- •Forensics and forensics
- •I. Discuss the following questions:
- •II. Match the terms and their definitions :
- •III. Useful phrases
- •VI. Case study: Read the story Millionare Trio Escape Jail.
- •Forensic linguistics
- •Visit the site of International Association of Forensic Linguists http://www.Iafl.Org/ What are research areas of Forensic Linguistics?
- •Bnp 'arsonist' in court
- •Talking like a lawyer
- •Impersonal Constructions
- •I. Explain the meaning of the italicized words.
- •II. Discuss the following questions:
- •III. Match the legal terms and their definitions:
- •IvProvide facts from the text which support the following statements:
- •The legal lexicon
- •I. Explain the meaning of the italicized words.
- •II. Discuss the following questions:
- •III. Match the legal terms and their definitions:
- •IV. Find definitions of the following linguistic terms in the linguistic dictionary:
- •V. Read 2 extracts from the legal documents (Employment Agreement and Joint Venture Agreement) and find out which italicized words/phrases are archaic and which ones are technical terms?
- •Employment Agreement
- •1.Agreement to employ and be employed
- •2. Descriptions of employee’s duties
- •3. Manner of performance of employee’s duties
- •Joint Venture Agreement
- •VI. Case study: Read the following text and discuss different types of legal writings. What skills are required for lawyers to make legal writing effective? Legal Writing: an overview
- •The creation, structure, and interpretation of the legal text
- •I. Explain the meaning of the italicized words.
- •II. Discuss the following questions:
- •IV. Provide facts from the text which support the following statements:
- •Vocabulary
3. Manner of performance of employee’s duties
Employee shall at all times faithfully, industriously, and to the best of his ability,
experience, and talent, perform all duties that may be required of and from him pursuant to the express and implicit terms hereof, to the reasonable satisfaction of employer. Such duties shall be rendered at the above mentioned premises and at such other place or places as employer shall in good faith require or as the interests, needs, business, and opportunities of employer shall require or make advisable.
Joint Venture Agreement
THIS JOINT VENTURE AGREEMENT (the "Agreement"), made and entered into as of this ___(1)day of ____(2), 20____(3), by and between ______(4) of _____(5) (hereinafter "_______") and _____(6) of _____(7) (hereinafter "_____").
Article I
General provisions
1.01 Business Purpose. The business of the Joint Venture shall be as follows:
(Describe Business Purpose)
1.02 Term of the Agreement. This Joint Venture shall commence on the date first above written and shall continue in existence until terminated, liquidated, or dissolved by law or as hereinafter provided.
Article II
General definitions
The following comprise the general definitions of terms utilized in this Agreement:
2.01 Affiliate. An Affiliate of an entity is a person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by or is under common control of such entity.
2.02 Capital Contribution(s). The capital contribution to the Joint Venture actually made by the parties, including property, cash and any additional capital contributions made.
2.03 Profits and Losses. Any income or loss of the Partnership for federal income tax purposes determined by the Partnership's fiscal year, including, without limitation, each item of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction.
Article III
Obligations of the joint ventures
______(8) is responsible for all operations and decisions of the Joint Venture and will be compensated for providing various services.
VI. Case study: Read the following text and discuss different types of legal writings. What skills are required for lawyers to make legal writing effective? Legal Writing: an overview
In many legal settings specialized forms of written communication are required. In many others, writing is the medium in which a lawyer must express their analysis of an issue and seek to persuade others on their clients' behalf. Any legal document must be concise, clear, and conform to the objective standards that have evolved in the legal profession.
There are generally two types of legal writing. The first type requires a balanced analysis of a legal problem or issue. Examples of the first type are inter-office memoranda and letters to clients. To be effective in this form of writing, the lawyer must be sensitive to the needs, level of interest and background of the parties to whom it is addressed. A memorandum to a partner in the same firm that details definitions of basic legal concepts would be inefficient and an annoyance. In contrast, their absence from a letter to a client with no legal background could serve to confuse and complicate a simple situation.
The second type of legal writing is persuasive. Examples of this type are appellate briefs and negotiation letters written on a clients behalf. The lawyer must persuade his or her audience without provoking a hostile response through disrespect or by wasting the recipient's time with unnecessary information. In presenting documents to a court or administrative agency he or she must conform to the required document style.
The drafting of legal documents, such as contracts and wills, is yet another type of legal writing. Guides are available to aid a lawyer in preparing the documents but a unique application of the "form" to the facts of the situation is often required. Poor drafting can lead to unnecessary litigation and otherwise injure the interests of a client.
The legal profession has its own unique system of citation. While it serves to provide the experienced reader with enough information to evaluate and retrieve the cited authorities, it may, at first, seem daunting to the lay reader. Court rules generally specify the citation format required of all memoranda or briefs filed with the court. These rules have not kept up with the changing technology of legal research. Within recent years, online and disk-based law collections have become primary research tools for many lawyers and judges. Because of these changes, there has been growing pressure on those ultimately responsible for citation norms, namely the courts, to establish new rules that no longer presuppose that a publisher's print volume (created over a year after a decision is handed down) is the key reference. Several jurisdictions have responded and many more are sure to follow.
(Retrieved from http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/legal_writing)
REVIEW: UNITS 3-4
Check yourself. Do you know:
What are characteristics of legal language?
What are conjoined phrases?
Why are impersonal constructions used in legal communication?
What is the most dangerous word in lawyer’s vocabulary? Why?
How innovative is legal language?
What is the role of ritualistic phrases?
What are the functions of modal verbs in legal documents?
What is a term of art?
Is there any difference in interpreting legal terms by a specialist and a layperson?
What types of legal writing are there?
PROJECT WORK:
Study the guidelines on writing reports: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/ltd/campus/reportwr.pdf
Write and present a report on one of the following topics:
History of legal language
Legal phraseology
The functions of modal verbs in legalese
Sentence structure in legal English
Legal metaphors
UNIT 5
Read the text: