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講師の紹介
David C. Crossley
J.D. (Juris Doctor)
Suffolk University Law School
Boston, Massachusetts in 2000
Admitted to Massachusetts Bar - 2001
Admitted to United States District Courts - 2001
My name is David C. Crossley, and I work for the Institute for Professional English Communication (I.P.E.C.) in Tokyo, Japan. I am licensed as a lawyer in the State of Massachusetts and also licensed to practice before the Federal Courts in the United States.
I would like to introduce to you a language service, which I believe could help the employees of your law firm. I.P.E.C. has developed a legal English course for judges, lawyers, business people, court clerks, paralegals, legal secretaries, legal assistants, law firm staff, law school students and undergraduate students in the legal department of their university.
Through this course, employees of your firm will be provided with the opportunity to: 1. learn legal English as used by international legal professionals in the daily practice of the law; 2. develop skills to increase their accuracy in international legal communication, particularly via letters, email and the telephone; 3. increase their legal English vocabulary within the context of learning about the legal systems of the U.K., and the U.S.A., and 4. increase the accuracy of their legal research skills.
Our course focuses on learning legal English as used daily in the following practice areas: legal systems,criminal law overview, corporate law, contract law and the rule of goods, bankruptcy law, and legal writing in plain English.
Each class will be broken into 2 parts, during which students will focus primarily on: 1. learning vocabulary; 2. practicing listening; 3. practicing writing; and 4. practicing speaking.
During the first part of the class students will examine legal terms and expressions used in context. These terms and expressions may come from sources such as: extracts from legislation, court orders, judges’ findings, colleagues in the legal profession discussing their work, and websites related to the law.
Legal terms often use the same vocabulary as basic conversational English, but with a completely different meaning. Therefore, students will learn how to identify the correct interpretation of a legal term, so that they can respond accurately when faced with a similar situation during their job. Students will also learn effective ways of asking their foreign colleagues for clarification of ambiguous legal terms.
During the second part of the class students will practice the legal vocabulary and terminology, which they learned in the first part of the class. The second part of the class will involve a series of classroom activities during which students will practice their listening, writing and speaking skills. Individual, small-group and pair-work will include: practice dialogues, role play situations, drafting emails and letters, drafting memos, completing the definition of a legal term and completing a sentence using a legal term. Additionally, students will work in small groups or pairs and practice using legal language to write about, and discuss, the law.
There will be homework assigned at the end of each class, on a class by class basis. Homework will include practicing legal writing skills and legal research skills, often by exploring suggested website links.
This is a 20 week course, which will meet once a week for 1.5 hours. During each class the goal is to cover approximately 1 to 2 topics from the textbooks. At the conclusion of this course students will be prepared to take I.P.E.C.’s proprietary International Legal English Examination. This exam consists of 5 parts: legal English in daily practice, reading, listening, writing and speaking.
I would like very much to answer any questions, which you may have about this course. I am available by telephone, or can travel to and meet with you at your office. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this course.
Best regards,
David C. Crossley
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