Vocabulário jurídico em inglês

Let's start with the basic part: o vocabulário jurídico em inglês, ou legal vocabulary in English. Unlike what we're used to learning in English as a lawyer, what we will use is quite specific and requires, as in Portuguese, a more elaborate and polished language. It's also crucial to know the terms and expressions related to a lawyer's practice, especially to properly interpret contracts, petitions and judgments when necessary.

So let's learn together words and expressions related to the world of law. Firstly remember that there are more than two ways to refer to a lawyer in English. The first and most common use is a “lawyer”, which is used to talk about a legal professional, lawyer or not. However, there's also the term “attorney”, which is specifically used to refer to a practicing lawyer.

“Solicitor”, “advocate”, “barrister” or other terms are used to refer to a lawyer, depending on the country and also the practice. Some of the most common areas of legal practice are civil law and criminal law. Depending on your area of practice, you may come into contact directly with the judge or with a jury, and also with prosecutors, and we can't forget about the defendant. 

If you work in the business field, there are some other more common words, like a contract, and also a breach of contract, which can refer to a failure to comply with the contract itself. So it's possible to say the plaintiffs sued the defendant for a breach of contract.

Termos jurídicos em inglês: structure of contracts in English

Taking advantage of our discussion on contracts, let's have a look at the structure of contracts in English. Unlike Brazilian contracts, which generally have a more formal and rigid structure, English contracts are more flexible. Moreover, due to their flexibility and adaptability to realities, there is a tendency for English contracts to be more detailed and address specific aspects of the relationship between parts.

Ready for a valuable tip? Get to know the vocabulary and how it's used. Well, that way you’re already sure of a good part of your understanding of the contract. The rest will be situational. Common expressions in English contracts are “whereas”, which means considering that. For example:

  • Whereas the seller desires to sell and the buyer desires to purchase. 

Another very common expression in contracts is “the parts agree”, which means that both parts of the deal are satisfied with the conclusion. For example:

  • The parts agree that the purchase price of the property will be $50.000,00.

Legal correspondence 

Correspondence requires clarity, conciseness and professionalism to convey information. However, there are some very important peculiarities when sending a message in English.

Typically in a letter, we start with “Dear Mr.” if the recipient is male or “Dear Ms.” for female. Another important point is that when closing a formal letter, commonly use expressions: include “Sincerely”, “Best regards” or “Yours truly”. In emails, I need to remind you to check if there's a direct correspondence of your current position there. 

For example, if you're a lawyer specializing in civil law, I recommend signing off as a civil lawyer so the recipient is certain of who you are. And very important: don't forget to use the date format as they use it in the USA. If your client is from there, remember that they are accustomed to using the date as month, day and year.

Attendance at hearings and negotiations

Not only documents are essential for a lawyer, right? A crucial part is attending hearings (lembra quando comentamos sobre audiências em outras línguas? Preste atenção nessa parte do vocabulário jurídico!) and know how to conduct your speech. Therefore, besides having language proficiency, for this specific case, it will be essential to understand the customs and practices of the American legal system.

The first point to consider is that the American legal system is adversarial, where each part presents its arguments and evidence to the judge or to the jury. Moreover, witnesses are interrogated by the parts and by the judge or jury, so having your questions ready will be essential.

Negotiations are also common in American civil cases. Therefore, it's crucial that you are technically prepared to negotiate and reach a settlement. For this reason, practice extensively alone and with experienced professionals to thoroughly understand all aspects related to the hearing and common expressions used.

Séries que abordam o legal English

There are several series that can also help you improve your listening skills to quickly recognize what is being said and when each thing happens. Examples are:

  • Law and Order;

  • Suits;

  • How to get away with murder.

Os advogados internacionais são alicerces do mercado de trabalho

Well, we've reached the end of another article. If you're a lawyer looking to improve your English with vocabulário jurídico, let us know what your biggest challenge is and we will bring this up in another article.

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