΄Harassment in΄fringement ,termi΄nation

΄advocacy li΄aison ,disa΄bility

‘merger ΄re΄tainer ,medi΄ation

΄clearance tran'saction ,arbi΄tration

΄product car'tel ,share΄holder

B) Complete the word building table.

Noun Verb	Verb/Noun Person
advice	litigation
to rotate	advice
termination	mediation
harassment	competition
origin	to counsel
mediation	share
infringement	to develop
transaction	contract
competition	to lend

C) Look through the following words to make sure that you know them, learn those you don’t.

to land a job (work, employment) to land a job with a respectable firm	знайти роботу; знайти роботу в респектабельній фірмі
commercial litigation []	судовий процес із комерційних питань
to rotate []	чергуватися, змінюватися по черзі;
termination [] wrongful termination	закінчення, кінець, припинення неправомірне припинення терміну дії (контракту)
sexual harassment [΄hærəsmənt] /[hə΄ræsmənt]	сексуальні домагання
gender [΄dЗendə] gender bias	рід, стать упередження за статевою ознакою; статева дискримінація
disability []	каліцтво, непрацездатність;
origin [΄oridЗin]	походження
wage [] (= wages)	заробітна платня (працівників)
dispute [dis´pju:t]/[´dispju:t] parties to dispute	спір, суперечка, сварка; диспут, дискусія сторони в спорі; сторони в конфлікті
to counsel [΄kauns(ə)l]	давати поради, радити, рекомендувати;
advocacy [΄ædvəkəsi]	підтримка, відстоювання, активний публічний захист; адвокатура, професія адвоката
mediation []	посередництво, клопотання, заступництво
trademark [] The unruffled equanimity was his trademark.	1. фабрична марка, торгова марка; 2. відмітний знак; його відмінною рисою була досконала незворушність
trade secret	професійна таємниця, комерційна таємниця, виробнича таємниця, засекречена технологія
copyright []	авторське право
infringement [in΄fridЗmənt] infringement of the constitutional law This edict was an infringement on their autonomy.	порушення (закону), посягання (на права); порушення конституційного права; Цей едикт був посяганням на їх право самоврядування.
domain name [dəu΄mein]	ім’я домену (ім’я, під яким домен відомий у мережі і яке складається з послідовності позначок та розділових знаків)
clearance [΄kliər(ə)ns] rights clearance	дозвіл, віза (на якусь дію), отримання дозволу на якесь право
logo [΄logəu]	логотип, знак фірми, емблема
to carry out /to perform e.g. We all have certain duties and jobs to carry out. to carry out in(to) practice to perform a contract	виконувати; У кожного є свої обов’язки та робота. вводити в життя; впроваджувати; виконувати умови контракту;
IP (Intellectual Property)	інтелектуальна власність
retainer [ri΄teinə]	угода з адвокатом, доручення адвокатові вести справу; попередній гонорар адвокату
competition law (= antitrust law)	антимонопольний закон
merger [΄mə: dЗə]	злиття, об’єднання;
transaction [træn΄zæk∫(ə)n] / [træn΄sæk∫(ə)n] financial transactions	угода, справа, ведення справи; фінансові операції
multi-jurisdictional	що підпадає під різні юрисдикції
criminal cartel (= crime cartel) []	кримінальний картель
with respect to	що стосується
restrictive []	обмежувальний, що накладає обмеження
pulp and paper	целюлозно-паперовий
consumer products [] []	споживчі товари
shareholder []	акціонер, власник акцій
landlord []	орендодавець, домовласник, хазяїн
tenant [΄tenant]	наймач, орендар, тимчасовий власник
developer []	забудовник
contractor []	підрядник, постачальник
lease [li:s]	оренда, контракт про оренду, найм; термін оренди
mortgage [΄mogidЗ]	застава, іпотека, заставна
foreclosure [fo:΄kləuЗə]	позбавлення прав викупу застави; перехід заставленого майна у власність кредитора
accountant [ə΄kauntənt]	бухгалтер
lender	кредитор, позикодавець

1. Read about five lawyers talking about their firms, practice areas and clients. Then tick the information you have learned about each speaker.

1. I’m a newly qualified lawyer and I’ve just landed a job as an associate at a mid-size law firm. The firm offers a wide range of commercial law services. Our lawyers provide advice on many different legal areas, including banking law, corporate law and corporate tax, employment law, commercial litigation, property law, to name a few. In the next months, I’ll be rotating through some of the departments to get an idea about the different practice areas. At present, I’m working in commercial litigation and am enjoying it. My duties include a good deal of client liaison, lots of research and some writing of briefs and letters. Um, while I’m at this firm, I intend to specialize in an area of the law that involves a lot of trial work, because I think I’d really like to be a litigator.

2. I’m a sole practitioner in the area of employment and labour law in a small city. Some of the legal issues I commonly deal with are wrongful termination, sexual harassment, and discrimination on the basis of gender, age, religion, disability, national origin or race. I also handle wage and overtime disputes, employment contracts, public-sector employee issues, and disability and workers’ compensation issues. I counsel clients about their rights and options. I also provide advocacy for them, including representation in mediations, arbitrations and litigation. My clients are primarily individuals. They usually need advice in handling personnel matters and resolving disputes. Two paralegals assist me in my work at my office.

3. As an attorney, I protect the innovations and inventions of my clients. I represent both plaintiffs and defendants in trade-mark, trade-secret and copyright infringement suits in both state and federal courts. I have a good deal of experience in domain-name disputes. I carry out international trade-mark and service-mark registrations and do availability searches and clearances of marks, trade names and logos. My work also involves providing counselling to photographers, architects, graphic designers and creators of fine art. I try to give them an understanding of the laws and procedures that affect them and their businesses. I also serve as a trial consultant and expert witness in IP law. For bigger cases requiring additional staffing and resources, I have a good working relationship with a large IP firm and can arrange representation under this firm if a client requests it. This requires a separate retainer agreement.

4. I’m a senior partner in a large law firm. My main areas of expertise are competition law and international trade law. I advise domestic and international clients on all aspects of competition and international trade laws, including domestic and multi-jurisdictional merger transactions, criminal cartel cases, and trade and pricing practices. I represent clients before the Competition Tribunal in merger transactions. I advise clients on a regular basis with respect to restrictive trade practices under the Competition Act. Some of the industries my clients come from include transportation, steel, pulp and paper, telecommunications, media and entertainment, financial services, electronic products and services, food services, and consumer products. On a regular basis I write papers and hold presentations for business and professional audiences on various topics dealing with competition and international trade law.

5. I’m a shareholder in my firm and am head of my firm’s Litigation Division. I represent landlords, tenants, developers and contractors and have tried many cases (mostly to successful conclusion) in court or arbitration. I assist clients with all types of real-estate-related litigation, including lease and contract disputes, mortgage foreclosures, property-tax disputes and land-use disputes. My practice also involves all types of real-estate transactions. In addition to lecturing and writing about real-estate issues for professional groups, including lawyers, accountants, lenders and real-estate professionals, I teach courses on real-estate law for law students at the local university. I’m an active member of several professional organisations, including the state and national bar associations, to name but two.

Speaker 1... 1 has a few years’ working experience. 2 works as a clerk at a mid-size commercial law firm. 3 will get to know other departments of the firm. 4 meets with clients regularly. 5 plans to specialise in commercial litigation	□ □ □ □ □
Speaker 2 ... 1 is a sole practitioner. 2 works in the area of employment law. 3 deals with wage disputes. 4 represents clients in mediation. 5 has many clients who are small businesses.	□ □ □ □ □
Speaker 3 ... 1 works in the area of secured transactions. 2 carries out trade-mark registrations. 3 assists clients who are in artistic professions. 4 serves as an expert witness in court. 5 is a partner in a large IP firm.	□ □ □ □ □
Speaker 4 ... 1 is a senior partner in a mid-size law firm. 2 specialises in competition law. 3 represents clients before the employment tribunal. 4 deals with infringements of the Competition Act. 5 has clients in the telecommunications sector.	□ □ □ □ □
Speaker 5 ... 1 owns shares in his firm. 2 argues cases in court. 3 works in the area of real property law. 4 represents landlords but not tenants. 5 teaches courses on litigation at the law university.	□ □ □ □ □

2. Match the words with their definitions.

1. termination	a. one that owns and rents land, buildings, or dwelling units
2. mediation	b. an agreement under which a person borrows money to buy property, esp a house, and the lender may take possession of the property if the borrower fails to repay the money
3. infringement	c. the act of giving a formal (usually written) authorization
4. clearance	d. the legal proceedings initiated by a creditor to repossess the collateral for loan that is in default
5. transaction	e. the act of ending something
6. landlord	f. the act of carrying on commercial activities within or between groups
7. tenant	g. a contract by which property is conveyed to a person for a specified period, usually for rent
8. mortgage	h. a negotiation to resolve differences that is conducted by some impartial party
9. foreclosure	i. one that pays rent to use or occupy land, a building, or other property owned by another
10. lease	j. a violation, as of a law, regulation, or agreement; a breach.

3. Discuss these questions.

1 Which kind of firm do you work in or would you like to work in?

2 Which areas of the law have you specialised in or would like to specialise in?

Reading 4: Law firm culture

Pre-reading task.

A) Look through the following words to make sure that you know them, learn those you don’t.

solo []	(adj.) сольний; одиночний; самостійний; (adv.) поодинці; соло
boutique firm [bu:΄ti:k]	невеличка агенція, що надає мінімальну кількість спеціалізованих послуг
tremendous [tri΄mendəs]	величезний, гігантський
to vary [] to vary a few minutes one way or the other the prices vary with the season the second edition varied little from the first opinions vary on this point	1. змінювати; вносити зміни; мінятися, змінюватися; коливатися в межах декількох хвилин ціни залежать від сезону 2. різнитися; розходитися; відхилятися; відрізнятися друге видання мало відрізнялося від першого думки з цього питання розходяться
to tend to tend to / towards radicalism	1. мати тенденцію; схилятись (до чогось); прагнути; 2. мати схильність, бути схильним; мати властивість; мати в собі елементи (чогось) схилятися до радикалізму;
network	мережа, взаємозв’язана група людей, організація, спільнота

1. Read this excerpt from an article in a law-school newspaper about law firm culture. Which type of firm would you prefer to work for? Why?

One factor which plays an important role in the culture of a law firm is its size. Law firms can range from a one-person solo practice (conducted by a sole practitioner) to global firms employing hundreds of attorneys all over the world. A small law firm, which typically engages from two to ten lawyers, is sometimes known as a boutique firm, as it often specialises in a specific area of the law. A mid-size law firm generally has ten to 50 lawyers, while a large law firm is considered to be one employing 50 or more attorneys.

2. Read about Richard, a law student, talking to a group of first-year law students at an orientation event at law school. He tells them about his experience as a clerk in different law firms. Answer these questions.

1. Why do the professors encourage students to do work experience?

2. How long have Richard’s clerkships generally lasted?

3. What is Richard’s final piece of advice?

Hi, for those of you who don’t know me yet, my name’s Richard Bailey. I’m here to tell you about my experience doing summer and winter clerkships. In law school, the professors will always tell you that it’s important to do some sort of work experience because it’ll improve your future job opportunities. Have you heard that yet? Well, it’s definitely true. I’m now in my last year here, and I started doing summer and winter clerkships in my first year. It’s been a tremendous learning experience.

Most of my clerkships have lasted for a period of four weeks. I’ve tried to vary the firms I work for, from a small two-man firm right through to a huge global firm. Each firm was different. At smaller firms, I was expected to be more independent and was responsible for more things. I liked that a lot. Since I was usually the only clerk there at the time, I’d have to do whatever work needed to be done.

Working at the bigger firms was quite different. I was usually one among many clerks. The work I performed there tended to concern bigger cases that were quite important and so they had more ‘prestige’ []. That was really interesting. At the larger firms, I usually had a chance to move between groups in different practice areas, helping out where needed. This allowed me to gain some insight into what was involved in the legal work carried out in these teams and in the different practice areas.

At the smaller firms, I wrote case briefs for the partners and associates, and all kinds of correspondence with clients from the first day on, which I liked doing. At the bigger firms, I was asked to do research and to help to maintain court books. That was a useful learning experience, too.

In my opinion, the main advantage of a clerkship at a large firm is that you meet a lot of new people. There’s a big network of people - so many different lawyers and clients. There’s also a greater emphasis on learning and developing the various skills a lawyer needs in courses and seminars.

I must say that both the larger and the smaller firms tried to give me a sense of being a part of the company, as if I really belonged to their team. At the larger firms, I was even invited to some of their social events, and that was really fun. However, the smaller firms definitely made you feel more comfortable: everything was more friendly and relaxed. But in both types of firms I never felt that I was wasting my time.

My advice to you all is that it’s really important to try to do clerkships, starting in your first year of law school. I also think it’s valuable to get to know a variety of firms, with different practice areas and different sizes. I’m sure it will help you decide what kind of law you want to practise later, and what kind of law firm you’d feel most comfortable in.

3. Read through the text again and tick the advantages of small and large law firms Richard mentions. In some cases, he says both types of firm have the same advantage.

Advantages	Small firms	Large firms
more autonomy and responsibility
opportunity to work on prestigious cases
chance to rotate through different practice areas
asked to write briefs and letters
allowed to conduct research and manage court books
opportunity to make many contacts
more training offered
made to feel part of a team
invited to participate in social events
family-like atmosphere
made good use of time

4. Discuss these questions.

1. Do you have any experience working as a clerk in a law firm? In what ways was it similar or different from Richard’ experience?

2. What kinds of tasks and responsibilities do clerks in a firm have?

3. Do you agree with the way Richard characterises small and large law firms?