Project
Abstract
Learning ‘legal English’, the specialized language that students encounter in law school, is particularly challenging. Law students must learn to use English forms and structures in such a way as to meet the expectations of members of the legal academic community, consistent with the conventions of the legal discipline. Learning legal English is therefore a process which involves elements of both legal expertise and language expertise. As a result, both lawyers and language teachers have something to contribute in order to support this learning process. This interdisciplinary project combines the expertise of lawyers and language teachers/applied linguists to develop a digital multimedia resource for legal English based on an analysis of the language needs of Hong Kong law students. This resource will target the most common tasks and genres for law students, e.g. essays, legal problem questions, memoranda, dissertations, oral mooting, and provide input in two forms: 1) edited video interviews with legal experts providing advice on legal writing and legal argument; 2) task-based activities created by applied linguists providing language-focused extensions on experts’ observations.
Aim
- To provide an in-depth analysis of the English language needs of Hong Kong law students;
- To develop video-based teaching materials to target these needs, including expert videos, language-focused activities and resources;
- To promote the use of these language-focused materials by law professors in legal skills and content courses.
Project Investigators
- Dr. Christoph A. Hafner, Associate Professor, Department of English, City University of Hong Kong (PI)
- Mr. John Burke, Senior Teaching Fellow, School of Law, City University of Hong Kong
- Prof. Katherine Lynch, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong
- Prof. Anne Scully-Hill, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Senior Lecturer, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Australia
Funding Source
University Grants Council of Hong Kong: Collaborative language-related project
Professor Geraint Howells (1): What makes good legal writing?
April 5, 20171160 views/by adminProfessor Christopher Gane (2): My composing process
March 29, 20172765 views/by adminProfessor Christopher Gane (1): What makes good legal writing?
March 22, 20176341 views/by adminThe Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li (4): Advice on oral advocacy
March 15, 20175956 views/by adminThe Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li (3): What makes good oral advocacy?
March 8, 20179707 views/by adminMr Harprabdeep Singh (2): Advice on oral advocacy
March 1, 20171639 views/by adminMr Harprabdeep Singh (1): What makes good oral advocacy?
February 22, 20172124 views/by adminThe Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li (2): Advice on legal writing
February 15, 20176769 views/by adminThe Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li (1): What makes good legal writing?
February 8, 201733294 views/by adminMs Cammy Man (3): My composing process
January 25, 20171040 views/by adminMs Cammy Man (2): Advice on legal writing
January 18, 2017652 views/by adminMs Cammy Man (1): What makes good legal writing?
January 11, 20172051 views/by adminAbout Us
We are a team of law teachers and English language teachers working at universities in Hong Kong. We have designed this website for law students, their teachers, and anyone with an interest in language and the law.
Email Us
contact [at] legalenglish.hk
Latest Videos
Mr Ian Mann (3): Advice on client correspondenceMarch 20, 2019 - 12:00 am
Mr Ian Mann (2): Advice on client Emails and text messagesMarch 13, 2019 - 5:41 am
Mr Ian Mann (1): What makes good client correspondence?March 6, 2019 - 12:00 am
Professor Janet Ainsworth: How does the discourse of police interrogation create risks for false confession?August 10, 2017 - 9:52 am