceable, the non-defaulting party can seek to recover his entire loss even if it is more than that provided for in the contract.

The difference between a liquidated damages clause and a penalty clause is based on the intention of the parties when entering into the contract as well as the date on which the parties entered into the agreement rather than the date of the breach. However, what actually happened after the formation of the contract may be important evidence of what could reasonably be expected to be the amount of the loss.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Mar 03

Legal English in Focus: The Language of Contracts (1)

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The purpose of this series of article is to explain the meaning of words which commonly appear in contracts and other documents written in legal English.

Definition Language kdow i Legal English in Focus: The Language of Contracts (1)

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1. Provided that

This phrase appears frequently in contracts but can be quite difficult to understand because it has two distinct meanings.
First of all “provided that” is used to express a conditional sentence, for example in the following “term” clause from a distribution agreement:

“The Agreement is for an initial term of two years. It will be renewed for further successive periods of two years provided that the Distributor reaches the sales targets which are set out in Schedule 2.”

Here the phrase, “provided that” could be replaced by “if” or “on condition that”.
The second meaning of “provided that” refers to an exception to a main rule. Its use can be illustrated by the following “Place of Work” clause from an employment agreement.

“The Employee shall work four days a week in Brussels and one day a week in London provided that the Employer is entitled to require the Employee to work for seven consecutive Working Days in London by giving the Employee seven days’ prior written notice.”

In the above example, the phrase “provided that” means “but” in order to contrast the normal rule of one day a week in London with the right of the Company to extend the Employee’s work there. Apart from the lack of clarity, as most people associate “provided that” with “if”, the use of this phrase as an exception to a main rule means that the sentence becomes extremely long and difficult to read. It would be better to delete “provided that” and insert a full stop after the words “one day a week in London” so that there are two sentences.

2. Deem

In contracts, the word “deem” is used to create a kind of legal fiction, in other words to treat a thing as being something that it is not, for example in the following Notice” clause:
Any notice required or authorised to be given under this Agreement shall be in writing and sent to the Parties at the address as first stated in this Agreement and shall be deemed to have been made as follows:

  • if personally delivered, at the time of delivery
  • if posted by recorded delivery at the expiration of 48 hours or, in the case of air mail, 7 days after the envelope containing the notice is delivered into the custody of the postal authorities.

It is common knowledge that posted letters do not always reach their destination. However, paragraph (b) creates a legal fiction whereby if the sender is able to establish that he has sent the notice in the ways described in the clause, it will be assumed that the recipient received the notice regardless of whether this is in fact true.

The word “deem” often appears with “shall” which is invariably used as a verb of obligation in contracts. Because no obligation is being imposed in the sentence containing the words “shall be deemed”, it is better to replace “shall” with “will”.

Knowing how and when to correctly use common legal terms such as “provided that” or “deem” is necessary when writing a document in legal English. Undertaking a legal English course will help you to gain a better understanding of this specific terminology and allow you to acquire the necessary skills to write proficiently in legal English.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Jun 29

Learning Legal English in England

Business English Training Courses, English Language Training, Legal English Training Courses 1 Comment »

When searching for a legal English course, it is wise to consider the advantages of following a training course in a country, such as England, where the target language is spoken as a first language by the vast majority of the population.

First, a legal English course in England offers the delegate the advantage of travelling away from his/her place of work. There are therefore fewer possibilities of professional interruptions from the learning process, allowing the delegate to concentrate fully on the course content. The trainee benefits enormously from being able to focus fully on the tasks at hand.

Second, the delegate is completely immersed in the target language. English is not just the language inside but also outside the training room and can be further practised in social situations organised or suggested by the training organisation. Natural practice of the language is essential in increasing confidence and fluency. There is nothing like a social evening in an English pub to encourage conversation.

Third, being on a legal English course in England enables the delegate to visit the local law courts and/or a practising law firm. This type of activity permits the delegate to see legal English being used naturally.

Fourth, by deciding upon England, training organisations should be in a better position to offer the delegate a high-quality course. As the trainer on a legal course should be a practising legal professional as well as a qualified English language trainer (guaranteed by the better training organisations), it is easier for training organisations to find the perfect trainer to match the delegate’s level of English, specific requirements and objectives from the higher number of trainers available in England. .

Business People 8 Sean Locke i1 Learning Legal English in England

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This provision of quality, however, also depends on the delegate doing research and choosing an organisation with a good reputation and credentials. The training organisation should be able to respond to the delegate’s requirements in terms of course content and organisation. The delegate’s language level and objectives should be analysed, for example, before the appropriate trainer is assigned. As far as course organisation is concerned, an example of the kind of flexibility a delegate should expect is that offered by the Culture and Communication Skills Consultancy Communicaid.

All of the above advantages can be possible in a variety of locations in England. Whether the delegate feels more comfortable in a large city or a small town, these advantages remain the same. In addition, travel to England is relatively easy by plane or cross-channel rail and the country is manageable in terms of size. This means that a legal delegate who wishes to attend a training course in the north of the country, for example, is only a few hours away from London in the south.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Jun 28

Legal English Course in London

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When choosing a Legal English course, look no further than London. England’s capital city provides a lot of advantages which can only improve the chances that your legal English course is a success.

London is easily accessible from any country in the world. In addition to having four international airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted), the Eurostar rail connection takes you into the centre of London (St Pancras), comfortably and quickly. The underground network and good bus and taxi systems mean that you do not need to worry about not having your car during the stay.

Business People 9 Jacob Wackerhausen i Legal English Course in London

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London offers not just an ideal place to train, but also the possibility of immersing yourself in the target language (English). Out of the training room, you are in contact with English as you pursue the social activities or go on the visits of your choice. Being cut off from your everyday language and daily work tasks enables you to focus solely on the task in hand – the improvement of your legal English. Instead of being an addition to the working week, the legal English course will become your principal activity and will therefore benefit from your undivided attention and energy.

London is the UK’s centre of government, law, commerce and finance. London is also a bustling city which offers an excellent range of bars, restaurants and clubs in addition to being the centre for British theatres and museums. A legal English course in this city provides visits to the law courts and law firms so that you can observe English being used in a legal setting. London is famous for its specialised bookshops and so any publications which might further your professional expertise are readily available.

When choosing your legal English training centre in London, take care to check the credentials of the courses offered. Communicaid’s legal English courses are fully accredited for Continuing Professional Education/Development points by The Law Society of England and Wales and the French Bar Association. References are also essential. Which organisations has the training organisation already worked with? A reputable organisation should cite these on their website.

Flexibility is also key as training organisations need to be able to adapt to the availabilities of their professional trainees as much as possible. Are the legal training courses at the heart of what the training organisation offers, or are they added on as an after-thought in order to capture more of the English language training market? Communicaid, for example, does not limit its choice of programmes to ‘Legal English’ – a catch-all term for a vast area. It offers programmes for legal secretaries, for lawyers, for drafting contracts in English, for those people who work in the fields of intellectual property, corporate finance, construction law and food and drugs administration.

In addition to the above legal English courses, they also design programmes focusing on specific skill areas such as negotiating, advising and advocacy. The training organisation with a professional focus will also guarantee the provision of professional dually-qualified trainers: having one qualification in the legal profession and another as an English language trainer.

In summary, London is an excellent destination for your legal English training requirements.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Jun 23

What is Legal English?

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Why does legal English need to be separated from other types of English, such as business English and scientific English? The case is clear for anyone who has had dealings with a lawyer and the law. The language used by trained legal professionals, such as solicitors or barristers or by paralegals, such as legal secretaries and law professors, is very distinct from everyday professional English (commonly referred to as ‘business English’). For this reason there now exist specific legal English examinations: TOLES (Test of Legal English Skills) and the Cambridge ILEC (International Legal English Certificate).

Business People 4 Neustockimages i What is Legal English?

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In order to understand these differences, one needs to understand that both Latin and French were used as legal languages before English became the official language of law in Britain in the 17th Century. By this time, a substantial amount of earlier vocabulary had already become part of legal usage and is used today (Latin phrases such as ‘mens’ and ‘rea’ and French loanwords such as ‘lien’, plaintiff’ and ‘tort’). Learning the vocabulary of legal English is not enough, however, as the style of legal writing refers back to these complex origins as well. Sentences are often long and contain very complex grammatical structures, which are not used in any other form of English. All of this language needs to be practised in context so that the learner is sure of how to communicate appropriately in different situations.

The complexities of this style of writing are most pertinently conveyed by a qualified legal professional; not only for these purely grammatical and lexical considerations but also because there are such things to consider that go above and beyond the spheres of vocabulary and grammar. Examples of these areas are: the varying levels of formality to use when addressing different audiences and the need to write documents that are ‘airtight’. There also exists the overriding concern that this writing should be, in spite of its technical complexity, clear, simple and direct. In addition to satisfying linguistic requirements, a qualified legal professional would also be able to give the delegate more of a feel for the culture of the legal profession in question. Anecdotes and advice are an invaluable source of knowledge.

A legal English course is therefore best delivered by a professional with qualifications in the legal field. This, however, does not necessarily lead to a well-structured, pedagogically-sound course. The second requirement would be that this professional person needs to be a qualified trainer as well. Knowing your subject and knowing how to train it are not the same. How to adapt to the delegate’s exact needs and his/her learning style, how to create easy to understand, interesting, rounded training sessions and how to create delegate-friendly material are some of the additional concerns that a qualified trainer would bring to the training course.

It is therefore essential that a potential delegate does his research before deciding upon a legal English training course and makes sure that his future trainer is dual-qualified. An example of a training organisation which only employs dual-qualified legal English trainers, lawyers as well as qualified English language trainers, is the Culture and Skills Consultancy Communicaid. If the training organisation you make enquiries to does not clearly state this fact and can not provide credentials, then it is highly probable that the training course will be lacking in several of the above-mentioned key areas.

© Communicaid Group Ltd.2010

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Jun 21

Legal English Courses for Legal Secretaries and Paralegals

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It is logical that the international language of business is also used as the international language of law. English, and more correctly, Legal English is now the established language of international law and contract drafting. Lawyers across the world working in private practises, large multinationals and international institutions are now required to possess competency in Legal English.

While legal English courses such as English for Lawyers and Drafting Contracts in English are now widely available for lawyers, training specifically targeted at legal support staff is less commonly recognised. Legal secretaries and paralegals play a vital role in the successful running of any law firm or legal department.

Business Woman 13 nicole waring i Legal English Courses for Legal Secretaries and Paralegals

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We all know what a legal secretary is, but what exactly are paralegals? Also known as legal assistants, they support solicitors in their legal tasks. As the Law Society stated in the findings of its research and policy planning study n° 23, ‘…Paralegal staff, properly qualified, enable solicitors to concentrate on the more complex cases and they also increase the productivity of the firm’

As far as finding a suitable training course is concerned, properly trained paralegals and legal secretaries in legal English will help increase the efficiency of the profession they work in and, logically, the confidence of the company’s clients

Legal secretaries and paralegals need to have the skills and technical knowledge to be able to carry out their daily tasks efficiently. These competences can best be acquired on a specialised legal English course.

The content of such a course provides the delegate with essential background knowledge about the different legal systems and the specific terminology associated with them. Punctuation and certain grammatical points can be different in legal writing from everyday business and general language. Therefore, comprehending and being able to interpret legal documents in English is a skill to be learned. Drafting texts such as contracts and legal letters is also important.

Although there are certain fundamentals that all legal secretaries and paralegals should know, law is a vast area and the delegate should look for a training course that adapts as much as possible to his/her specific field of work: tax, intellectual property, real estate, corporate finance, to name a few. It is important that the delegate feels that the time spent on a training course is well spent. This concern diminishes if the training organisation approaches the course in a specific way. The delegate’s level of English and specific needs should be diagnosed before a tailored programme is drawn up. The training organisation should also guarantee that its trainers are dual qualified: legal professionals and English language trainers.

Even though the training course focuses on a specific professional area, it must not be forgotten that the course is in English and the delegate will be learning to carry out specific legal tasks in this language. It is therefore logical to look into the range of legal English courses in the UK, England or even London. In this way, the delegate can be immersed in the English language outside as well as inside the training room. Confidence in the language, clear pronunciation, fluency and ability to understand English spoken at a natural speed are skills which improve by following a course in an English language speaking country. Another advantage of following a legal English course in the UK is that as a paralegal you can experience the legal terminology being used in a natural environment through visits to a Court or to a law firm.

There are a lot of courses for paralegals and legal secretaries in the UK, but there are not many specially designed by organisations to improve the delegate’s linguistic skills at the same time. One such organisation, however, is Communicaid, whose Legal Englishcourses are available in its main training centre in London or in any other place of the delegate’s choice at any time of the year.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Jun 16

Legal Language in English

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Legal language in English is often referred to as ‘legalese’. This implies that there are lexical and grammatical differences which make this type of English distinct. Many of the differences between legal English and general or business English have come about as a result of its origins and history. We will look at this aspect in the first part of the post. The second part will focus on some of these lexical and grammatical differences and the final section will concentrate on the move to render Legal English more comprehensible.

Legal English has French and Latin influences. William, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Anglo-Saxon king Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and became king of England. William and his followers spoke a type of French and their legal documents were written in Latin. Latin was replaced by French as the dominant legal language around 1275, which in turn gave way to English under the Statute of Pleading in 1362.

Dictionary English Christopher Ewing i Legal Language in English

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Even though a lot of Latin words and phrases still exist in legal English, it was the French language which had a greater influence. This situation is also true in the United Sates. Even though the Americans won independence from Britain, they did not change the Legal language the British had established in their country.

Here is a list of some of the Latin terms and maxims that are used in legal English.

A lot of them are also common in general English. As well as having lexical differences from other forms of English, Legal English can also use grammar in a special way. At times, it even seems to have its own grammatical rules. Here is an example of a sentence whose word order would appear to have French origins: ‘the provisions for termination hereinafter appearing or will at the cost of the borrower forthwith comply with the same’

Another example concerning grammar is the fact that legal documents are written in the present tense although they refer to the future: not “the mortgagee will agree to lend the sum of £ 20,000” but “the mortgagee agrees to lend the sum…”

These linguistic ‘difficulties’ have led to the creation of the lobby group ‘the Plain English Campaign’. This movement became important in the 1970s on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order that required Federal regulations be “as simple and clear as possible”. Likewise, in the new rules of civil procedure which were introduced in 1999 in England, some changes in the Legal English used were noticeable. Such terms as: subpoena, in camera, writ and plaintiff now have simpler alternatives (witness summons, private hearing, claim form and claimant).

Although some changes have been made, Legal English still remains a form of English that is difficult for people who have English as a second language to understand. It is therefore both logical and extremely important that all professional people who have dealings in any way with legal documents or legal matters in English, should attend a specialized Legal English course. This type of course is offered by such organisations as the Culture and Communication Skills Consultancy, Communicaid.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Jun 15

Drafting Contracts in English

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In this post we are going to look at why English is the predominant language for the drafting of contracts, the implications this has for companies and their lawyers and the possible solution of finding a legal English course which specialises in drafting contacts.

English is the international language of business for a variety of reasons. The US is the dominant world economy and military power and two of the world’s main financial centres are also English-speaking (London and New York). As Dr Volker Triebel stated in his essay ‘Pitfalls of English as a Contract Language‘ nearly half of the companies listed in the Fortune Global 500 are headquartered in an English-speaking country (Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland or the USA).

Man carying foldersTommL i Drafting Contracts in English

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Logically, negotiations between companies on the international stage predominantly take place in English and consequently the contracts that are drafted are also in this language. As Anglo-American firms merge with European companies, English is becoming increasingly important in Europe, even though the body of law is different on mainland Europe from that which exists in Britain, and the US, for example.

In Europe, civil law is used (based on written statutes) whereas in common-law jurisdictions, such as England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the US the laws primarily come from customs, usage and earlier court decisions. Bilingual contracts are now a thing of the past and so international company lawyers no longer have the option of not being skilled in the English language needed for drafting contracts.

The situation mentioned above means that company lawyers now have to draft contracts in English and interpret contacts in this language as well. They also have to know about the implications for drafting under Common versus Civil jurisdictions. Simply knowing the English language is not sufficient to have competence in such a complex and highly-skilled area.

The only credible solution is to send their lawyers on a Drafting contracts in Englishtraining course which caters for these special needs. Training centres do offer legal English courses, but Communicaid, the Culture and Communication Skills Consultancy, actually offers a ‘Drafting Contracts in English’ training course. It is now in its eighteenth year and the specialised trainers are themselves both qualified trainers and legal professionals. The main training centre for this skills consultancy is based in London, UK. This course is aimed at lawyers whose second language is English and ‘who need to draft, explain and interpret contract clauses written in English but under their domestic jurisdiction’.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Jun 15

Benefits of a Legal English Course

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When searching for a training course, it is imperative to ask yourself “what do I want to be able to do in the language?” The answer to this question could be “to travel”, “to pass an exam” or “to be able to do my job better in an international working environment”. Whatever the answer to this question, the truth is that a general all-encompassing course is no longer satisfactory for the majority of delegates. A training course needs to be adapted to the needs of the delegate. This is why a Legal English course is the only real sensible option for anybody hoping to progress professionally in the legal sector.

Meeting Neustockimages i Benefits of a Legal English Course

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Time is another important factor to take into consideration. Why spend valuable training time practising and acquiring areas of the English language that are not relevant to the legal area you work in? The amount of lexical items that a delegate can realistically acquire during a training session is limited and so it is essential that only language relevant to the delegate’s needs is presented.

A delegate’s time is valuable and money spent on a language training course should be well spent. So why waste valuable training budgets aiming for targets and shooting wide of the mark? Well-detailed Legal English courses (such as the ones delivered by Communicaid), should be tailored to the trainee’s needs and be concerned with how effective this training course is. These concerns are reflected in the A to Z approach used by Communicaid. Communicaid carries out Diagnostic Consultancy and Programme Design before the training takes place and Impact Management to assess the effectiveness of the legal English course.

The delegate learns much better when his/her affective filter is lowered (‘The Natural Approach’, Krashen). This filter blocks the flow of language the delegate assimilates. It is lower when the trainee is feeling at ease with content of the training course. When this content is exactly what the trainee requires to improve professionally, then motivation is higher and the affective filter lower. As the trainer is dual-qualified (i.e. he/she holds a legal qualification and a teaching qualification), he/she is aware of exactly what a trainee needs to know and how to deliver this content efficiently and in optimal training conditions.

The trainee on the legal English course is in direct contact with a professional who has worked in English as a legal professional. The exchange of anecdotes, ideas, opinions and experiences between the trainee and his/her trainer can be both highly-motivating and richly-rewarding both professionally and personally. The legal English course will thus inevitably broaden your mind as well as improving your language skills. New career moves might also become more obvious to the delegate, such as taking a specialist qualification like the TOLES (Test Of Legal English Skills).

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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