Legal English

This course is designed for attorneys, business people, law students or those with a reasonable proficiency in English and an interest in law. The course will be a good start for those who wish to begin the journey towards being able to read, write, discuss and understand legal topics in English. Material will cover basic concepts in English common law (which is the basis of the legal systems in the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other jurisdictions) as well as elementary legal vocabulary, readings and exercises, with a particular emphasis on areas such as contracts and international trade. We will also examine statutes, case law and contractual provisions in the context of the development of common law.

1. Understanding of legal concepts and related vocabulary.
2. Analyzing issues from a legal perspective.
3. Ability to discuss legal topics.

Attorneys, business people, law students, persons preparing for LLM or other legal study or those with a reasonable proficiency in English and an interest in law

No required textbook

Christopher Rathbone

Christopher Rathbone is a foreign associate at the full-service law firm, City-Yuwa Partners in Tokyo where he specializes in international transactions. He has taught classes and provided seminars on legal translation, legal writing and contracts for Japanese, Korean, Cambodian and US universities, as well as the Tokyo offices of many top US law firms. As a long term resident of Japan who is fluent in Japanese, Mr. Rathbone’s classes and seminars provide both practical information and cultural insights. In addition to legal writing and contracts, he frequently gives presentations on diverse topics including Plain English and the legal profession in Japan and the US. As a health advocate, he also writes articles and speaks on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the intersection of tobacco and human rights. Mr. Rathbone graduated with honors from the University of Saskatchewan and earned a J.D. from the College of Law of the University of Saskatchewan and an LL.M. from Hokkaido University as a Monbusho Scholar. He is admitted as an attorney in Massachusetts.