Legal professions in the USA

VARIANT 1

Задание 1: прочитайте и переведите текст.

A CAREER IN LAW

The legal profession traditionally is one of the most influential professions in all societies. A career as a lawyer can be challenging and rewarding. The law is constantly changing and each day brings new, usually unexpected challenge. The practice of law is by its nature a learning process. The learning continues every day as clients present new problems for lawyer to deal with. It takes years of long hard work and dedication to become a successful lawyer. The reward comes not only from good income but from doing a good job helping your client and seeing the justice is done.

The most striking feature of the English legal system is the division of the legal profession into two separate branches: barristers and solicitors. These two kinds of lawyers do different jobs in the legal system. In the popular mind, the distinction between solicitors and barristers is that barristers do the court work and solicitors do the office work. In practice, the great amount of court work is done by solicitors, and barristers do much office work. Barristers provide a specialist consultancy and advocacy service. The majority of barristers work in private practice. They can also be employed by organizations including the Government Legal Service, the Crown Prosecution Service, industry, commerce and armed forces. Solicitors make up the largest branch of the legal profession in England. They provide comprehensive legal services including advice, preparation of documents, negotiation, representation in court, and work often performed by notaries in other countries. Solicitors are the first point of contact for the citizen, public authorities, business, other professions and foreign clients when looking for legal advice.

Задание 2: найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов и словосочетаний.

Карьера юриста; правосудие; адвокат, имеющий право выступать в высших судах; адвокат, консультирующий клиента и выступающий только в судах низшей инстанции; частная практика; служба уголовного преследования; представление интересов в суде; переговоры; органы государственной власти; юридическая консультация.

Задание 3: дайте ответы на вопросы к тексту.

1. Why can a career as a lawyer be challenging and rewarding?

2. What is the most striking feature of the English legal system?

3. What is the distinction between barristers and solicitors?

4. What organizations can employ barristers?

5. What services do solicitors provide?

Задание 4: поставьте вопросы всех типов к данному предложению.

Solicitors are the first point of contact for the citizen.

Задание 5: выберите правильную форму глагола to be.

1. My friend’s father … a lawyer. 2. … you an investigator too? 3. We … very hungry, so we decided to have dinner earlier. 4. Next year we... … students of Moscow State Law University. 5. I... very busy today. 6. That law … in effect in about 3,500 B.C.

Задание 6: переведите юридические термины. Составьте собственные предложения с 5 из них.

Black-mail	Valid in law
Civil case	Illegal drug trafficking
An offender	Courtroom
Accidental damage	Individuals
To fall under jurisdiction	Dubious ancestry
To serve time	Guilty
To be trapped	Second-hand evidence
To reopen the case	Organized crime
Case at bar	Blooding
To put under arrest	Party of defense

VARIANT 2

Задание 1: прочитайте и переведите текст.

LEGAL PROFESSIONS IN THE USA

The American legal profession, like American law, has its roots in England, but with a significant difference. In the United States there is no division of the profession between office lawyers, known as solicitors, and courtroom lawyers, known as barristers. An American attorney frequently does both office work and courtroom work. As a result there is a great deal of variety in the types of work American lawyers perform. Depending on the situation and the needs of the client, the lawyer may be a counselor, a negotiator, and a litigator. As a counselor an attorney advises clients in their business and personal affairs. As a negotiator a lawyer works on behalf of his client with opposing counsel to get a favorable resolution for the client. A litigator assists clients with litigation in court preparing cases for trial and handling appeals. The lawyer is also an officer of the court and is required to deal fairly and honestly with the court and with other officers, including the lawyers’ opponents.

Lawyers have historically been active in the most important political and policy issues facing the nation. They are now active in a variety of legal movements including promoting social reform legislation, abolishing the death penalty; same-sex marriage rights and civil rights for gays; abortion and women’s rights, immigration law and international human rights. The legal profession will continue to play an important role in every issue society has to resolve. Lawyers may also pursue careers as civic and political leaders, judges, governmental officials, professors or business executives. Many lawyers work for public interest groups representing the poor, protecting the environment or defending peoples’ civil liberties.

Задание 2: найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов и словосочетаний.

Адвокат, имеющий право выступать в высших судах; адвокат, консультирующий клиента и выступающий только в судах низшей инстанции; адвокат (американский вариант); советник, от имени клиента; судебное разбирательство; смертная казнь, государственный служащий; гражданские свободы; судебное дело.

Задание 3: дайте ответы на вопросы к тексту.

1. Why is American legal profession different from the British one?

2. What does an attorney do as a counselor?

3. What does an attorney do as a negotiator?

4. What does an attorney do as a litigator?

5. What other careers can lawyers also pursue?

Задание 4: поставьте вопросы всех типов к данному предложению.

The lawyer is also an officer of the court.

Задание 5: выберите правильную форму глагола to be.

1. The witnesses … in the courtroom now. 2. He … a prosecutor. 3. Last year those criminals … behind the bars. 4. Next year we … … second-year students of Law Department. 5. Mr. Black … a resident of the USA when he died. 6. I … innocent.

Задание 6: переведите юридические термины. Составьте собственные предложения с 5 из них.

To find sb. guilty	Putative defendant
To pass a sentence	Pursuit
To stand trial	Own confession
To return a verdict	Ownership of property
To call a witness	Taking of the body
Youthful misbehaviour	Systematic criminal
Absent good cause	Abuse of corpse
Encroachment	Harassment
Narcotic officer	Guilty party
Natural law	Juvenile offence