LUISS Business School Lesson 1

Group 5 (level B2.3)
9:30 am

Class

• Goal setting & needs analysis http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/63701997/Make%20A%20Difference
• Vocabulary Skills http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/41184334/Vocabulary
• Reading & Vocabulary http://www.learnvest.com/2013/11/desperately-seeking-a-job-should-you-pull-a-crazy-stunt-to-get-hired/

Homework

1. Write down your personal goal for the course.

2. Read the article again and find 8 new words or collocations. Remember the 8 x 8 rule. 

3. Read the information on the slide show http://www.learnvest.com/2013/11/desperately-seeking-a-job-should-you-pull-a-crazy-stunt-to-get-hired/?gallery=727&pid=#pid-8416_aint-0 What are the 5 suggestions they give?

Group 6 (level C1)
11:30 am

Class

• Goal setting & needs analysis http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/63701997/Make%20A%20Difference
• Vocabulary Skills http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/41184334/Vocabulary
• Reading & Vocabulary http://theweek.com/article/index/255326/5-major-career-blunders-you-didnt-know-you-were-making

Homework

1. Write down your personal goal for the course.

2. Read the article and find 8 new words or collocations. Remember the 8 x 8 rule. 

Euler Hermes Legal English Course Lesson 15

Lesson 15
Wednesday 29th January 2014

Class

Security Agreements
Legal English for contingencies
Word pairs

Homework
In the U.K. the term bankruptcy applies only to individuals (and partnerships), not to companies or other legal entities which come under the term insolvency.

• For a summary of U.K. insolvency Law and the terms it uses see: http://www.out-law.com/page-8253
• For more information on bankruptcy in the U.K. see: https://www.gov.uk/bankruptcy
• For a full legal definition of the term bankruptcy in the U.S. see http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=33 
• For a discussion of the difference between the terms bankruptcy & insolvency (U.S.) see: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-bankruptcy-and-insolvency/
• Read about this case from 2012 which highlights the difference between U.S. and British Insolvency Law: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/soccer-case-highlights-differences-between-u-s-and-english-bankruptcy-law/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Euler Hermes Legal English Course - Lesson 14

Lesson 14
Wednesday 22nd January 2014

• Register transfer - recycling exercise - internal email
• Secured Transactions in Common Law Jurisdictions

Liens, mortgages, pledges & loans

Security & quasi-security

Fixed & floating charges

Collocation & flow chart exercise.

Homework

Finish the flow chart which summarises today's notes

Euler Hermes Legal English Course Lesson 13 - 15/01/14

Lesson 13
Wednesday 15th January 2014

Class
Error Correction - Emails - General Feedback
http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/72820556/Euler%20Hermes%20Email%20Writing%20Feedback
Register Transfer: Formal - Semi Formal - Informal

Extra Practice

• Correct your own writing using the correction sheet as a guide.
• Register Transfer Exercise http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/writing/register/formal.htm
• Letter of Demand - multiple choice exercise on the handout. 

Grammar Note:  inform someone of something or inform someone about something

A correction that I made in class was that inform about should really be changed to inform of. I have never used inform about quite possibly because it is an American usage and does not appear in British English dictionaries. It does however appear in the Oxford American Dictionary and IELTStudyHorror.com even goes as far to suggest that there is a difference in meaning between inform of and inform about (See link above). However, the usage that they suggest for inform about (when detailed information is left out) seems rather odd to me and I would not use "inform" but "tell" in these situations.

If in down I would suggest sticking to the following structures:
inform someone of something or
inform someone that something happened

Euler Hermes Legal English Course - Lesson 12 8/01/14

Lesson 12
Wednesday 8th January 2014

Writing Task:

• formal email to client
• informal email to colleague

Letter of Advice

formulas and features

Extra Practice

Articles and legal writing

http://www.law.cuny.edu/legal-writing/students/multilingual/grammar/articles-ex1.html

Breaking News For Political Science Students: "Nelson Mandela Becomes The First Politician To Be Missed" - The Onion

Yesterday, Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95. He is possibly one of the most influential figures of modern times and his death highlights our lack of faith in current political leaders. Do you agree?

Read this satirical piece from The Onion.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/nelson-mandela-becomes-first-politician-to-be-miss,34755/

Euler Hermes Legal English Course Lesson 11

Lesson 11
(1) May/Shall - special uses in Legal English
http://www.ukessays.com/essays/languages/functions-of-modal-verbs-in-european-and-british-legal-documents.php
(2) Legal Systems - Civil Law vs Common Law

Class Notes

Company Law

Memorandum of Association (UK)
Articles/ Certificate of Association (US)
 
Sets out objectives and capital structure
Legally binding statement of intent which the members of the company must follow
Can include

• Appointing members of the board of directors
• Changing the corporation bylaws
• Procedures for holding a vote of shareholders
• Rules for keeping corporate records

Vocabulary

1. Passed - expired
2. who have the right to - entitled to
3. instead – in lieu thereof
4. on condition - provided
5. cancelled - repealed
6. revised - amended
7. given to – vested in

 Shall

• indicate an obligation The Corporation shall keep as permanent records…
• express a promise The directors shall have the power to enact bylaws…
• make a declaration which legally binds the parties
• future action or state Until two years shall have expired…

 May

• permission

can in general English

Legal Collocations

To be based on

To be bound by

Contrast with

Refers/reference to

Derived from

Settle something by

Take into consideration (fixed phrase)

Distinguished from

Deal with

To develop through

In contrast (discourse markers)

Write down (phrasal verb also take down, note down)