Vocabulary

in a particular order – в определенном порядке

opening statement – вступительная речь

lawyers for each side – адвокаты от каждой стороны

presentation of evidence – представление доказательств

testimony– свидетельские показания

testify– давать показания

disregard– не обращать внимания, не придавать значения

object– возражать

objection– возражение

credibilityofwitness– надежность свидетелей

closingargument– заключительная речь

jurydeliberation– совещание присяжных

foreman– старшина присяжных

bailiff– судебный пристав

presentaverdict– зачитать вердикт

1. Which of the actions or procedures above are carried out by each of the following people?

- a judge - a juror

- a criminal - a witness

- a police officer - the defendant

- a lawyer - the clerk of the court

2 . Match each word below with the definition.

the accused; court reporter; witness; policeman; jury; judge; defense; lawyer; prosecutor; junior defense lawyer

a) sb. who has been charged with committing a crime

b) a professional who decides how a criminal should be punished

c) a professional who speaks for the accused and advices him/her in court

d) sb. who saw a crime happen

e) a professional who assists the lawyer of the accused

f) a group of people in court who decide whether sb is innocent or guilty

g) sb. whose job is to deter people from committing crimes and to arrest those who break the law

h) a professional who represents the state in court

i) sb. who notes down what is said in court

4. Read the text “Steps of the trial”.

Events in a trial usually happen in a particular order, though the order may be changed by the judge. The usual order of events is shown below.

Step 1: Selection of the Jury.

Step 2: Opening Statements. The lawyers for each side discuss their views of the case. They present a general picture of their proofs. What the lawyers say in the opening statements is not evidence.

Step 3: Presentation of evidence. All parties have the right to present evidence. The testimony of witnesses is evidence. Evidence may be in the form of physical exhibits, such as a gun or a photograph. Evidence may be not admitted by the judge. In this case it will be disregarded. During the trial the lawyers may make objections to evidence presented by the other side. The judge decides if the objection is valid or invalid. If the objection is not valid, the judge will overrule the objection.

Step 4: Closing Arguments. In the closing arguments the lawyers summarize the case from their point of view. They may discuss the presented evidence or comment on the credibility of witnesses. These arguments are not evidence.

Step 5: The instructions. The judge gives instructions to the jurors on the law that will be applied to the defendant. Instructions can be given at different times during the trial, but final instructions are usually given after the closing arguments.

Step 6: Jury deliberation. The jury retires to the jury room to conduct the deliberations on the verdict. The jury first elects a foreman who will control the course of the discussion. When the verdict has been reached, the foreman signs it and informs the bailiff.

5. All the verbs in the box relate to legal matters. Use them in the correct forms to complete the sentences.

accuse acquit arrest award confess charge drop engage imprison plead release seize serve

1. After six hours of questioning the accused man ______ .

2. The government _______ an amnesty to all political prisoners.

3. Her boss ______ her of stealing 250 dollars.

4. The secret police ______ him for six months in a high security jail.

5. We ______ the best commercial lawyer we could find to represent us but we still lost the case.

6. The prisoner _______ guilty to all charges.

7. In August they ______ him with murder.

8. The policeman stopped the car and _____ the driver.

9. The president ______ the opposition leader from prison.

10. The court _____ him 2,500 dollars for obtaining money by false pretenses.

11. After consideration, the plaintiff ______ the case against his neighbor.

12. The customs ______ the shipment of books.

13. He ______ six months in a local prison.

14. The crown court ______ the plaintiff 75,000 dollars in damages plus costs.

15. Two of the men were sent to prison, but the judge ______ the third.²⁷

6. Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right to make ten pairs. Some verbs match with more than one noun:

Verbs	Nouns
break	a case
commit	a market
cross examine	a fee
charge	an interest
declare	a law
enter	a crime
evade	a verdict
hear	terms
negotiate	a witness
return	taxes

Make up sentences of your own, using the pairs you got.