Month: June 2022

Legal English podcast interview with Italian lawyer-linguist Claudia Amato

Post by Prof. Stephen Horowitz, Legal English Lecturer & Adjunct Professor of Law

Claudia Amato, Italian lawyer-linguist

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Italian lawyer-linguist-teacher Claudia Amato, founder of SpeechLex, for the USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast, a podcast intended to help foreign-educated lawyers and law students to improve their legal English.

From USLawEssentials:

“The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual lawyers as Stephen Horowitz interviews Claudia Amato.”

“Based in Italy, Claudia is a remarkable attorney, translator, and legal English instructor. Among other things, she is the founder of SpeechLex, where she provides courses in legal English to help prepare attorneys and judges for the TOLES examination. In this episode, she also shares how her experiences working as a translator and teacher inspire her to help others as she explores the “human side” of people’s interaction with the law.
Oh – and as a surprise bonus- you get some helpful travel tips for Japan!”

New sections in the Legal English Resources Page: Vocabulary Resources and Legal English Articles!

Post by Prof. Stephen Horowitz, Legal English Lecturer

I recently added two new sections to the Legal English Resources page: 1) Vocabulary Resources and 2) Legal English Articles. See below.

Continue reading “New sections in the Legal English Resources Page: Vocabulary Resources and Legal English Articles!”

Johnny Depp and bar prep on the USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast


Post by Prof. Stephen Horowitz, Legal English Lecturer

Just sharing a few potentially interesting, engaging and short(!) legal English podcast episodes from the USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast, for which I’m a co-host.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp & Amber Heard

If you’ve been paying attention to the news at all over the past month, then you’ve probably heard about the celebrity defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his former wife Amber Heard.

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast has not been covering every minute of the trial. But it does have two episodes to help foreign-educated attorneys and law students better understand the legal English concepts of “hearsay” and “forum shopping.”

And bar prep

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast also recently launched the first episode on a continuing series of short episodes focused on exam-tested topics. And the first episode is on sources of contract law.

So if you want to get a head start on the legal English of bar exam preparation, this episode and future episodes will be helpful and relatively painless ways to improve your legal English vocabulary and fluency that will benefit you down the road.

The USLawEssentials Law & Language Podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, Sticher, Himalaya, Overcast, and anywhere else you get your podcasts.

Finnish comedian Ismo on nuances of the English language

Post by Prof. Stephen Horowitz, Legal English Lecturer

I recently learned of the Finnish comedian Ismo who I now believe to be one of the great commenters on the English language, and in ways that I imagine are both helpful and entertaining for non-native English speakers.

In this clip below he offers insights on the language of American greetings, offers of help, and the wide range of potential meanings for the word “ass.” I have not yet had a chance to share this with my students, but I will at some point.

Ismo also has a terrific bit on what he considers to be the hardest word in the English language: “I didn’t know shit“

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld

My other favorite comedy and language bit is by Jerry Seinfeld on the topic of prepositions. But unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available on the internet.

In it, he observes that we ride “in” a car but “on” a train. And if you go to Manhattan you’re “in” Manhattan. But if you to to Long Island, you’re “on the Island.”

And what do you do with Uber? Well, you “take” an Uber.

It’s also a great clip to share with students because, unlike a lot of other American stand-up comedy, it’s easily understandable for non-native English speakers.

If any readers ever find a link for this bit, I would greatly appreciate if it could be shared with me.

Beyond Non-JD: The Tax LL.M. Path for Foreign-Educated Lawyers

Post by Prof. Stephen Horowitz, Legal English Lecturer

Another timely post by my friend and former colleague Joshua Alter on his blog Beyond Non-JD, this one titled “The Tax LLM Path for Foreign-Educationed Lawyers” providing advice on those thinking about doing a tax LLM at a US law school rather than a general LLM.

Josh’s advice includes:

–Secure post-LL.B. work experience/education in the field of tax law. This can be working for a law firm, accounting firm, company, government, or a Master’s degree in your home jurisdiction in tax law.

–I’d generally suggest at least 3 years of tax experience in your home jurisdiction if your goal is to work in the U.S. upon graduation.

–Begin building your U.S. tax network in advance of your LL.M. experience.

Click here to read the full post.

Want to hear first-hand from foreign-educated lawyers who have graduated from tax LLM programs at US law schools? Listen to my podcast interviews with foreign-educated Tax LLM grads (below) on the USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast:

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