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Unit 8. Legal education in Russia and abroad
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VOCABULARY
Exercise 1. Read and translate the words.
Law school, legal education, prospective, applicant, to enter a law school, to graduate from, admission requirements, personal application form, to get a degree, grade point average, Law School Admissions Test, Unified State Examination, extra-curricular experience.
Exercise 2. Mini-poll. Test your knowledge about the American system of legal education. Choose between:
Y = Yes, I agree.
N = No, I disagree.
Z = I have no idea, I don’t know.
| Your opinion | Y, N, Z |
| American admission requirements differ greatly from Russian ones. | |
| Legal education in the USA is free. | |
| Application form is standard for all law schools. | |
| You need a good recommendation if you want to enter a law school in the USA. | |
| The US law schools do not require official records of your previous study. | |
| All American school-leavers pass a great number of exams in order to enter a law school. | |
| You must pay for processing your application. |
READING
Exercise 3. Read the text below and compare the information with your ideas. What new information did you get?
Legal education in the United States begins at the graduate level. Students wishing to get a law degree must earn a four year undergraduate degree from a nationally-accredited college or university. In addition, prospective students must take the standardized Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) or an equivalent exam. The LSAT is used solely for entrance to law schools and does
not apply toward admission to any other graduate program. Due to the tremendous number of applications received each year, the United States law schools rarely grant personal interviews to assess the qualifications of applicants. Instead, law schools consider students undergraduate grade point average (GPA), their LSAT score, personal recommendations, and essays or personal statements.
The United States law schools also weigh the applicant's motivation, leadership ability, work or extra-curricular experience, family, cultural and community background, financial ability in making admissions decisions. In the United States, unlike England, successful completion of another graduate course of study alone does not assure admittance to a law school. A graduate degree or even a doctorate in another field is merely one more factor that the school will consider when deciding whether to admit an applicant.
Exercise 4. Let’s compare Russian and American admission requirements. Look through the following sentences and fill in the table below with the statements true for the Russian or American systems of legal education.
1. Legal education is free in general.
2. Proof of financial ability is one of the compulsory admission requirements.
3. All applicants must have recommendations from their teachers.
4. University applicants write a special essay about themselves or on one of the suggested topics.
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5. Applicants are chosen on the basis of secondary school records and the results of the Unified State Examination.
6. Most law schools evaluate a student’s academic performance based on their grade point average and his/her LSAT score.
7. A bachelor’s degree in law is usually four years but can range from two to six years and certifies full-time studies within a particular subject.
| Russia | The USA |
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Continue the list with the sentences of your own.
Exercise 5. Read and translate the text, be ready to discuss it.
In the United States, the first-year law school curriculum is very important. Required subjects have barely changed in over one hundred years. Traditional first-year courses include: Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Torts, with very few variations or exceptions. The cases and rules of law that are taught during the first year of law school are so standardized that visitors can sit blindfolded in any first-year class across the nation and not be able to tell whether they are at Harvard, Yale, or Columbia. Additionally, first-year law students in the United States are constantly told to think logically and analytically, like lawyers. After the first year, law students in the United States theoretically have tremendous flexibility in choosing the remaining courses necessary to fulfill the requirements for a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.). However, most students choose to take bar courses and practice law.
Exercise 6. a) Rephrase the sentence and comment on it.
The cases and rules of law that are taught during the first year of law school are so standardized that visitors can sit blindfolded in any first-year class across the nation and not be able to tell whether they are at Harvard, Yale, or Columbia.
b) Explain the meaning of the word-combination “tremendous flexibility in choosing”. Does the course of law studies in Russia include elective disciplines?
PROJECT
Exercise 7. Read the following law personal statement. Use it as an example to tell the group about your personal qualities, interests and professional ambitions and plans.
The degree course that I have chosen to follow is Law. I have a great passion for the subject of Law and thoroughly enjoy the subject; learning about different aspects of Law, how the English legal system operates and its impact on society. I am particularly interested in Tort, Legislation, and Criminal Law. My career goal is to become a barrister, as I am keen to help others in the pursuit of justice.
I am currently studying History and English Language and Literature as well as Law. This combination of subjects has enabled me to develop the skills of arguing, analysis and evaluation that are vital when studying Law. I enjoy reading newspapers, which keeps me informed on topical issues and also broadens my knowledge. I read the Law section of the Times every Tuesday in order to keep abreast of any changes in the Law and in the legal profession generally.
My ability to motivate myself is a key factor in my overall success. I am an extremely hardworking person and I am committed to reaching my goals. I always work to the best of my ability in order to achieve and have very high levels of self-discipline, self-reliance and initiative. Most importantly, I have a great passion for the subject of Law. My personal qualities as well as my ability to apply myself to my studies, hobbies and extra-curricular activities make me an appropriate candidate for university life as well as the Law Degree Course.
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Exercise 8. Discuss the following questions.
1. What are the ways of getting legal education in Russia?
2. What are the ways of getting legal education in the USA?
3. Do American admission requirements differ from Russian ones?
4. What are some important factors in determining which university to attend?
5. How accessible is legal education in Russia?
6. Are Russian students prepared for university studies?
7. What subjects does the course of law studies in Russian universities include? What are the most important disciplines?
8. What system do you favour for measuring students’ progress – final examination or continuous assessment? Why?
9. Does legal education guarantee a good job in your country?
10. Would you like to study at any foreign law school or university? Why?
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