Academic and legal English
Week 1
Legal professions
o Solicitor: client-facing lawyer handling transactions and
litigation preparation
England & Wales: advocacy in lower courts, preparatory
(=voorbereidende) role
Scotland: may seek solicitor advocate status for higher courts
US: / closest to attorney
BE: advocat does both advisory and advocacy: traineeship at
the bar
Typical tasks: advice, drafting, transactions, litigation, prep
Right of audience: lower courts
o Barrister/advocate: specialist advocate with full rights of
audience in higher courts
England & Wales: Barrister: instructed by solicitor, first
pupillage (stage) and then tenancy (vaste job)
Scotland: Advocate: member of the faculty of Advocates,
specialist advocate
US: / (trial advocacy done by attorneys)
BE: /
Typical tasks: oral advocacy, written opinions
Right of audience: full rights in higher courts
o King’s Counsel / KC (pruik): senior counsel leading complex
advocacy and appeals
England & Wales: senior barrister appointed following
selection, highly specialised
Scotland: senior advocate, title also KC
US & BE: /
Typical tasks: leading advocacy (complex trials, appellate
(hoger beroep) work
Right of audience: full, senior rank
o Solicitor advocate
E & W: solicitor with higher rights of audience= higher court
(criminal/civil)
Scotland: solicitor with extended rights after assessment
(supreme courts)
US & BE: /
Typical tasks: advocacy in higher courts
o Attorney(-at-law)
E & W & Scotland: not a formal title
US: licensed lawyer admitted to a State Bar (organisatie v
advocaten)
BE: closest to advocate
Typ. Tasks: advice, drafting, advocacy
, Right of audience: full (depends on court admission)
o Prosecutor: public official bringing criminal charges on
behalf of the state
E & W: crown prosecution service prosecutors OR advocacy
often by self-employed barristers /solicitor advocates
Scotland: Procurator Fiscal conducts prosecutions
US: district/state/federal prosecutor, district attorney
BE: Procureur des Konings
Typical tasks: brings criminal cases for the state
Right of audience: full in criminal courts
o Judge
E & W: appointed, largely from senior practitioners
Scotland: (summary) sheriffs; senators of the college of justice
US: appointed/elected at local levels, federal judges appointed
BE: rechter
Typ tasks: adjudication (=berechting), case management
Right of audience: presides
o Magistrate / JP
E & W: magistrate or district judge
Scotland: justice of the peace courts for minor criminal
matters. No legal background required
US: magistrate judge Appointed by District Court Judges to
handle a variety of judicial proceedings
BE: /
Typ tasks: minor criminal or civil matters
Right of audience: presides
o Notary: lawyer who drafts and authenticates deeds with
public authority
E & W: specialist lawyer for deeds with international effect
Scotland: notary public
US: notary public authenticates signatures, it’s not a lawyer
but a government official
BE: notaris
Typ tasks: authentication
o Paralegal/ legal executive: trained legal professional
supporting casework without right of audience
E & W: non-lawyer roles supporting casework, supportive role
Scotland: paralegal roles analogous to E & W
US: paralegal / legal assistant
BE: juridisch medewerker
Typ tasks: research
Lawyer in US= graduated law school but you can’t represent clients bcs you
haven’t passed the bar.
Counsel is a general term referring to a person representing you in court.
Attorney in the US and a barrister/advocate in the UK.
, =niet council (raad)
Formal education:
UK: Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
• Scotland Followed by Diploma in Professional Legal Practice
(DPLP), then 2-year traineeship to become a solicitor and then
devilling (stage) to become an advocate.
US: Four-year degree + Juris Doctor (JD) state bar exam in each
state you want to become a solicitor admission as attorney
• Any degree gives access to law school
England and Wales: SQE (solicitors qualifying examination) and QWE (qualifying
work experience) to become a solicitor / bar training and pupillage to become a
practising barrister
1. Advice on compliance= give guidance on meeting legal or regulatory
duties
2. Serve a claim/summons/subpoena= deliver legal papers to a party or
witness as required
3. Take silk= to be appointed King’s Counsel
4. Enforce a judgement= use legal steps to compel payment or compliance
5. Negotiate a settlement= discuss terms to reach an out-of-court agreement
6. Enter into a contract= form a binding agreement with rights and
obligations
7. File a claim= officially submit a claim or form to a court
8. Draft a contract / pleadings= write the 1st version of a contract or court
documents
9. Lodge an appeal= formally challenge a decision in a higher court
10.Bring an action / claim= start court proceedings against a person or entity
11.Plead a case= present legal arguments and submissions to the judge
12.Appear before the court= attend a hearing to represent a client
13.Cross-examine a witness= question the other side’s witness to test
evidence
branches of the law
Belgian civil law: emphasis on codes and legislation (wetgeving)
UK & US: common law: relies heavily on precedent (previous legal decisions)
alongside statute (codified laws)
Scotland: mix of civil law and common law
, 3 main branches in both systems;
1. Public law: relationship between individuals and the state and
relationship btw different state institutions. Defines structure and
operation of government and the rights and obligations of citizens in
relation to the state; constitutional, administrative,
criminal, human rights, taxation
2. Private law: Governs the relationships between individuals and
organizations. Defines how individuals and businesses interact with
each other in a legal context;
contract, tort / delict (onrechtmatige daad) , property, family,
succession, company, employment
3. Mixed / trans-systemic: Can combine elements of private and public
law or elements of civil and common law;
evidence, procedure, EU law, intellectual property, international law
VOC LIST P94, 95, 96
To subpoena (US)= iemand dagvaarden= to summon (UK)
Cultural awareness poll
News literacy: the truth is out there
o Blue checkmarks= verified accounts from real organisations BUT this
doesn’t mean everything they say is true.
o Biased source?
o AI tools create photorealistic video with audio risk of both fakes
and the ‘liar’s dividend’= claiming real footage is fake.
o Source, ownership, funding, editorial standards: look for real
newsroom, separation of news vs opinion. Mission/main goal?
o Evidence & attribution: facts are stronger when they are backed by
named people, docs, data so look for links to primary materials,
named experts, specific numbers you can check
o Corroboration: political spectrum? If outlets that don’t share the
same incentives report the same core facts, the confidence goes up.
Look for wires, a public-service broadcaster (BBC, NPR) and an outlet
with a diff editorial leaning
o Neutral or emotive tone? Look for measured wording, clear limits,
numbers and dates. NO slogans
o Recent date, context and completeness: current? De-contextualised
material can mislead. Look for publication times, location, full
clip/image so no cropped pics
Week 1
Legal professions
o Solicitor: client-facing lawyer handling transactions and
litigation preparation
England & Wales: advocacy in lower courts, preparatory
(=voorbereidende) role
Scotland: may seek solicitor advocate status for higher courts
US: / closest to attorney
BE: advocat does both advisory and advocacy: traineeship at
the bar
Typical tasks: advice, drafting, transactions, litigation, prep
Right of audience: lower courts
o Barrister/advocate: specialist advocate with full rights of
audience in higher courts
England & Wales: Barrister: instructed by solicitor, first
pupillage (stage) and then tenancy (vaste job)
Scotland: Advocate: member of the faculty of Advocates,
specialist advocate
US: / (trial advocacy done by attorneys)
BE: /
Typical tasks: oral advocacy, written opinions
Right of audience: full rights in higher courts
o King’s Counsel / KC (pruik): senior counsel leading complex
advocacy and appeals
England & Wales: senior barrister appointed following
selection, highly specialised
Scotland: senior advocate, title also KC
US & BE: /
Typical tasks: leading advocacy (complex trials, appellate
(hoger beroep) work
Right of audience: full, senior rank
o Solicitor advocate
E & W: solicitor with higher rights of audience= higher court
(criminal/civil)
Scotland: solicitor with extended rights after assessment
(supreme courts)
US & BE: /
Typical tasks: advocacy in higher courts
o Attorney(-at-law)
E & W & Scotland: not a formal title
US: licensed lawyer admitted to a State Bar (organisatie v
advocaten)
BE: closest to advocate
Typ. Tasks: advice, drafting, advocacy
, Right of audience: full (depends on court admission)
o Prosecutor: public official bringing criminal charges on
behalf of the state
E & W: crown prosecution service prosecutors OR advocacy
often by self-employed barristers /solicitor advocates
Scotland: Procurator Fiscal conducts prosecutions
US: district/state/federal prosecutor, district attorney
BE: Procureur des Konings
Typical tasks: brings criminal cases for the state
Right of audience: full in criminal courts
o Judge
E & W: appointed, largely from senior practitioners
Scotland: (summary) sheriffs; senators of the college of justice
US: appointed/elected at local levels, federal judges appointed
BE: rechter
Typ tasks: adjudication (=berechting), case management
Right of audience: presides
o Magistrate / JP
E & W: magistrate or district judge
Scotland: justice of the peace courts for minor criminal
matters. No legal background required
US: magistrate judge Appointed by District Court Judges to
handle a variety of judicial proceedings
BE: /
Typ tasks: minor criminal or civil matters
Right of audience: presides
o Notary: lawyer who drafts and authenticates deeds with
public authority
E & W: specialist lawyer for deeds with international effect
Scotland: notary public
US: notary public authenticates signatures, it’s not a lawyer
but a government official
BE: notaris
Typ tasks: authentication
o Paralegal/ legal executive: trained legal professional
supporting casework without right of audience
E & W: non-lawyer roles supporting casework, supportive role
Scotland: paralegal roles analogous to E & W
US: paralegal / legal assistant
BE: juridisch medewerker
Typ tasks: research
Lawyer in US= graduated law school but you can’t represent clients bcs you
haven’t passed the bar.
Counsel is a general term referring to a person representing you in court.
Attorney in the US and a barrister/advocate in the UK.
, =niet council (raad)
Formal education:
UK: Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
• Scotland Followed by Diploma in Professional Legal Practice
(DPLP), then 2-year traineeship to become a solicitor and then
devilling (stage) to become an advocate.
US: Four-year degree + Juris Doctor (JD) state bar exam in each
state you want to become a solicitor admission as attorney
• Any degree gives access to law school
England and Wales: SQE (solicitors qualifying examination) and QWE (qualifying
work experience) to become a solicitor / bar training and pupillage to become a
practising barrister
1. Advice on compliance= give guidance on meeting legal or regulatory
duties
2. Serve a claim/summons/subpoena= deliver legal papers to a party or
witness as required
3. Take silk= to be appointed King’s Counsel
4. Enforce a judgement= use legal steps to compel payment or compliance
5. Negotiate a settlement= discuss terms to reach an out-of-court agreement
6. Enter into a contract= form a binding agreement with rights and
obligations
7. File a claim= officially submit a claim or form to a court
8. Draft a contract / pleadings= write the 1st version of a contract or court
documents
9. Lodge an appeal= formally challenge a decision in a higher court
10.Bring an action / claim= start court proceedings against a person or entity
11.Plead a case= present legal arguments and submissions to the judge
12.Appear before the court= attend a hearing to represent a client
13.Cross-examine a witness= question the other side’s witness to test
evidence
branches of the law
Belgian civil law: emphasis on codes and legislation (wetgeving)
UK & US: common law: relies heavily on precedent (previous legal decisions)
alongside statute (codified laws)
Scotland: mix of civil law and common law
, 3 main branches in both systems;
1. Public law: relationship between individuals and the state and
relationship btw different state institutions. Defines structure and
operation of government and the rights and obligations of citizens in
relation to the state; constitutional, administrative,
criminal, human rights, taxation
2. Private law: Governs the relationships between individuals and
organizations. Defines how individuals and businesses interact with
each other in a legal context;
contract, tort / delict (onrechtmatige daad) , property, family,
succession, company, employment
3. Mixed / trans-systemic: Can combine elements of private and public
law or elements of civil and common law;
evidence, procedure, EU law, intellectual property, international law
VOC LIST P94, 95, 96
To subpoena (US)= iemand dagvaarden= to summon (UK)
Cultural awareness poll
News literacy: the truth is out there
o Blue checkmarks= verified accounts from real organisations BUT this
doesn’t mean everything they say is true.
o Biased source?
o AI tools create photorealistic video with audio risk of both fakes
and the ‘liar’s dividend’= claiming real footage is fake.
o Source, ownership, funding, editorial standards: look for real
newsroom, separation of news vs opinion. Mission/main goal?
o Evidence & attribution: facts are stronger when they are backed by
named people, docs, data so look for links to primary materials,
named experts, specific numbers you can check
o Corroboration: political spectrum? If outlets that don’t share the
same incentives report the same core facts, the confidence goes up.
Look for wires, a public-service broadcaster (BBC, NPR) and an outlet
with a diff editorial leaning
o Neutral or emotive tone? Look for measured wording, clear limits,
numbers and dates. NO slogans
o Recent date, context and completeness: current? De-contextualised
material can mislead. Look for publication times, location, full
clip/image so no cropped pics
