This course equips law students and legal practitioners with essential language skills - including written and oral communication - for legal analysis and advocacy. Participants will build a toolkit of language strategies that allows them to communicate autonomously without any digital support when needed, while also learning to integrate artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically where appropriate.
Legal English has a reputation for being impenetrable. Participants will learn how to break down these dense and complex legal texts (e.g. statutes, commercial contracts) so as to explain them in plain English to clients and colleagues. They will explore the characteristics of effective texts and learn techniques to achieve clear, concise and effective writing. Special attention will furthermore be paid to strategies to craft persuasive oral and written arguments. Participants will have ample opportunity to practice their own writing and receive detailed and expert feedback.
Through a hands-on approach, participants will work with a range of practical texts (e.g. court declarations, statutes, CVs and cover letters, standard-term contracts, client correspondence, and academic legal material) and participate in various exercises, discussions, and writing activities. It is expected that participants will come to class prepared with any required reading and assignments.
The course is recommended for students or alumni who would like to hone the practical language skills that will give them an advantage in their studies and their careers. The course is also beneficial for students considering participation in an English-language moot court (e.g., Vis Commercial Arbitration Moot) and those contemplating studying or working abroad in an international practice area (e.g., commercial law, life sciences, or litigation and arbitration).
Please be aware that this is a language course. Its aim is to develop the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of participants in relation to legal topics by drawing on their own experience and knowledge.
Participants will have the opportunity to build their language competence through a variety of engaged and relevant activities that prepare them for the practice of law. In addition to the weekly one to two hours of autonomous learning, participants will be required to spend up four to five hours weekly to prepare for a moot court exercise by reading, listening to, and watching law-related materials.
Entry requirement: At least two semesters of law.
This course is only offered in the spring semester.