Legal English PlusLEGAL ENGLISH PLUS - ENGLISH FOR LAW STUDENTS AND QUALIFIED LAWYERS
About this course
General Information
- Legal English Plus is recommended for young, qualified lawyers and any law student who wishes to work in an international commercial environment after graduation
- Students should have an intermediate to advanced level of general English to get maximum benefit from this course
- This is a 3-week course (63 hours of tuition plus private study time)
- The classes are held at Cambridge University (Girton College campus)
- There are a maximum of 12 students in each group, with a good international mix throughout the year
- This is a serious and practical course. We ask you to work hard
- The course includes all study materials, a course book and a trip to the London law courts near the end of the course
- You will receive a certificate of attendance and personal report upon completion
- The TOLES Advanced examination is included at no extra cost
Sample Timetable for Legal English Plus
This is a typical week 1 timetable in our Legal English Plus course.
However, each group of students we teach on this course is a little different from the others. After meeting a group our teachers will decide in which order to do the lessons and which subjects perhaps need more time than others. The timetable is always flexible according to the academic needs and priorities of our students.
Week 1 is a week of intensive study and provides essential information for making progress in Weeks 2 and 3. We give you a lot of new information about English law and language and we have an informal test session in our final lesson on Friday based on week 1 lessons.
This test is there to help you. You will be able to see what you remember and what you perhaps need to look at again. It is a tool to guide you towards learner independence.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
09.15 - 10.45 | Welcome. Practical Information Language assessment | Forms of business Limited Companies (Public and Private) LLPs | The language of contracts continued. Legalese and the new plain English style Archaic terms (such as hereunder, hereinafter, forthwith) and when to use them | The language of money and borrowing. Understanding loan agreements and mortgages and overdraft facilities The English a lawyer needs to understand the bankers | Contract clauses in focus. Warranties, indemnities and protection of I.P rights |
10.45 - 11.15 | Coffee break: Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served in your classroom | ||||
11.15 - 12.45 | An introduction to legal English Essential study skills Comparing the UK and the USA | Forms of business Partnerships and sole traders | Areas and sources of law. How the common law works. A system without a civil code | What is the law of Tort? What is the law of Equity? Explanations with your questions and answers | Week 1 review test. Personal tutorials |
12.45 - 13.45 | Lunch | ||||
13.45 - 15.15 | Introducing the legal profession Solicitors, Barristers, Lawyers and Attorneys What is the difference? | An introduction to "legalese" The specialist English of contracts | Area of law in focus Personal bankruptcy insolvency and the function of trusts | Letter writing clinic session 1 | FREE TIME FOR SELF-STUDY OR RELAXATION |
| 15.15 | Private study | ||||
The London Trip
We consider this day in the London law courts an important part of your understanding of authentic legal English.
With one of your trainers on hand to answer questions, students on the Legal English Plus course visit the civil courts ,The Royal Courts of Justice, and the world famous criminal court, The Old Bailey.
We travel to London by private bus and spend the day visiting these famous legal institutions. The group normally has lunch together to discuss the issues raised by the visits to the courts. Very often we end the day with a group dinner and a night out at a west-end theatre. However, you are free to travel back to Cambridge by train at any time.
Course Dates and Fees 2010
Legal English Plus (LEP) (3 weeks)
LEP 8 February - 26 February 2010 £1550
LEP 3 May - 21 May 2010 £1550
LEP 12 July - 30 July 2010 £1550
LEP 2 August - 20 August 2010 £1550
LEP 16 August - 3 September 2010 £1550
LEP 23 August - 10 September 2010 £1550
LEP 4 October - 22 October 2010 £1550
To book a place on a Legal English Plus course please go to our enrolment page.
To look at the kinds of subjects we will be studying on the Legal English Plus course please go to our sample study material page.
Academic entry requirements and visas
This information will help you to decide whether our courses are for you. It tells you about our policy for enrolling (registering) students and what to do if you need a visa.
Academic Entry Requirements
Legal English, especially the style and vocabulary that lawyers use in commercial contracts, is very different from ordinary, general English. We often find that a group of international students have varying levels of general English, but are all starting from the same point when studying legal English.
For this reason we do not insist that any student has any particular formal qualification in English in order to take part in our courses and we do not insist that you pass any formal test as an entry requirement. Many of our students are already working in a pressured legal environment and do not have the time available to study general English at a higher level. Similarly, many of our students have recently been accepted as trainees in international law firms and need a quick, intensive boost to their language skills before starting work. It is therefore part of our mission statement to take a practical approach and to support any lawyer, law student or legal translator who needs an improved level of level of legal English in his or her workplace. All of our teachers and administrative staff have a modern, plain English approach to communicating with you. We will make the course as accessible to you as we possibly can.
If you hold formal qualifications such as IELTS or TOEFL, please tell us about it. It is useful for us to know your academic history before you study with us. If you are worried about your level of English you can ask us to assess it by sending us an email and asking for feedback or arranging to speak to one of our teachers in a telephone assessment. We will tell you if we think you can benefit from our course or not at this stage.
It has been our experience that when you study with us you will find a group of international colleagues with varying levels of general English who are prepared to learn together in an environment of support and co-operation.
Obtaining a visa for entry into the UK
Some students need a visa to enter the UK. If you are not sure about this please email or call us and we will advise you. You need to get a visa, or what is sometimes called ‘entry clearance’ into the UK by applying to your nearest British High Commission or British Embassy.
Cambridge Law Studio has successfully passed inspection for the purposes of allowing students to enter the UK in order to study on our legal English courses. The rules set out by the UK immigration authorities are as follows:
All UK schools now need to be accredited in order to issue students with offer letters for the purposes of obtaining a visa. Cambridge Law Studio has been inspected by the ASIC as a Premier Status College. Our registration number is AS37074/0609.
As our courses are for less than 6 months we are advised by the UK Borders Agency that our students require a STUDENT VISITOR VISA.
To obtain a student visitor visa you must:
- be at least 18 years old
- be able to demonstrate that you have the financial resources to support yourself in the UK
- have no intention of staying in the UK for longer than 6 months or applying to stay longer
- have no intention of working in the UK, even if the work is unpaid
- have been accepted on a course listed on the register of education and training providers
It is very important to know that we are told that any of our students applying under Tier 4 will AUTOMATICALLY BE REFUSED A VISA. This is because Tier 4 applies only to students who wish to enter the UK for six months or more. Therefore, please DO NOT apply to enter the UK under Tier 4. Please DO Apply for a Student Visitor Visa.
If you wish to study in the UK and stay for longer than 6 months or you wish to work in the UK you must enter the UK as a student and not a student visitor.
Useful website address for further information on all types of visa are:
The UK Borders Agency Visa Services website at: www.ukvisas.gov.uk
The UK Council for International Student Affairs website at: www.ukcosa.org.uk
Citizens of the EEA
If you are a citizen of the European Economic Area (the EEA) you do not need a visa to enter the UK. The EEA member states are
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
*Switzerland is not a member of the EU or the EEA but Swiss nationals have had rights which are similar to those of nationals of EEA countries and do not require a visa to enter the UK.
Fees and refunds
Our policy on payment of course and accommodation fees and our refund policy are stated clearly at the end of our enrolment form. You will be asked to sign our enrolment form as part of your formal agreement with Cambridge Law Studio so please make sure you have read the policy before signing it.