Overview
The Legal English and Legal Writing Seminar is a comprehensive and dynamic program for legal practitioners and law students to enhance their understanding of English legal terminology and improve their legal writing and reasoning skills. By exploring the US legal system—covering critical areas such as contract law, constitutional law, commercial law, and legal drafting—participants will gain the practical tools to navigate both US legal practice and international legal contexts. This seminar offers more than just language acquisition and improvement. In addition, it introduces participants to the foundational principles of US legal reasoning, empowering them to apply legal concepts and terminology with confidence and precision. This course will provide the skills necessary to thrive in a multi-jurisdictional legal environment, whether you aim to work with US clients, firms, or organizations, or are preparing for an LL.M. program in the United States. Interactive and hands-on, the seminar includes a blend of lectures, individual writing and speaking exercises, and collaborative group projects, ensuring that participants gain a comprehensive understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of US law. Additionally, by special request, the International Law Institute offers complimentary one-on-one tutoring sessions with US lawyers to provide personalized feedback on writing samples and deepen participants’ understanding of course materials.
Format
The seminars are currently offered both in-person and online simultaneously, at the choice of the participant. This choice must be indicated at the time of registration. A small number of courses are scheduled to be delivered exclusively in person or online, and are indicated as such in the schedule. In-Person Only seminars usually start at 9:30 am Washington D.C. time. Daily sessions usually end at 4:00 pm. Breaks (including the lunch break) are allocated as appropriate. Online Only seminars will be delivered through five (for 1-week course) or ten (for 2-weeks course) live online sessions via videoconferencing platform. Each session will last approximately 3.5 hours and will be scheduled to start within a time window of 7:00 am – 8:30 am Washington D.C. time. Hybrid In-Person/Online seminars will start at a time most convenient to both in-person and online participants, and will generally follow the In-Person seminar format. We expect the classes to be highly interactive and can include presentations, case studies and exercises.
Course Outline
- U.S. Legal institutions
- Introduction to Common Law
- Researching and interpreting cases in the U.S. legal system
- Legal research (including practical exercises)
- Contract law
- Legal Writing and analysis (including exercises)
- Overview of U.S. business law
- Overview of commercial arbitration in the U.S.
- The U.S. Role in International Trade
- Effective Negotiation Techniques in Commercial Context
Course Advisor
Jacob M. Coate is an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he specializes in antitrust and other complex litigation. He has a passion for making legal writing concise, straightforward, entertaining, and effective. Jacob previously served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Gruender of the U.S. Court of Appeals and for Judge Gwin of the U.S. District Court. He was also a Constitutional Law Fellow at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and an associate at an international law firm. Jacob graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. Before that, he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University.
