Welcome to The

Legal English Course

Mgt. Yedira Milagros Vallenas Tárraga
LESSON 1 :
INTRODUCE YOURSELF

• Personal Presentation
• Basic Grammar
• Pair work
 Personal Presentation
• Good ……………………. teacher and
Greeting classmates!

• My name is …….. , and I am …. years

Name and age old

Origen • I am from………….….…….

Profession or • I am a law student.

occupation
• I like …( to read, to play, to sleep, to
Hobby study, to write, to work, to dance…)
 Articles: A / An

A = un / una An = un / una
(with sound of consonant) (with sound of vowel)

A lawyer An attorney
A trial An arrest
A witness An evidence
A suspect An edict
A defence An ordinance
EXCEPTIONS

A university An hour
 Article: The

The = la /el / las / los

The lawyer The lawyers The attorney The attorneys

The trial The trials The evidence The evidences

 A lawyer & An attorney (USA)
1. A lawyer is someone who
attended a law school.
2. A lawyer may not actually
practice law.
3. A lawyer has not passed the
bar exam , but often gives
legal advice.
1. An attorney-at-law is defined as
a practitioner in a court of law.
2. An attorney is legally qualified
to practice law
3. An attorney has passed the bar
exam .
4. The English word attorney has
French origins, meaning “a
person acting for another as an
agent or deputy.”
 BAR EXAM
A bar exam refers to an examination that law students in the United
States must pass in order to practice law.

This exam usually lasts two or three days, and is generally comprised of
two sections:
• The essay section takes one or two days, and requires candidates to
complete several essay questions about general legal principles and
state laws.
• The MBE (Multistate Bar Examination) section consists of 200
questions pertaining to common law, and being a standardized exam,
it is conducted on the same day throughout the country.
 A solicitor & A barrister (UK)

1. A solicitor mainly performs 1. Barristers are the lawyers who

legal work outside court.
2. A solicitor advise clients,
conduct negotiations, draft
legal documents, prepare cases
for trial and represent clients
in lower courts
represent litigants as their
advocate before higher courts.
2. Barristers speak in court and
present the case before a judge
or jury.
 Question words
• What
(……….)

• Who
(…………..)

• Where
(………..)

• When
(………..)

• How
(………...)

• Why
(………..)
 Answer the following questions:
Pair work
1. In your opinión , what’ s the main difference between “a
lawyer” and “an attorney”? (who is a lawyer? / Who is an
attorney?)
2. What is a “Bar exam”?
3. What does a “Bar exam” comprise?
4. Why do law students must take a “Bar exam”?
5. In your opinión, what’s the difference between “a solicitor”
and “a barrister” (who is a solicitor? / Whos is a barrister?)