On August 15, the Legal English Institute (LEI) at Fordham Law School welcomed 22 new participants. The participants are practicing lawyers and law students from 11 countries around the world: Albania, Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, France, Ghana, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey. For the first time since spring 2020, the program will take place fully in person at the Law School’s campus in New York City.
“We are thrilled to welcome such a diverse and impressive roster of students for our first in-person cohort since the pandemic began,” said Bernard Daraz, associate director of international and non-J.D. programs and a program co-director. “This program has always attracted engaged students and practitioners with varied levels of English proficiency and professional experience, and this semester is no exception.”
This semester-long program was created by Toni Jaeger-Fine in 2017 to introduce participants to the U.S. legal system, the fundamentals of U.S. law, and practical lawyering skills while helping to enhance legal English proficiency.
“We found that many international students and lawyers who wanted to take the LL.M. program needed a course like this to bridge the gap in their knowledge and English language skills before starting a U.S. LL.M. program. We also found that international lawyers seek out this program to gain very practical lawyering skills applicable to global practice,” said Jaeger-Fine. “We are proud of the many lawyers and students who have come through the program.”
The following courses comprise the LEI curriculum:
- Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Law Study
- Foundations of Private Law
- Contract Drafting and Negotiation
- Fundamental Lawyering Skills
- Becoming a Lawyer: Discovering and Defining Your Professional Persona
- Communication Pragmatics for Lawyers
- Legal English Tutorial
Fordham Law School offers the program two times a year, running for a full semester (August to December and January to May). Participants leave with a foundation in the U.S. legal system and practical lawyering skills, including ample opportunities to work on both their written and spoken English.
For additional information or to register, please click here.