Legal Education in Great Britain

Warming-up:

1. Do you know what the general purpose and method of the law course at Cambridge is?

2. Would you like to have subjects on offer at your University? Give your reasons? What subjects would you choose?

intend	мати намір
vocational perspective	професійна перспектива
encourage	спонукати
Interpretation of law	тлумачення права
read law	вивчати право
practise law	практикувати право
Tripos	екзамени або курс в Кембріджі
subject on offer/option	предмет за вибором
ethical judgement	етичне судочинство
postgraduate	аспірант
Property Law	майнове право
Jurisprudence	філософія права
participate in the seminar course	приймати участь в семінарах
submit a dissertation	представити дисертацію

Task 1. Read the text quickly and decide which paragraph:

1. gives information about the subjects students can study on a first degree course;

2. explains the general purpose and method of the course;

3. gives information about Master’s degree courses;

4. says what most law students do before and after they go to university.

Law

A) The Law course at Cambridge is intended to give a thorough grounding in the principles of law viewed from an academic rather than a vocational perspective. There are opportunities to study the history of law and to consider the subject in its wider social context. The emphasis is on principle and technique. Skills of interpretation and logical reasoning are developed, and students are encouraged to consider broader questions such as ethical judgement, political liberty and social control.

B) Although many undergraduates who read law do so with the intention of practising, many do not, preferring instead to go into administration, industrial management or accountancy. Candidates intending to read law need not have studied any particular subject at school. It is as common for undergraduates to have a scientific or mathematical background at A-level as it is for them to have studied history or languages.

C) Undergraduates reading law for three years take Part IA of the Tripos at the end of the first year. This comprises four papers: Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, the Law of Tort and Roman Law. In the second year five subjects are studied for Part IB of the Law Tripos which is taken at the end of the year. The range of subjects on offer is wide – from Family Law to International Law – though in practice most undergraduates take Contract and Land Law as two of their papers. In the third year, five subjects are studied for Part II of the Tripos. The range of options is even wider then in Part IB. According to preference an undergraduate may develop his or her interest in property law (including trusts and conveyancing law), commercial law, public law (including Administrative Law and EEC Law), or in more academic and sociological aspects of law, such as Jurisprudence, Legal History, Labour Law and Criminology. Candidates may also participate in the seminar course, submitting a dissertation in place of one paper.

D) Candidates for the postgraduate LL.M. take any four papers selected from a wide range of options in English Law, Legal History, Civil Law, Public Law, International Law, and Comparative Law and Legal Philosophy.

Task 2. Give the English equivalents of the following word-expressions:

Кримінальне право, бути спрямованим, професійна перспектива, спонукати, екзаменаційний курс, приймати участь в семінарах, філософія права, випускник університету, адміністративне право, соціальний контекст, тлумачення закону, вивчати право, практикувати право, наукова база, предмет за вибором, представити дисертацію.

Task 3. Match the English and the Ukrainian equivalents:

Constitutional Law	Міжнародне право
Criminal Law	Підприємницьке право
Administrative Law	Договірне право
Family Law	Конфліктологія
Legal History	Трудове право
Criminal Procedure and Criminal Evidence	Конституційне право
Law of Contract	Історія права
Land Law	Кримінальний процес
International Law	Адміністративне право
Commercial Law	Земельне право
Labour Law	Кримінальне право
Conflict of Laws	Сімейне право

Task 4. Read and decide if the following statements are true or false:

• The Law course at Cambridge is intended to give a thorough grounding in the principles of law viewed from an academic rather than a vocational perspective.

• Skills of interpretation and logical reasoning are not developed, and students are encouraged to consider broader questions such as ethical judgment, political liberty and social control.

• Candidates intending to read law need have studied some particular subject at school.

• Undergraduates reading law for three years take Part IA of the Tripos at the end of the first year.

• In the second year six subjects are studied for Part IB of the Law Tripos which is taken at the end of the year.

• The range of subjects on offer is wide – from Family Law to International Law – though in practice most undergraduates take Contract and Land Law as two of their papers.

• Candidates may also participate in the seminar course, submitting dissertations in place of two papers.

Task 5.Complete the sentences using the following words:

Undergraduates, emphasis, Tripos, opportunities, intention, interpretation, postgraduate;

1. There are _________ to study the history of law and to consider the subject in its wider social context.

2. The _______ is on principle and technique.

3. Although many undergraduates who read law do so with the ___________ of practising, many do not, preferring instead to go into administration, industrial management or accountancy.

4. It is as common for ________________ to have a scientific or mathematical background at A-level as it is for them to have studied history or languages.

5. Skills of _____________ and logical reasoning are developed.

6. In the third year, five subjects are studied for Part II of the _________.

7. Candidates for the ________ LL.M. take any four papers selected from a wide range of options in English Law, Legal History, Civil Law, Public Law, International Law, and Comparative Law and Legal Philosophy.

Task 6.Read the text and choose the correct word in brackets:

The Law course at Cambridge (is intended/intended) to give a thorough grounding in the principles of law viewed from an academic rather than a vocational perspective. There are (opportunities/possibilities) to study the history of law and to consider the subject in its wider social context. The (emphasis/emphasies) is on principle and technique. Skills of interpretation and logical reasoning are (develop/developed), and students are encouraged to consider broader questions such as ethical judgement, political liberty and social control. Although many (undergraduates/ undergraduates) who read law do so with the intention of practicing, many do not, preferring instead to go into administration, industrial management or accountancy. Candidates intending to read law need not have (studied/study) any particular subject at school. It is as (common/usual) for undergraduates to have a scientific or mathematical background at A-level as it is for them to have studied history or languages.

Undergraduates (read/reading) law for three years take Part IA of the Tripos at the end of the first year. This comprises four (papers/paper): Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, the Law of Tort and Roman Law. In the (first/second) year five subjects are studied for Part IB of the Law Tripos which is taken at the end of the year.

In the (third/ three)year, five subjects are studied for Part II of the Tripos.

Candidates for the (graduate/postgraduate) LL.M. take any four papers selected from a wide range of options in English Law, Legal History, Civil Law, Public Law, International Law, and Comparative Law and Legal Philosophy.

Task 7.Match the words and their definitions:

Tripos –	law relating to civil wrongs which is not only breach of contract, for which the person who suffers harm can obtain damages
Jurisprudence –	a course or examination at Cambridge
E.E.C. Law –	the exams English schoolchildren take at the age of 18 if they want to go to University
Law of Tort –	philosophy of law
A-level –	the system of law created by the European Communities
Equity –	Bachelor of Laws
Conveyancing Law –	Master of Laws
LLB	the branch of Land Law relating to the practical transfer of property
LLM –	rules and remedies which supplement the common law

Task 8.Find words or phrases in the text which mean the following:

1. In paragraph A:

• abilities;

• the process of logical thinking;

• relating to moral principles.

In paragraph B:

• follow a course (such as Law or Medicine) at university;

• working in a profession;

• to work in.

In paragraph C:

• examinations;

• things you can choose;

• a long piece of academic written work.

In paragraph D:

• If LL.B. means Bachelor of Laws, what do you suppose LL.M. means?

Task 9.Answer the following questions:

1. Does the Law course at Cambridge give an academic legal education or teach students to become lawyers?

2. What intellectual abilities does the law course at Cambridge develop?

3. Does the Law course at Cambridge only include strict (pure) law?

4. Do most Cambridge Law graduates become lawyers?

5. Should people who want to read Law study science or humanitarian subjects at school?

6. Can students choose the subjects they study in the first and second years of the law course?

7. Do students have the same options in the second year and in the third year?

8. Must students take an exam in all the subjects they study?

9. How many exams do postgraduates take?

Task 10.Choose the right form of noun in the brackets:

1. The Law (course/courses) at Cambridge is intended to give a thorough grounding in the principles of law viewed from an academic rather than a vocational perspective.

2. There are (opportunities/opportunity) to study the history of law and to consider the subject in its wider social context.

3. The (emphasis/emphases) is on principle and technique.

4. (Skill/skills) of interpretation and logical reasoning are developed.

5. Many (undergraduate/undergraduates) read law with the intention of practicing.

6. The range of (subject/subjects) on offer is wide.

7. Candidates may also participate in the seminar course, submitting a (dissertation /dissertations) in place of one paper.

8. (Candidate/candidates) for the postgraduate LL.M. take four papers.

Task 11.Questions to debating:

1. What sort of school education did you get? Does it help you in your studies at the law faculty?

2. If you were a student at Cambridge University, which subjects would you choose to study?

3. What area of law interests you most? Why?

4. What are your plans for future?

5. What do you think are advantages/disadvantages of Law Course at Cambridge?

6. Where do most graduates of our University work? Why?

7. What are any particular differences or similarities between law students at our University and Cambridge?

Task 12.Read and comprehend the text:

Law School is the term used in the United States to indicate an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. In the U.S. law is a graduate degree, which students embark upon only after completing an undergraduate degree in some other field; the undergraduate degree can be in any field. In most cases the degree granted by American law schools in the Juris Doctor, or J.D., degree.

Other degrees that are awarded include the Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) and the Doctor of Juridical Science degree (J.S.D.). A law school is usually an autonomous entity within a larger university and is considered to be a graduate or professional school program.

In the United States, most schools require a bachelor’s degree (LL.B.), a satisfactory undergraduate grade point average, and a satisfactory score on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) in order to be considered for admission.

Some States that have non-ABA (American Bar Association) approved schools or State-Accredited schools have equivalency requirements that usually equal 90 credits toward a bachelor’s degree. Additional personal factors are evaluated through essays, short-answer questions, letters of recommendation, and other application materials. The standards for grades and LSAT scores vary from school to school. Highly-regarded law schools accept only those applicants with very high LSAT scores, or financial and political leverage.

Individual factors are also very important, although applicants are virtually never asked to interview as part of the application process. Such factors are evaluated through other application materials.

Most law schools now factor in extracurricular activities, work experience, and unique courses of study

in their evaluation of applicants.

Students considering law school should note that although law school tuition is notoriously high, it is not uncommon for law students to receive grants and scholarships, or more rarely complete tuition waivers, from their schools.

A student who could get into a “better” school – has a good chance of being offered some kind of scholarship by the lower-ranked school.

Law students are referred to as 1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls, based on their year of study. In the United States, the American Bar Association mandates a curriculum for 1Ls that includes:

• Civil procedure

• Constitutional law

• Contracts

• Criminal law

• Decision making

• Legal research

• Legal writing

• Property

• Torts

These basic courses are intended to provide an overview of the broad study of law. Not all ABA-approved law schools offer all of these courses in the 1L year; a significant number of schools make constitutional law and/or criminal law required upper-level courses. Some schools roll legal research and legal writing into a single year-long “lawyering skills” course, which may also include a small oral argument component.

The law school curriculum, ironically, results in lawyers who are ill-prepared for the realities of lawyering. Although students may know how to do legal research, they are not trained in dealing with clients, opposing counsel or how to navigate the court system. Some schools offer courses in negotiation, discovery procedures, trial advocacy and argument. However, actual lawyering is learned on the job.

After the first year, law students are generally free to pursue different fields of legal study, such as administrative law, corporate law, international law, admiralty law, intellectual property law, and tax law. They may also take clinics, which offer hands-on experience providing free legal services to the surrounding community.

Many law students participate in internship programs during their course of study. Some become assistants (“clerks”) for local, state, and federal judges; others work in law firms, corporations, or legal aid clinics.

Examinations usually entail interpreting the facts of a hypothetical case, determining how legal theories apply to the case, and then writing an essay. The process is intended to train students in the reasoning methods necessary to interpret theories, statutes, and precedents correctly, and argue their validity, both orally and in writing. In contrast, most civil law countries base their legal education on professorial lectures and oral examinations, which are more suited for the mastery of complicated civil codes.

Task 13.Check if you can guess the meaning of these words:

embark upon; award; equivalency; requirements; evaluate; leverage; factor in; extracurricular activities; tuition; notoriously; scholarship; waiver; mandate; navigate the court system; negotiation.

Task 14.Match Ukrainian and English equivalents:

obtain	розпочинати справу
mandate	досягнення в політиці
embark upon	включати правове розслідування
average	орієнтуватись в судовій системі
political leverage	правове документознавство
roll legal research	брати участь в інтернській програмі
legal writing	мати повноваження
navigate the court system	середня кількість
participate in internship program	надбати

Task 15.Fill in the gaps with a, an and some where necessary:

1. …undergraduate

2. …postgraduate

3. …subject

4. …education

5. …interpretation

6. …information

7. …control

8. …advice

9. …property

10. …knowledge

Task 16. Give the plural form of the given nouns. Pay attention to the countable and uncountable nouns:

Dictionary, university, student, information, subject, degree, course, advice, law, opportunity, education, emphasis, technique, knowledge, liberty, accountancy, postgraduate;

Task 17. Make up your own sentences using the words which are given. Pay attention to the verb:

Education, information, advice, knowledge, justice, help, behaviour, news, liberty, research;