Essentials of Legal Writing - HP1462

• Title: Essentials of Legal Writing
• Guaranteed by: Department of Foreign Languages (22-KJ)
• Faculty: Faculty of Law
• Actual: from 2015 to 2017
• Semester: winter
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 4
• Examination process: winter s.:
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:0/2, Ex [HT]
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: doc. PhDr. Marta Chromá, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Sean Davidson, J.D.; doc. PhDr. Marta Chromá, Ph.D.
• Class: cizí jazyky pro právníky
• Classification: Law > Foreign Languages for Lawyers
• Pre-requisite : {Skupina jazykových předmětů I a II povinně volitelných nebo další cizí jazyk - angličtina}
• In complex pre-requisite: HM2101

Annotation

Last update: doc. PhDr. Marta Chromá, Ph.D. (15.09.2018)

Předmět je určen studentům 3., 4. a 5. ročníku s DOBROU znalostí angličtiny, kteří si chtějí zdokonalit své dovednosti v psaném anglickém právnickém jazyce.
Cílem předmětu je seznámit studenty se základními postupy, které podmiňují dobrou úroveň jejich písemného projevu v právních oblastech.
Studenti si tak mohou uvědomit, jak se obsah a forma písemného projevu vzájemně podmiňují a jakými jazykovými a formálními prostředky lze jasně a srozumitelně sdělit zamýšlený obsah jak (právně) poučenému tak nepoučenému příjemci informace (písemná komunikace právník-právník a právník-klient laik).

Aim of the course

Last update: doc. PhDr. Marta Chromá, Ph.D. (14.08.2016)

Introducing students to the BASIC principles of legal writing in English (various types of official letters, memos, briefs)

Requirements to the exam

Last update: doc. PhDr. Marta Chromá, Ph.D. (15.09.2018)

1) Attendance is required: each student must attend at least 8 of the 10 lessons.

 

2) Final assessment for the course is based on the average mark of all 5 assignments.

 

3) Follow the deadlines: penalty of one mark (e.g. 1 -> 2) for each day an assignment is late, meaning that turning it in three days late would result in a “4”.

 

4) Warning:  all assignments must be appropriately completed and turned in within 10 days of the deadline in order to be deemed to have successfully completed the course (i.e. to receive credit for the course).

Syllabus

Last update: doc. PhDr. Marta Chromá, Ph.D. (15.09.2018)

 

Texts Covered

Letter            

a) Cover letter (and CV) - application for the position of a student assistant in a law firm;

b) Letter before action (letter of demand to opposing counsel)

c) Letter of advice

d) Letter of resignation

Memorandum - Research and analysis of a legal problem

Contract - Lease Agreement - explaining contractual terms

Case brief - Writing a synopsis of the important points of a case

 

Week 1

Writing a cover letter and resume (c.v.)

Writing Assignment 1

Week 2

Writing a letter of advice to a client  (Company Law context)

Week 3

Fundamental contract vocabulary and phrases (Lease Contract context)                          

Writing Assignment 2

Week 4

Writing a letter before action and a letter of demand  (Family Law context)

Week 5

Explaining statutory requirements to a client  (Administrative Law context)

Writing Assignment 3

Week 6

Writing a research memorandum  (Torts Law context)

Week 7

In-class memorandum workshop  (Torts Law context)

Writing Assignment 4

Week 8

Formal writing - a proposal to a client (Business Law context)

Week 9

Writing a case brief (Criminal Law context)

Writing Assignment 5:

Week 10

Workshop with a US attorney on various aspects of writing arguments in civil litigation

Learning resources

Last update: doc. PhDr. Marta Chromá, Ph.D. (16.01.2018)

Recommended:

Bryan A. Garner, Legal Writing in Plain English, Second Edition: A Text with Exercises (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), University Of Chicago Press; Second Edition edition (August 26, 2013)

Richard C. Wydick, Plain English for Lawyers, Carolina Academic Press; 5th edition (July 30, 2005)

Richard K. Neumann Jr., Kris Tiscione, Legal Reasoning and Legal Writing: Structure, Strategy, and Style, Seventh Edition (Aspen Coursebook), Aspen Publishers; 7 edition (March 6, 2013)