Reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities are included in each chapter of American Legal English. Many of the activities are collaborative,engaging students' interest and involving them in the learning process. In addition, realia, in the form of cases and statutes, is included so that students become comfortable with legal English and its sometimes difficult syntax.

American Legal English:Using Language in Legal Contexts provides a basic introduction to the U.S. legal system for nonnative speakers of English. The text provides vital instruction to both law students and legal practitioners by combining elements of law and language to enhance nonnative speakers' ability to communicate with their legal counterparts in English.

Reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities are included in each chapter of American Legal English. Many of the activities are collaborative,engaging students' interest and involving them in the learning process. In addition, realia, in the form of cases and statutes, is included so that students become comfortable with legal English and its sometimes difficult syntax.

Attorney and nonattorney ESP instructors alike will find American Legal English integral to their creation of an effective learning environment in law and language courses.

For advanced ESL/EFL students.

Introduction  1

Notes to Instructors with No Language Training  1

Notes to Instructors with No Legal Training  4

Notes on Using the Exercises and Flash Reviews  5

Notes on Using the Audiotape  6

Notes on Conventions and Extra Material in the Instructor's Edition

Chapter One: Origins of the American Legal System

Level I: Discovering Connections  9

Activity  9

Level Ⅱ: Legally Speaking  9

Introductions  9

Conversation Model  9

Applying Your Knowledge  10

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  11

Exercise 1. Review and Discussion  11

Exercise 2. System Comparisons and Discussion  12

Exercise 3. Paraphrasing  12

Exercise 4. System Comparisons and Discussion  13

Exercise 5. Case Hypotheticals and Discussion  13

Exercise 6. Paraphrasing and Discussion  14

Exercise 7. Case Hypotheticals and Writing  16

Law and Equity  16

Flash Review. Reading Comprehension  16

Exercise 8. Case Hypotheticals and Role Play  17

Level Ⅳ: Language Focus  18

Polite Commands  18

Exercise 9. Sentence Correction  18

Silence  18

Exercise 10. Listening  19

Exercise 11. Fill in the Blanks  20

Level V: Additional Exercises  20

Case Comparisons: Writing  20

Collaboration: Pair Work  20

Oral Argument: Role Play  22

Reading for Details: True or False  22

Simplification and Interpretation: Paraphrasing  23

Legal Writing  23

Vocabulary Exercise  23

Chapter Two: Legal Authorities and Reasoning  25

Level I: Discovering Connections  25

Activity 1  25

Activity 2  25

Activity 3 25

Level Ⅱ: Legal Listening and Writing  25

Putting the Terms to Use  25

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  28

Understanding Legal Citations  28

Exercise 1. Citation Review  28

Understanding the Court System  28

Flash Review 1. Reading for Details  28

Flash Review 2. Reading for Details  29

Flash Review 3  29

Exercise 2. Reading and Analysis  29

Exercise 3. Statutory Interpretation and Paraphrasing  29

Exercise 4. Writing and Reading for Details  30

Exercise 5. Reasoning  30

Exercise 6. Reasoning and Paraphrasing 31

Level Ⅳ: Cultural Focus  31

High-Context and Low-Context Cultures  31

Exercise 7. Case Hypotheticals and Discussion  31

Level V: Additional Exercise  32

Case Briefing: Reading and Writing  32

Chapter Three: Criminal Law  34

Level I: Discovering Connections  34

Activity  34

Level Ⅱ: Legal Terms  34

Putting the Terms to Use  34

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  35

Exercise 1. System Comparisons and Discussion  35

Exercise 2. Internet Research Project and Debate  35

Exercise 3. System Comparisons and Discussion  35

Exercise 4. Reading for Details  36

Exercise 5. Case Hypotheticals and Pair Work  37

Exercise 6. Case Hypotheticals and Pair Work  37

Exercise 7. Statutory Interpretation  38

Exercise 8. Statutory Comparisons  38

Exercise 9. Statutory Interpretation  38

Exercise 10. Writing  39

Exercise 11. Listening  39

Exercise 12. Discussion  40

Exercise 13. Writing and Case Analysis  40

Flash Review. Discussion  43

Exercise 14. System Comparisons and Discussion  43

Exercise 15. Case Hypotheticals and Discussion  43

Level Ⅳ: Cultural Focus  43

Exercise 16. System Comparisons and Discussion  43

Exercise 17. Role Play  44

Level V: Additional Exercises  44

Simplification and Interpretation: Writing  44

Research and Explanation: Brainstorming and Role Play  45

Chapter Four: Civil Procedure  46

Level I: Discovering Connections  46

ActiviW  46

Level Ⅱ: Legal Listening  46

Putting the Terms to Use  46

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  48

Jurisdiction  48

Exercise 1. Case Hypotheticals and Pair Work  48

Exercise 2. Reading for Details  48

Exercise 3. Pair Work and Oral Presentations  48

Exercise 4. Listening  49

Exercise 5. Analysis  49

Exercise 6. Role Play and Oral Argument  50

Exercise 7. Statutory Interpretation  51

Flash Review 1. Reading for Details  51

Exercise 8. Predicting  51

Flash Review 2. Reading for Details  52

Exercise 9　 Case Hypothetical and Analysis  53

Exercise 10. Statutory Interpretation  54

Exercise 11. System Comparisons and Discussion  54

Exercise 12. Listening  54

Exercise 13. Review  59

Exercise 14. Discussion  59

Level Ⅳ: Language Focus  60

Exercise 15. Reported Speech in the Past  60

Exercise 16. Modals in Reported Speech  61

Exercise 17. Reporting on a Conversation  61

Exercise 18. Changing Reported Speech to Direct Speech  62

Exercise 19. Role Play  63

Level V: Additional Exercise  63

Progression of a Lawsuit  63

Chapter Five: Torts  73

Level I: Discovering Connections  73

Activity  73

Level Ⅱ: Legal Discussion  73

Putting the Terms to Use  73

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  75

Exercise 1. Case Hypotheticals and Discussion  75

Exercise 2. Listening  76

Exercise 3. Summarizing  78

Exercise 4. Summarizing and Pair Work  78

Exercise 5. Analysis  79

Exercise 6. Analysis and Collaboration  79

Exercise 7. Individual Analysis  80

Exercise 8. Listening  80

Flash Review. Reading for Details  85

Exercise 9. Analysis  85

Exercise 10. Statutory Interpretation and Flowchart  86

Exercise 11. Analysis and Role Play  86

Exercise 12. Analysis  87

Level Ⅳ: Language Focus  87

Exercise 13. Sentence Combining  87

Exercise 14. Error Identification and Correction  88

Exercise 15. Fill in the Blanks  88

Exercise 16. Sentence Building  89

Exercise 17. Fill in the Blanks  89

Exercise 18. Error Identification and Correction  90

Exercise 19. Writing  90

Exercise 20. Fill in the Blanks  91

Exercise 21. Error Identification and Correction  91

Level V: Additional Exercise  91

Case Synthesis  91

Notes to Instructor  92

Appellate Argument  93

Chapter Six: Products Liability  95

Level I: Discovering Connections  95

Activity  95

Level Ⅱ: Legal Listening  95

Putting the Terms to Use  95

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  98

Exercise 1. Case Hypotheticals and Discussion  98

Building a Case  99

Flash Review 1. Reading for Details  99

Exercise 2. Writing and Pair Work  99

Exercise 3. Case Hypotheticals and Pair Work  100

Disclaimers  101

Exercise 4. Writing and Pair Work  101

Exercise 5. Writing and Collaboration  102

Flash Review 2  102

Exercise 6. Analysis  102

Exercise 7. Analysis  103

Exercise 8. Reading for Details  103

Level Ⅳ: Language Focus  103

Gerunds, Infinitives, and That Clauses  103

Exercise 9. Sentence Combining  103

Gerund or Infinitive: Which to Choose？  104

Exercise 10. Sentence Combining  104

Negative Infinitives  104

Exercise 11. Rewriting Sentences  104

Infinitives and Levels of Formality  104

Exercise 12. Rewriting Sentences  104

Verbs That Use Only Gerunds  104

Exercise 13. Rewriting Sentences  104

Verbs That Use Both Gerunds and Infinitives  105

Exercise 14. Fill in the Blanks  105

Level V: Additional Exercises  105

Risk Management  105

Law in Action  105

Procedural Background  105

Consider the Facts  106

The Court's Holding  106

Legal Writing  106

Interviewing  107

Chapter Seven: Corporations  108

Level I: Discovering Connections  108

Activity  I08

Level Ⅱ: Legal Speaking and Listening  108

Conversations in the Corporate World  108

Conversation Model  108

Applying Your Knowledge: Conversation Closings  111

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  111

Exercise 1. Analysis and Discussion  111

Flash Review 1. Reading for Details  112

Exercise 2. Pair Work  113

Exercise 3. Listening  113

Exercise 4. Simplification and Writing  116

Exercise 5. Analysis  117

Exercise 6. Matching  117

Exercise 7. Listening  117

Exercise 8. Writing  118

Flash Review 2. Reading for Details  119

Exercise 9. Oral Paraphrasing   119

Exercise 10. Writing  119

Exercise 11. Writing and Collaboration  121

Level Ⅳ: Language Focus  122

Modals and Semimodals  122

Exercise 12. Writing  122

Exercise 13. Fill in the Blanks  124

Exercise 14. Listening  124

Level V: Additional Exercises  126

Case Analysis  126

Consider the Facts  i26

Statutory Interpretation  127

Legal Writing  128

Chapter Eight: Contracts  129

Level I: Discovering Connections  129

Activity 1  129

Activity 2  129

Level Ⅱ: Legal Listening  129

Putting the Terms to Use  129

Level Ⅲ: Legal Thumbnail  132

What Is a Contract？  132

Competent Parties  132

Legal Consideration  133

Exercise 1. Listening  133

Flash Review. Reading for Detail  135

Exercise 2. Reading  135

Exercise 3. Review, Summarizing, and Analysis  136

Exercise 4. Role Play  136

Exercise 5. Paraphrase  137

Exercise 6. Analysis  137

Exercise 7. Case Hypotheticals and Analysis  138

Exercise 8. Case Hypotheticals and Discussion  138

Exercise 9. System Comparisons  138

Exercise 10. Simplification  138

Exercise 11. System Comparisons  139

Consideration  139

Exercise 12. Analysis  140

Exercise 13. Listening and Writing  141

Exercise 14. Case Hypotheticals and Discussion  143

Questions to Ask Yourself before Beginning to Draft a Contract  143

Level Ⅳ: Language Focus  143

Exercise 15. Sentence Combining  143

Exercise 16. Sentence Combining  144

Exercise 17. Sentence Combining  144

Exercise 18. Simplification  144

Level Ⅴ: Additional Exercises  145

Applying Content Knowledge  145

What Constitutes an Offer？  145

Counteroffers  145

Remedies to Breach of Contract  146

Legal Drafting  146

Vocabulary Review  148

Chapter Nine: The Mock Trial  150

Level Ⅰ Discovering Connections  150

Activity  150

Level Ⅱ: Legal Listening  150

Putting the Terms to Use  150

Level III: The Case  151

Why Conduct a Mock Trial？  151

Level IV Language Focus  152

Obtaining Information 152

Asking Questions  152

Exercise 1. Changing Sentences  152

Answering Questions  152

Exercise 2. Sentence Formation  152

Level V: Case Preparation  152

Trial Organization  152

Trial Order  154

Exhibits  155

Resource Materials  155

Trial Strategy  155

Tips for a Successful Mock Trial  156

Index  157

Table of Cases  161