Course Objectives
TOLES Foundation Certificate in Legal English Skills
Course Methodology
The course consists of group discussions as well as individual and team tasks. There will be writing exercises and practice exams at the end of each day, culminating in sitting the TOLES Foundation Exam on the final day of the course.Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:- Apply correct legal vocabulary when communicating with clients/law professionals and will be familiar with modern legal writing style
- Recognize common mistakes in English and will be able to identify accurate prepositions and collocations within a legal context, particularly within the context of written contracts
- Differentiate between the English legal system and the American legal system
- Recognize improvements in their reading and comprehension skills of legal documents and demonstrate accurate written solutions within a legal context
Target Audience
This course is useful for law and legal professionals, translators, contract assistants and managers who already possess good general English and are now acquiring legal vocabulary, as well as those who are required to obtain a TOLES certification by their organization.Target Competencies
- Legal vocabulary and grammar
- Legal communication
- Legal comprehension skills
- Formal written contracts
Note
The Test of English Legal English Skills (TOLES) governing body is a member of the International Division of the Law Society of England and Wales. Multi-national companies such as Allen & Overy LLP, Baker and McKenzie, PWC, KPMG, Sony Ericsson, European Court of Justice, European Central Bank and many more use TOLES training and exams to prepare their law professionals whose first language is not English for the international legal challenges. The TOLES Foundation level exam tests Legal reading and writing. The focus of the exam is on testing the absolute linguistic accuracy required of lawyers in a modern international office. This means accuracy in two main areas: technical legal vocabulary, and grammar. Vocabulary from commercial deals, company documents, commercial contracts, intellectual property agreements, financial documents and forms of business are tested, as well as legal terminology from other areas.
Upon passing the exam, participants will receive the TOLES Foundation Certificate.
Course Outline
- The Legal Profession
- Working in law
- Making a claim in civil court
- Areas of law
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- The Language of Banking
- A new bank account
- Working in a bank
- Loans
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- The Language of Contract Law
- A contract case
- More about precedent
- The elements of a contract
- The end of an offer
- What is consideration
- Contract and statute
- Going to court
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- The Language of Employment Law
- Being an employer
- An employment contract
- How can an employment contract end?
- Acting for an employee
- Acting for an employer
- An employment case
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- The Language of Tort Law
- What is the Law of Tort?
- Types of Tort
- The duty of care
- More about negligence
- A famous case in English law
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- Understanding Contracts – Part 1
- The style of written contract
- Understanding formal expressions
- Understanding technical words
- Understanding archaic terms
- Understanding some common words
- The structure of a contract
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- The Language of Business Law
- Sole traders
- Partnerships
- A partnership agreement
- Limited liability partnerships
- Companies
- Public and private limited companies
- Incorporating a company
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- Modern Letter Writing
- The layout if a letter
- Dates
- Complimentary close
- References
- Subject lines
- The body of a letter
- Putting a letter together
- The register of letter writing
- The content of a letter
- Typical sentences in legal letters
- Letter writing clinic
- Correcting common mistakes in letter writing
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- The Language of Company Law
- Who runs a company
- Areas of company law
- Directors
- Company meetings
- Company finance – a case study
- Closing a company
- Insolvent companies
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam practice
- Understanding Contracts – Part 2
- Some typical contract clauses
- Some important commercial vocabulary
- Termination clauses
- Intellectual property clauses
- Warranty, indemnity and force majeure clauses
- Vocabulary check
- TOLES Foundation Exam