From Zero to Hero

The path from complete beginner level to absolute proficiency in Legal English

Beginner level:

The candidate has a good command of general English (they know the Present Perfect, reported speech, the passive voice, etc.) and has a limited knowledge of legal terminology. In other words, they know the English equivalents of several dozen Hungarian legal terms. However, they do not know how to compose English sentences using these British and American legal expressions. Their sentences clearly bear the influence of their native language. It is obvious that the text was not written by a native English speaker. They sometimes use incorrect prepositions, verbs that do not collocate properly with the nouns, and occasionally inappropriate adjectives or complements. The prepositions, verbs and adjectives they choose are often literal translations from Hungarian. A native English-speaking reader or lawyer can generally understand the message, but will frown while reading it. As they read, they subconsciously reformulate the sentences in natural English — in other words, they mentally “translate” the text. Reading it is somewhat tiring, and it raises serious doubts as to how such an important legal document could be written with so many awkward turns.

Intermediate level:

The learner speaks general English fluently and has already developed a better understanding of legal English, since they have read quite a number of authentic legal texts written by native lawyers. Many standard legal collocations have become fixed in their mind and come to them automatically (for example, Failure + to verb + result in + consequence), so they can easily produce sentences like “Failure to comply with these provisions will result in termination of this contract.” They know many such phrases from contract drafting, a few from company law, and some from civil procedure. In certain areas of contract law or company law, they can already write legal English texts very competently. Some prepositions, verbs, adjectives, and collocations are still used as literal translations. A native English-speaking reader or lawyer might occasionally note that they would phrase something differently.

Advanced level:

The learner has an excellent command of general English and has read many legal texts (contracts, corporate and court documents). They are familiar with the structure and typical contents of contracts, corporate papers, judgments, parties’ submissions, and arbitral awards, as well as with the legal terminology appearing in them. They know several hundred legal terms in both languages. Having encountered these English legal expressions repeatedly in authentic contexts, they can use them correctly in a wide range of sentence structures.They feel confident across numerous legal fields and would not be at a loss if they had to draft a document in English that simultaneously includes contractual clauses, court proceedings, infringements, and legal remedies. Their writing contains very few incorrect prepositions, verbs, or adjectives. Any such minor slips are easily overlooked by a native English-speaking reader or lawyer — the overall fluency of the text carries the reader along.

Professional level:

The learner has an excellent command of both general and legal English. They are familiar with numerous branches of law in the United Kingdom and the United States, know several thousand legal terms, and can use them fluently, accurately, and effortlessly. They are well acquainted with a wide range of document types characteristic of various legal areas and can easily employ their standard phrasing, terminology, and expressions. They also have a rich knowledge of synonyms in legal English, which enables them to express their ideas with precision and sophistication, approaching the linguistic level of native lawyers. For a native English-speaking reader or lawyer, it would not even occur that the text was written by a non-native legal professional.