Legal English An Introduction to the Legal Language and Culture of the United States, 3rd Edition

Author: Teresa Kissane Brostoff; Ann Sinsheimer
Publisher: Oxford University Press USA
ISBN: 9780199895458
Published In: June 2013
Format: Paperback , 544 pages
Jurisdiction: U.S. ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

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Uses problems and exercises to teach students how to read and understand case law and statutes
Exposes students to different subject areas in the law to prepare them for what they will encounter in their LLM or first-year law school classes
Demonstrates techniques for predicting an answer to a legal problem and persuading an audience of a legal perspective
Prepares students and non-American attorneys for the language and culture of American law and law schools

In Legal English, experienced educators and professors Teresa Kissane Brostoff and Ann Sinsheimer answer the needs of law students and non-English speaking lawyers who are unfamiliar with the use of English in legal settings. They introduce readers into a new world of study of the law by carefully guiding them through the vital skills and techniques they will need to feel comfortable and proficient in English-speaking and American legal culture.

Through the exercises in this book, readers will gain proficiency reading and understanding case law and statutes. Brostoff and Sinsheimer teach effective techniques for predicting an answer to a legal problem and for persuading an audience of a particular legal perspective. Each new problem presented in the text will also provide readers with an introduction to different practice areas in the law, giving students ample preparation for their first year of law school classes or for their LLM studies. By teaching students how to master both the English language and legal concepts and ideas, Professors Brostoff and Sinsheimer enable students and non-American attorneys to better communicate their ideas and analysis of law both verbally and in writing, using their new-found understanding of the language and culture of American law.

Readership: LLM and law students based in the US and internationally, practicing attorneys using English for the first time, and anyone in the legal field who is a novice at using and understanding the language of law.

SECTION I. THE LAW SCHOOL CLASSROOM
Chapter 1 - Skills
Chapter 2 - The Legal System
Chapter 3 - Reading and Briefing Cases
SECTION II. USING THE LAW TO PREDICT AND PERSUADE
Chapter 4 - Using Cases
Chapter 5 - Using Statutes
Chapter 6 - Synthesizing Cases
Chapter 7 - Appellate Advocacy
Chapter 8 - Client Interviews and Negotiation
SECTION III. INDEPENDENT WRITING AND RESEARCH
Chapter 9 - Working Independently
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Glossary
Appendix B: Pennsylvania and U.S. Constitutions
Appendix C: Sample Brief and Memorandum
Appendix D: Sample Appellate Briefs
Appendix E: Neff v. Lasso, 555 A.2d 1304 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1989)
Appendix F: Sample Student Memo on International Arbitration Exercise
Appendix G: Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, 526 U.S. 629 (1999)
Appendix H: Answer Key

Teresa Kissane Brostoff, Professor and Director of Legal Writing, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and Ann Sinsheimer, Professor of Legal Writing, University of Pittsburg School of Law

Teresa Kissane Brostoff is Professor and Director of Legal Writing at University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She researches, writes, and lectures on legal writing methodology and pedagogy, including methods of teaching international students. Professor Brostoff has taught English for Lawyers in many countries, including Serbia, Ukraine, Kosovo under State Department auspices, Iceland as a distinguished Fulbright Scholar, Japan, Poland, Ethiopia as an invited lecturer, Belgium as a Fulbright Senior Specialist and member of the EU LLM. faculty, and Bahrain under Department of Commerce sponsorship. Prior to joining the Pittsburgh Law faculty, Professor Brostoff clerked for the Honorable Justin M. Johnson on the Pennsylvania Superior Court. She also has recently been appointed to the Fulbright Peer Review Selection Committee in Law. Ann Sinsheimer is Professor of Legal Writing at University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She has extensive experience as a teacher and consultant of

and technical writing, and of English as a Second Language. She co-teaches a summer intensive program for international lawyers, and has had the opportunity to teach this course overseas in Ethiopia, Serbia, Belgium, Iceland, and other countries. She served as a lecturer and consultant at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Michigan's English Language Institute. Before joining the faculty at Pittsburgh, Professor Sinsheimer worked at the University of Oxford's Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics.