About this course
This ESP course equips learners with the specialised vocabulary, discourse patterns and communicative competencies required to function effectively in English-speaking legal environments. You develop the ability to read, interpret, draft and discuss legal texts, and to communicate professionally with clients, colleagues and counterparts in contract, corporate, criminal and litigation contexts.
It is a language course, not a law course. We do not teach the substantive law of any jurisdiction. We teach the English that legal drafting, correspondence and advocacy actually use.
Ten modules, six hours each. The map below is fixed and published — you can see before you register exactly what is covered, which learning outcome each module carries, what you will be given to work with, and how you will be assessed.
Adapted to your jurisdiction. Materials are adapted to the legal tradition learners actually practise in. Module 1 exists in an Oman edition, which anchors every concept to Omani practice — Royal Decrees and Ministerial Decisions as the sources of law, the Primary Court / Court of Appeal / Supreme Court hierarchy, the Sharia circuits, and the Public Prosecution — alongside the common-law concepts that dominate cross-border contracts. You can download it in full below.
Bring your own documents. Where it is appropriate and permitted, learners are encouraged to bring anonymised material from their own practice for analysis in class. Nothing confidential needs to leave your firm: redacted or representative material works just as well.
Who it is for
- Practising lawyers and in-house counsel working on English-language matters
- Paralegals and legal assistants in international or bilingual practice
- Law students preparing to study or practise in English
- Legal translators and interpreters working between English and another language
- Professionals in international legal or commercial environments — contracts, compliance, procurement
Entry requirements
CEFR B2 to C1. This is an upper-intermediate to advanced course: the reading is authentic legal text from the first module, and learners below B2 will not get value from it. We assess level before enrolling you and will say so if a general or business course would serve you better first.
See the material before you pay
Course descriptions are easy to write. These are the actual teaching materials, published in full so you can judge the course on them.
Scope & sequence
Printable versionThe full teaching map — what is covered, in what order, and how each unit is assessed.
| Unit | Focus | Language | Resources & activities | Skills | CLOs | Assessment | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundations of Legal English & Legal Systems | Introduction to legal English register; common law vs. civil law; sources of law; court hierarchy; key legal actors (judge, counsel, plaintiff, defendant). | Formal, archaic and Latin-influenced vocabulary; register rewriting | ELOQUA Legal English Glossary (Unit 1); video lecture "Common Law vs. Civil Law"; BBC Learning English legal clips; comparative infographic; discussion forum. Module 1 Handbook available in an Oman edition. | ReadingWritingListeningSpeaking | CLO1, CLO6 | Diagnostic quiz (terminology); oral warm-up discussion (formative) | 6 |
| 2. Legal Vocabulary & Latin Terminology | Latin maxims (habeas corpus, bona fide, prima facie, pro bono, ex parte); legal doublets and triplets; formal vs. plain English; false friends in legal English. | Latin maxims in context; collocation; doublets and triplets | ELOQUA vocabulary flashcard deck; Black’s Law Dictionary excerpts; interactive matching exercise; authentic news articles using legal terms | ReadingWriting | CLO1 | Vocabulary quiz (20 items); gap-fill worksheet | 6 |
| 3. Reading & Interpreting Legal Documents | Structure of contracts and statutes; interpreting clauses; identifying obligations, rights and conditions; statutory language conventions. | Statutory conventions; defined terms; cross-reference language | Sample contract excerpts (NDA, lease agreement); annotated statute reading; ELOQUA reading comprehension worksheet; online legal corpus (sample clauses database) | Reading | CLO2, CLO1 | Reading comprehension task; clause-identification exercise (graded) | 6 |
| 4. Contract Law English | Contract terminology (offer, acceptance, consideration, breach, indemnity); drafting and reviewing clauses; conditional and modal language in contracts. | shall / may / must; conditionals; obligation and permission | Contract templates; ELOQUA drafting workshop slides; Purdue OWL legal writing guide; peer-review contract clause activity | ReadingWriting | CLO1, CLO2, CLO3 | Clause-drafting assignment (graded rubric) | 6 |
| 5. Legal Correspondence & Client Communication | Formal letters, demand letters and client emails; tone, hedging and diplomacy in legal writing; explaining legal concepts to lay clients. | Register calibration; hedging; diplomatic softening | Sample demand letters and client emails; email register comparison chart; role-play client consultation script; ELOQUA writing lab | WritingSpeaking | CLO3, CLO4 | Written correspondence task (letter/email); role-play (peer-assessed) | 6 |
| 6. Legal Writing — Drafting Documents | Drafting affidavits, memos and legal briefs; precision, clarity and avoiding ambiguity; cohesion devices in legal writing. | Nominalisation; passive voice; cohesion and reference | Legal memo templates; annotated model brief; ELOQUA style guide for legal drafting; grammar-focused mini-lessons | WritingReading | CLO2, CLO3 | Draft legal memo (rubric-based assessment) | 6 |
| 7. Negotiation & Meetings in Legal Contexts | Negotiation language; persuasive and hedging expressions; turn-taking, interrupting politely, reaching agreement; meeting minutes vocabulary. | Agreeing, disagreeing and conceding; softening; turn-taking | Negotiation simulation scripts; video model negotiations; ELOQUA functional language handout; breakout-room role-play | SpeakingListening | CLO4, CLO5 | Recorded negotiation role-play (assessed via rubric) | 6 |
| 8. Court Procedures & Litigation Language | Courtroom vocabulary; stages of litigation; examination and cross-examination language; giving testimony; objections and rulings. | Question forms under examination; procedural verbs | Courtroom drama transcript excerpts (adapted); mock trial script; ELOQUA listening lab (courtroom audio); glossary of litigation terms | ListeningSpeaking | CLO1, CLO5, CLO6 | Mock trial participation; listening comprehension quiz | 6 |
| 9. Criminal, Corporate & Commercial Law English | Criminal law terms (arrest, indictment, plea, sentencing); corporate and commercial terms (mergers, liability, compliance, intellectual property). | Sector-specific lexis; comparative terminology across jurisdictions | Case study excerpts (criminal and corporate); ELOQUA sector-specific glossaries; news case summaries; comparative terminology chart | ReadingWriting | CLO1, CLO2, CLO6 | Case study analysis (written, graded) | 6 |
| 10. Legal Presentations, Case Studies & Capstone | Structuring a legal case presentation; signposting language; handling Q&A; integrating the terminology and skills of the whole course. | Signposting; presentation staging; fielding questions | Presentation template; ELOQUA presentation rubric; peer feedback form; capstone case brief pack | SpeakingWriting | CLO3, CLO4, CLO5, CLO7 | Capstone: oral case presentation and written case brief (summative, rubric-based) | 6 |
Scroll the table sideways for every column, or open the printable version to see the whole map at once.
Course hours & duration
Total learning time is about 90 hours, with 30 hours of independent study recommended beyond the guided hours. Group intakes run with 8–15 learners — small enough that every speaking and writing task gets individual feedback. One-to-one students cover the same map at their own pace — most finish in 36–60 hours because the whole session is theirs. ELOQUA Certificate in Legal English, issued on completion of the graded assessments and the Module 10 capstone.
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion you will be able to:
How you are assessed
Published in advance, in full. Nothing is marked against a criterion you have not seen.
| Assessment | When | Covers | Weight | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formative quizzes & worksheets | Modules 1–3 | CLO1, CLO2, CLO6 | 15% | Vocabulary, reading comprehension and terminology checks |
| Written assignments | Modules 4–6 | CLO2, CLO3, CLO4 | 25% | Clause drafting, legal correspondence, legal memo |
| Speaking / interactive tasks | Modules 7–9 | CLO4, CLO5, CLO6 | 25% | Negotiation role-play, mock trial, case study analysis |
| Capstone project | Module 10 | CLO3, CLO4, CLO5, CLO7 | 35% | Oral case presentation (15%) and written case brief (20%) |
| Total | 100% | |||
ELOQUA Certificate in Legal English, issued on completion of the graded assessments and the Module 10 capstone.
Pricing
Small group
All ten modules, every handbook and glossary, and the capstone assessment. A 30% deposit reserves your seat.
Per lawyer. Materials are adapted to the jurisdictions your practice actually works in.
One to one
Minimum block of 10 hours. The same map, sequenced around your matters and your calendar.
All prices in USD. A 30% deposit reserves your seat and the balance is due before week 2. Talk to us before you register if you need to spread it further.
Upcoming intakes
Questions
Which jurisdiction do you teach?
The course teaches the English of both traditions — common law and civil law — and Module 1 is built around comparing them. Materials are then adapted to the jurisdiction you practise in. Module 1 currently exists in an Oman edition; other editions are written on request for a firm cohort.
Do I need to be a qualified lawyer?
No. Practising lawyers, paralegals, in-house counsel, law students, legal translators and professionals in international legal or commercial roles all sit this course together. What you do need is CEFR B2 — the reading is authentic legal text from week one.
How big is the group?
Eight to fifteen. The speaking tasks — negotiation, mock trial, client role-play — need a group that size to work, and the drafting assignments need it small enough that every one is marked against the rubric by a person.
Can I bring documents from my own practice?
Yes, and it is the single thing that makes the course most useful — anonymised or redacted, and only where you are permitted to. Nothing confidential needs to leave your firm; representative material works just as well.
Is this a law course?
No. We teach the language, not the law. We will not advise on the substantive law of any jurisdiction, and the Oman-focus notes in the handbook are a teaching anchor, not a legal reference source.
How is it graded?
Formative quizzes across modules 1–3 (15%), written assignments in modules 4–6 (25%), speaking and interactive tasks in modules 7–9 (25%), and the module 10 capstone (35%) — an oral case presentation and a written case brief.