On January 18, the Legal English Institute (LEI) at Fordham Law School welcomed 17 new participants. The participants are practicing lawyers and law students from 13 countries around the world: Albania, Armenia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Palestine, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. To accommodate participants who could not travel to New York, the spring semester is being held online.
“As we have come to expect from this program, our group is diverse and dynamic,” said Bernard Daraz, director of international and non-J.D. programs and a program co-director. “We know that this cohort will benefit from each other’s different backgrounds and levels of experience.”
This semester-long program was created 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 their legal English proficiency. This semester comprises the thirteenth class.
“The Legal English Institute responds to needs that we have uncovered among international students and lawyers; namely, many students and professionals are seeking additional background in the U.S. legal system and legal English before they consider enrolling in an LL.M. program,” said Cecilia Caldeira, assistant dean of international and non-J.D. programs and a program co-director. “The program serves that demographic, as well as those looking for a semester of study to reacquaint themselves with the profession and with English to establish themselves anew in the U.S. legal marketplace.”
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
- 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.