The framework of genre systems (Bazerman, 1994; Bhatia, 2004; Swales, 2004) offers an opportunity to illuminate the ways in which students enculturate into their disciplinary cultures (Berkenkotter & Huckin, 1995). To explore the ways in which genre chains are constructed through engagement in specific tasks, this study investigates two…

This paper investigates the differences in the discursive patterning of cases in Law and Management. It examines a corpus of 271 Law and Management cases and discusses the kind of information that these two disciplines call for and how discourses are constructed in discursive hierarchical patterns. A discursive hierarchical pattern is a model…

Training legal English specialists is one area in which cooperation between discipline and language specialists is particularly valuable. Seven short excerpts from a short training course run jointly by teachers of English for legal purposes and legal specialists are presented and analysed to illustrate the contribution an ESP oriented approach,…

Reviews recent changes in legal education in England and discusses some of the implications for English for Academic Legal Purposes practitioners. The traditional knowledge-of-the-sources approach to legal curriculum content is contrasted with a growing emphasis on the skills law students will need in occupational practice. (61 references) (JL)

An overview of the English for Academic/Occupational Purposes (EA/OLP) situation focuses on the recent preoccupation with using simplified, abridged versions of legal cases in many of the available EA/OLP programs to the neglect of legislative use of language. The neglect or overemphasis of either approach will decrease learners' legal language…

Examines features of the text and task in English language law case reports which are both characteristic and problematic. The paper suggests possible pedagogic applications to the teaching of legal reading to help readers of these case reports interpret and evaluate references to other cases. (41 references) (Author/CK)

Reviews currently available legal writing books in terms of their suitability for use in English for legal academic purposes. Concludes that, while certain aspects of the available books can be useful, most are generally not suitable for use in such contexts. (Author/VWL)

Describes an approach to teaching first-year law students in an English for academic purposes course on how to write the academic genre of the legal problem answer. Offers students rhetorical tools to translate legal reasoning moves into effective written response to legal problems. The dovetailing of language and content involved considerable…