About this course
Legal English is a language course, not a law course. We do not teach you the law of any jurisdiction; we teach the English that common-law drafting, correspondence and advocacy actually use — and, just as importantly, the archaic habits that modern practice has abandoned.
The course covers contract drafting and interpretation, client correspondence, legal opinions, litigation documents and oral advocacy. Materials are drawn from real (redacted) commercial agreements, correspondence and judgments.
Plain English matters here. Regulators and courts in several jurisdictions now penalise unreadable drafting. Unit 4 deals directly with the difference between precision and archaism.
Suitable preparation for TOLES Higher and Advanced, and for Cambridge ILEC-style assessment, though the course is not tied to either.
Who it is for
- Qualified lawyers moving into international or cross-border work
- Paralegals and legal assistants in English-language firms
- Law graduates preparing for an LLM or for practice abroad
- In-house counsel dealing with English-language contracts
Entry requirements
CEFR B2 or above, and a legal qualification or current work in a legal role.
Scope & sequence
Printable versionThe full teaching map — what is covered, in what order, and how each unit is assessed.
| Unit | Focus | Language | Skills | Assessment | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The language of the common law | Sources of law, court structures and the vocabulary of legal systems. Why the terminology is what it is. | Core legal lexis; Latin and Law French survivals | ReadingSpeaking | Terminology diagnostic | 4 |
| 2. Contract anatomy | Recitals, definitions, operative provisions, boilerplate — what each part is for and what goes wrong without it. | Shall, will, must and may; defined terms | Reading | Clause identification exercise | 4 |
| 3. Drafting obligations and conditions | Expressing obligation, discretion, condition precedent and warranty without ambiguity. | Modality in drafting; conditional structures; the "shall" problem | Writing | Draft three operative clauses | 4 |
| 4. Plain English in practice | Rewriting archaic drafting without losing precision. Where plain language is now expected or required. | Nominalisation; sentence length; the passive; doublets and triplets | Writing | Redraft a clause into plain English | 4 |
| 5. Client correspondence | Advising a lay client, managing expectations, and writing to a client who is not a native speaker. | Hedging and qualification; register control | Writing | Client advice letter | 4 |
| 6. The legal opinion | Structure, assumptions, qualifications and the conclusion. Saying what you mean without over-committing. | Impersonal structures; degrees of certainty | Writing | Short written opinion | 4 |
| 7. Negotiating terms | Marking up, conceding, holding a position and closing. Negotiating with counsel whose English is also a second language. | Concession; conditional bargaining; softening | SpeakingListening | Recorded negotiation of a term sheet | 4 |
| 8. Litigation documents | Pleadings, witness statements, disclosure and correspondence between opposing solicitors. | Narrative in the third person; reported speech; precision in dates and facts | ReadingWriting | Draft a witness statement extract | 4 |
| 9. Reading judgments | Finding the ratio, distinguishing obiter, and summarising a judgment for a client in one page. | Judicial register; citation conventions | Reading | Case summary, 400 words | 4 |
| 10. Oral advocacy | Structuring a submission, answering the bench, and dealing with an interruption without losing the thread. | Courtesy formulae; signposting; emphasis and stress | Speaking | Five-minute submission | 4 |
| 11. Ethics, privilege and confidentiality | The language of conflicts, privilege, undertakings and professional obligations across jurisdictions. | Formal registers of obligation and undertaking | ReadingSpeaking | Scenario discussion | 4 |
| 12. Integrated transaction simulation | A full matter from instruction to signature: correspondence, drafting, negotiation and a closing note. | Full-course consolidation | ReadingWritingListeningSpeaking | Transaction file and closing note | 4 |
Course hours & duration
Total learning time is about 84 hours. One-to-one students cover the same map at their own pace — most finish in 29–48 hours because the whole session is theirs. ELOQUA Certificate in Legal English. Aligned to the TOLES and Cambridge ILEC skill sets.
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion you will be able to:
Pricing
Small group
Three-instalment payment plan available. Includes all case materials.
Per lawyer. Invoiced to the firm.
One to one
Minimum block of 10 hours. Bring your own matters, redacted.
All prices in AUD. Payment plans are available on courses over $800 — ask us before you register.
Upcoming intakes
Questions
Do I need to be a qualified lawyer?
Not necessarily, but you need to be working in or studying law. The course assumes you already know what a warranty is; it teaches you how to write one in English.
Which jurisdiction do you teach?
The English of common-law drafting, with reference to England and Wales and to Australia. We do not teach substantive law.
Is this TOLES preparation?
It covers the same skills and is good preparation for TOLES Higher and Advanced, but it is not an exam course and there is no TOLES-specific practice paper.