Legal Language

COURSE CONTENT

 UNIT I

Legal Language- Meaning and Scope, Importance of Language in Law, Problems of Legal Language, Plain English the Lingua Franca of Legal Language, Gender problems in Legal Language, Language Variation due to inter Language contact.

 

UNIT II

The Mechanism of Legal Studies:

Law Library Consultation, Law Reports, Statutes and Periodicals/Journals, Encyclopedia, Digests, Legal Dictionaries, Text Books, Law Reform Material, Explanation of Citation and Reference, Preparing Bibliography, Searching Relevant Case Law- In Law Reports/ Journals,

C.D. Rom and Online Data Base, Indexes and glossaries,

Legal abbreviations

 

UNIT III

Legal Vocabulary:

Legal and Technical Terms specifically used in Law

Accord and Satisfaction, Adverse Possession, Appellate Jurisdiction, Bail, Balance of Interest, Champtery and Maintenance, Case Law, Injunctions, Decree, Caveat emptor, Plaintiff, Defendant, Appellant, Respondent, Juvenile, Double Jeopardy, Conviction, Acquittal, Due Process, Covenant, Deed, Leading questions, Damages, Lien, Void, Voidable, Parole, Next Friend, Prospective, Retrospective, Writ, Judgment Debtor, Surety, Mortgage, Bailment, Pledge.

 

Phrases used in Law

Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea, Audi alteram Partem, Ex nudo pacto non oritur actio, Exturpi causa non oritur actio, Ignorantia facti excusa ignorantia juris non excusat, Ignorantia juris non excusat, Nemo datquod non habet, Novus actus interveniens or Nova cuasa interveniens, Qui facit per aliumfacit per se, Respondeat Superior, Res ipsa loquitur, Salus populi est suprema lex, Ubi jus ibi idem remedium, Volenti non fit injuria, Actus Curiae Neminem Gravabit.

 Foreign Words

Ab initio, Actus Animi, Act in pais, Actus reus, Ad hoc, Ad idem, Ad infitium, Ad valorem, Alias, Alibi, Ambiguitas –patent, Ambiguitas Latens, Amicus curirae, Animus domini, Animus

possidendi, Causa mortis, Causa proxima, Corpus juris, Caveat, Caveat emptor, De Facto, De jure,

Decree nisi, Detenue, Dictum, Ex officio, Ex parte, En route, Ex post facto , Inter se, In curia, Inter alia, In toto, Inter vivos, Ipso facto, Intra vires, Jus civile, Jus in rem , jus ad rem, Jus natural, Leissez faire, Lex fori, Lex Loci, Lis pendens

 

UNIT IV

Precis writing/summarizing from a given passage; (250 words Approx.)

Identifying & explaining legal terms from the passage given above (given passage may be taken from any leading case.), Report Writing: Law Reports, Official Report, News Paper Reports

 

UNIT V

Essay writing on Current Legal Issues (one out of four)