LEGAL ENGLISH: BOOK 1

Core Vocabulary

302 Terms | 141 Pages

The Foundation Every Legal Professional Needs

Master the essential language of law. From courtroom to contract, this is where your legal English journey begins.

WHAT'S INSIDE

Chapter 1: Legal System & Courts

Common law, precedent, jurisdiction, statute, appeal, Supreme Court, tribunal...

Chapter 2: Contract Law Essentials

Offer, acceptance, consideration, breach, damages, termination, force majeure...

Chapter 3: Tort Law Fundamentals

Negligence, duty of care, causation, liability, defamation, nuisance...

Chapter 4: Procedural Terms

Claimant, defendant, pleadings, disclosure, injunction, judgment, enforcement...

Chapter 5: Legal Documents & Drafting

Deed, covenant, warranty, indemnity, schedule, recital, boilerplate...

Chapter 6: Professional Communication

Without prejudice, subject to contract, undertaking, instructions...

STRONG POINTS

✓ IPA Pronunciation — Say every term correctly

✓ Dual Examples — Formal legal + plain English

✓ UK/US Differences — Work internationally with confidence

✓ Common Mistakes — Avoid embarrassing errors

✓ Usage Notes — Know the collocations that matter

✓ Plain English — Explain law to any client

WHO NEEDS THIS

• Law students starting their studies
• LLM candidates at English-speaking universities
• Paralegals and legal secretaries
• Translators entering legal work
• International lawyers building foundations
• ILEC / TOLES exam candidates

SAMPLE ENTRY

negligence /ˈneɡlɪdʒəns/ (noun)

Definition: Failure to take reasonable care, resulting in damage to another.

Formal: The claimant alleges negligence in the defendant's failure to maintain the premises.

Practical: Negligence is when someone doesn't take proper care and causes harm—like a shop not cleaning up a spill.

Usage: Key collocations: contributory negligence, gross negligence, professional negligence, negligence claim.

UK vs US: UK: Negligence | US: Negligence (same term, different procedural rules)

Common mistake: ❌ "The doctor made a negligence" ✓ "The doctor was negligent" / "committed negligence"

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