Introduction to the language of criminal law
What you'll learn
- Learn or review fundamental vocabulary/terminology related to criminal law
- Learn or review fundamental collocations in the area of criminal law
- Learn or review fundamental prepositions in the area of criminal law
- Learn or review the chronology of criminal procedure
- Learn or review key types of crimes
- Practice and perfect listening, reading and comprehension skills based on videos and readings that discuss recent and relevant criminal law cases
- Practice case briefing skills
Requirements
- at least low-intermediate level in English
Description
Do you find yourself stuck when reading a legal text on criminal law due to the language used? Are you confused or feel lost when listening to native English speakers discuss a criminal law issue due to the complexity of the terminology?
This course is intended for anyone either studying or working in some capacity in the field of criminal law (and particularly for non-native English speakers). It introduces students (or provides a good review for those already with some knowledge) to key vocabulary, concepts, collocations and prepositions in the area of criminal law. It can also be a good introduction to the world of criminal law for those with no background in that field whatsoever.
This course offers a quick practical introduction to the area of criminal law with focus on key terminology, collocations, prepositions, procedural chronology, case brief writing and reading/listening comprehension based on current and controversial criminal law cases. By the end of the course, you should have the basics of the language of criminal law to be able to understand and communicate with others smoothly and accurately.
You will learn key terminology related to types of criminal offences; review typical chronology of a criminal case; study key criminal law concepts and terms, etc. You will perfect your reading comprehension skills based on a recent controversial "manslaugter by words" case along with structuring a basic case brief, a skill required of any law student. Similarly, you will also perfect your listening / video comprehension skills based on two videos dealing with current global white collar crimes (financial crimes) cases: the first one relating to Elizabeth Holmes' criminal trial and the second related to sentencing process of white collar crime convicts.
This mini course is not intended to go in-depth into the area of criminal law, but rather, provide you with the very basics to be able to speak, read, write and understand content related to this area of law.
The approach is rather practical with an introductory session of approx. 80 minutes accompanied by a pdf script of everything said in the video along with key exercises in order to put the theory into practice. All the materials mentioned in the video are attached as resources in each of the 6 Lectures.
Feel also free to leave your comments and thoughts related to the criminal law related questions raised in the course, particularly through the two video comprehension excercises and the reading comprehension exercise on the course forum.
Who this course is for:
- The course is intended for legal professionals as well as university or college students seeking to expand or check their knowledge in the area of basic criminal law
Instructor
- 4.3 Instructor Rating
- 226 Reviews
- 8,421 Students
- 3 Courses
I am a lawyer licensed to practice law in Canada, with nearly 10 years of experience in preparation, review and finalization of all types of legal and financial documentation. From 2003 until 2009 I worked in the above mentioned capacity at one of Canada’s oldest and well established law offices, Green and Spiegel, L.L.P. For the following 6 years I owned and managed my own full-service law practice.
I am currently living in Madrid where, for the past 8 years, I have been teaching Legal, Finance and Fiscal English (Ingles Juridico/Financiero/Fiscal) and preparing/reviewing legal translations. My clients include or included a number of private educational institutions such as IE, CUNEF, C.U. Villanueva, the offices of important law firms such as Ontier Espana, Cuatrecasas, Kennedys, Mavens, Dentons and legal departments of large companies such as Bankinter and El Corte Ingles.
My courses are both face-to-face and online, often tailor-made as per the specifications and needs of each law firm or educational institution where I teach, focusing on commercial law (the language of contracts, business formation, corporations, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, etc.), litigation, criminal, tort and practical skills areas such as the language of emailing, negotiating, etc.
I also develop all-original course materials, including video-based exercises dealing with key legal terminology, collocations and prepositions related to latest legal news from around the world that usually make up not only for interesting content but also spark debate in class.