Developing Professional Competence in Law Students Through Legal English
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Abstract
Legal English strengthens law students’ professional competence most effectively when it is taught as legal work rather than as isolated language practice. This article presents an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching model organized around the tasks law students must perform in study, practice, and assessment: close reading of cases, case brief writing, complaint-letter writing, debates, role plays, moot-court simulations, and presentations on criminal cases. The model targets three connected outcomes: accurate legal terminology in context, structured legal reasoning, and confident professional communication, and it supports TOLES readiness by building legal vocabulary-in-context and controlled grammar through repeated, exam-relevant performance tasks. The TOLES system includes Foundation, Higher, and Advanced levels, with official online exam formats and level descriptors available to candidates.
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