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Find a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part.
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1 While things that people think are true mean a lot to people, lawyers
are mainly concerned with facts.
_ _ l _ _ _ s
2 The client made a statement claiming that he had been injured in
the accident.
a _ _ _ r _ _ o _
3 Does the client have paper evidence to support his claim?
d _ _ _ m _ _ _ a _ _ _ _
4 What did the lawyer suggest that her client do?
_ _ c _ m_ e _ _
5 The man was angry because he felt that his loss of employment was
unfair.
t _ _ _ _ n _ t _ _ _
6 The jury must decide if the defendant’s actions were illegal or
incorrect.
w_ _ _ _ f _ _
7 Lawyers use interviews to get valuable information from potential
clients.
_ b _ _ _ n
Read the sentence and choose the correct word.
1. The lawyer doesn’t think Miss Martin has a (wrongful/ valid)
case.
2. The attorney was able to (recommend/elicit) a lot of useful infor-
mation from the client.
3. The information presented in a trial must be (factual/wrongful) or
the judge will not allow it.
Listen to a conversation between an attorney and a potential
Client. Choose the correct answers.
1 Why does the attorney believe the woman has a valid
complaint?
A She was never fired from a jobbefore.
B She has documentation to support her claim.
C She won a previous wrongful termination suit.
D She worked for the company for several years.
2 What will the woman likely do next?
A ask to get her job back
B contact her former employer
C bring in her positive reviews
D sign a contract with the attorney
Listen again and complete the conversation.
Attorney: Welcome, Mrs. Smith. Please, tell me what’s going on.
Client: Well, I was fired without 1 ______last week.
Attorney: So, you are interested in a 2 ______ ______ suit?
Client: Exactly. For years I got great reviews from my bosses.
Then, suddenly, I was let go.
Attorney: I see. Do you have 3 ______to support that claim?
Client: Yes. Several years’ worth, actually.
Attorney: Excellent. I think you have a 4 _______complaint. As
soon as we 5 ______ those reviews, we’ll take the case.
Client: Great. I’ll 6 ______ ______right now.
Unit 14
Interviewing witnesses
Before you read the passage, talk about these questions.
a)How can witnesses help or harm a case?
b)What types of witnesses are there?
Law Today Issue 4
Do You Trust Your Witness?
A trustworthy witness is a great asset in any case. But not all witnesses are reliable. Failing to confirm a witness’s credibility can ruin the strongest case.
Take the friendly witness. These witnesses sometimes try too hard to support your case. When a biased friendly witnesses lies, your entire case appears weak. Similarly, false statements from a prejudiced or hostile witness have the same result.
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Reviewing the qualifications of expert witnesses is equally important.
Only take testimony from people at the head of their fields. And don’t overlook eyewitnesses. Check that eyewitnesses not only saw events firsthand, but also that they saw them clearly.
Read this article from a magazine and mark the following
Statements as true or false.
1. Friendly and hostile witnesses can have similar negative impacts
on cases.
2. Anyone with relevant qualifications can be useful expert witness.
3. The author recommends that lawyers confirm eyewitnesses’ view
of events.
Match the words (1-5) with the definitions (A-E).
1 expert witness
2 eyewitness
3 hostile witness
4 friendly witness
5 biased
A a person who saw what happened
B a professional who gives an opinion in a case
C a person who doesn’t support a client’s case
D having a preference for someone or something
E a person who favors the client’s case
Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank.
statement qualifications credibility firsthand prejudiced
1 Martin is not a reliable witness because he didn’t see what
happened _________.
2 Gordon is a suitable expert witness because he is well respected
and has university _________.
3 Antonia has strong opinions, so the jury may find her too ____.
4 Lawrence doesn’t know the client very well, so his comments
don’t have much ________.
5 The paralegal typed up a ________ for the witness to sign.
Listen and read the text again. What did you learn from the
Text?
Listen to a conversation between an attorney and a paralegal.
Choose the correct answers.
1 Why does the lawyer bring in the detective?
A She was an eyewitness.
B She could be an expert witness.
C She investigated his client’s crime.
D She recorded eyewitness statements.
2 What is the detective’s opinion of eyewitness statements?
A They can help a case.
B They are often confusing.
C They aren’t always reliable.
D They are the best type of evidence.
7. Listen again and complete the conversation,
Lawyer: Thanks for coming in, Detective. I’ll get to the point.
I need an 1 _____ _____.
Detective: I’d be 2 ______ to help.
Lawyer: Great. And just to confirm your 3 ______, how long have
you been a police officer?
Detective: I’ve been on the force for fifteen years.
Lawyer: That’s good. Now, 4 ____ _____ say that my client was at
the scene of a crime.
Detective: But he wasn’t there?
Lawyer: No. He just looks like the suspect.
Detective: Well, eyewitness 5 _____ aren’t always 6 ____.
Supplementary reading
The aims of law
Law is a system of rules a society sets to maintain order and protect harm to persons and property. Law is ancient, dating back to the Code of Hammurabi, written by an ancient Babylonian king around 1760 B.C. Law has several aims. One of the aims of law is to maintain order and resolve disputes that arise between individuals. The other aim is to impose responsibility if one person has a legal claim against another. Law makes society more stable and enables people to flourish. If people disobey the rules the law threatens them with something unpleasant (punishment or paying compensation).With laws people can live more securely.
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Laws guarantee to people who buy and sell goods, make wills, take employment, form companies and so on that the state will enforce these arrangements. Law not only threatens those who do what it forbids but promises to protect people’s interests. It imposes restrictions on them but also gives them certain guarantees. A very important aim of law is to settle what the system of government is to be.
Governments make laws for their citizens, they use a system of courts and the police to enforce these laws. Laws are written by legislators.
The legal system
In England there are three main types of law: statute law, common law and European Union law.
Statute law
In theory the Legislature (Parliament) makes laws which are administered by the Executive (Her Majesty’s Government) and when there are disputes they are decided by the Judiciary (the judges and the courts).
Most new laws are initiated by the Government, although a few come from individual members of Parliament. A Bill is drafted and placed before Parliament. It receives three ‘readings’ in the House of Commons. The Bill is examined and amended, before passing on to the House of Lords which may reject it all or in part. The Lords cannot prevent the Commons from passing a Bill, but they can delay the process. Once a Bill has passed through all its stages in Parliament it goes to the Queen for the Royal Assent and becomes an Act of Parliament and the law of the land.
Common law
Common law originated in England. It is a system of laws that have been developed from customs and from decisions made by judges, not created by Parliament. English law relies on case law, a collection of previous decisions, called precedents. English courts look at precedents and make a similar decision.
European Union Law
In 1972 the United Kingdom entered the European Community (now the European Union).
There are four E.U. institutions: the Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the European Court of Justice.
European Union law is superior to the law of individual member states. In other words, if there is a conflict between the law of a state and that of the E.U., then the E.U. has to be obeyed.
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