Overview
The Legal Language Institute offers a three-week and four-week Legal English Summer Course designed specifically for lawyers and law students trained outside of the United States who are seeking intensive Legal English training. The Legal English Summer Course presents opportunities for lawyers and students from abroad to sharpen their mastery of the language of American legal discourse.Even students with very high levels of English proficiency benefit from a dedicated immersion in legal English. Students have the option of a three-week or four-week course, with the fourth week providing intensive practice focused on legal writing.
The course is open to all students and practitioners who want to improve their skills in legal English.
Program Dates
Three-week course: July 6 - July 23, 2021
Four-week course: July 6 - July 30, 2021
CANCELLED FOR 2021
How to Apply
Admission to the three or four-week intensive Legal English course is granted on a first-come, first-served basis.Applicant Requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years old.
- Must be a current law student or law graduate.
- Must be able to read and correctly pronounce basic words in English.
Cost
Tuition for the three-week course is $950. Tuition for the four-week course is $1,150. This cost includes a certificate.
When you complete the online application you must submit a deposit of $250. Of this amount, $50 is a non-refundable application fee. The remaining $200 will be credited towards your tuition total. If the program is full, the $200 will be refunded.
The remaining tuition will be due June 20, 2021.
Curriculum and Faculty
Participants will set individual goals at the beginning of the course and will be provided with an assessment of their progress at the conclusion. The primary subject areas are:Professor Kenneth Raphael, who holds B.A., M.A., and J.D. degrees, will be the lead instructor. A BLS alumnus, Professor Raphael served as in-house counsel with several U.S.-based Fortune 500 companies before relocating in 2002 to Geneva, Switzerland, where he served as a professor with the International University in Geneva and the Moscow State University Faculty of Law. In Geneva he taught academic writing and Legal and Business English until 2013. Since moving back to New York, he has taught at Columbia University’s American Language Program and currently teaches at the Pace University English Language Institute. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Legal Writing with Brooklyn Law School. Professor Raphael has spoken about Legal English and legal matters at numerous seminars.
- listening and speaking: meeting and interview skills; formal and informal presentations;
- legal writing: case briefing; legal summaries; predictive writing; and,
- reading skills and analysis: reading and interpreting cases; common law legal principles; legal vocabulary; the U.S. legal system; fundamental areas of U.S. law. The fourth week of the course will focus intensively on legal writing.