While thousands of international students study for Masters of Laws (LLM) degrees or other legal qualifications every year in the U.S. and other common law jurisdictions, many struggle to acculturate to the language demands of law school. Even with international exam scores demonstrating high levels of English, these students need to understand the concepts of common law to be successful. Since the hurdles to achieving success in EMI Law courses are greater than simply the challenge of mastering discipline-specific terminology, or learning particular grammar structures in legal texts, students need a resource that will help them learn to “think like a common law lawyer.”

The English Language Common Law Workbook is designed to support students in developing the core competencies necessary for studying in a common law context. It provides readings and exercises based on authentic legal materials for practicing critical reading and writing skills. In particular, it includes an extensive number of statutes and cases and accompanying exercises that give students an opportunity to work with the type of sources they will encounter in English-medium law degree programs. By emphasizing common law principles throughout, the book helps international students coming from non–common law jurisdictions familiarize themselves with how statutes and cases in common law countries are written and structured. Students are supported in critically reading statutes and cases by focusing on key terminology and language structures. Finally, the book supports students in applying the skills they learn to construct basic case briefs and answer hypothetical legal questions using the IRAC structure.
CEFR Levels: B2–C2

Ian Collins is Academic Assistant Director in the School of Foreign Languages at Yaşar University. 
David Brody is a lecturer at the Yaşar University Faculty of Law.

“The English Language Common Law Workbook is excellent in taking complex concepts; breaking them down into manageable parts; explaining them; and then providing reinforced learning opportunities through thoughtful, interesting, and contemporary exercises. The book is clearly based on a deep understanding not only of law, but also how students learn about the law.”— Beth Greenwood, University of California Davis School of Law

“I’ve yet to come across a book like this that really gets at the differences between common law and civil law countries. The English Language Common Law Workbook not only accomplishes this, but does so in a very user-friendly, student-centered, active learning way with excellent scaffolding. In addition to being a book that a teacher could use to teach a course, it’s also a great resource book for teachers to have on hand to incorporate into their curriculum.”— Stephen Horowitz, Georgetown Law