Tangl - English for Lawyers and Law Students - With a Short Introduction to the US Legal System

Sep 28, 2026

A textbook-style language guide for law students and legal professionals whose native language is not English, aiming to teach essential American legal terminology and concepts through contextual study. It provides a brief overview of the US legal system, including court structure, legal education and teaching methods, case citation and briefing, legal professions, litigation and court procedures, jury matters, and selected civil and criminal issues. Each chapter concludes with related terms and concepts defined and explained in English to highlight differences from continental European systems.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Preface to the Third Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Important Differentiations

Civil Law versus Common Law

Substantive Law versus Procedural Law

Private Law versus Public Law

Civil Law versus Criminal Law

The Adversarial System of Trial

The Actors in a Courtroom

US Court Structure

Federal System

Federal Courts and Supreme Court

Case Citation

Federal Case Citations

State Case Citations

Brieﬁng Cases

US Legal Education

Law School Admission

JD Program and Financing

The US Legal Profession

Legal Ethics

The US Jury System

Grand Jury

Voir Dire

Case Flow

Pre-Trial to Post-Trial

Mutual Legal Assistance Letters

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Arbitration and Mediation

Selected Issues

Tangl English for Lawyers and Law Students 3. Auﬂage With a Short Introduction to the US Legal System Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface to the Third Edition Preface to the Second Edition Preface I. Important Diﬀerentiations Civil Law versus Common Law (Legal Systems) Discuss Concepts Vocabulary Substantive Law versus Procedural Law Discuss Vocabulary Private Law versus Public Law Discuss Concepts Vocabulary Civil Law versus Criminal Law Discuss Criminal Law Concepts Civil Law Concepts General Concepts Vocabulary II. The Adversarial (Adversary) System of Trial Discuss the pros and cons of the adversary system using the following phrases: Concepts Vocabulary III. The Actors in a Courtroom Discuss Concepts Vocabulary IV. US Court Structure General System Overview State System Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Trial Courts of General Jurisdiction Intermediate Appellate Courts Highest State Courts Federal System Federal Question Jurisdiction and Diversity Jurisdiction Structure of the Federal Courts US District Courts – Federal Trial Courts US Circuit Courts – Federal Appellate Courts The US Supreme Court Concepts Explain Vocabulary V. Case Citation Overview Example of Federal Case Citations Example of a State Case Citation Concepts Vocabulary VI. Brieﬁng Cases Typical Parts of a Case Brief Background Information on Hopwood v. State of Texas HOPWOOD et al. versus STATE OF TEXAS et al. Concepts Vocabulary VII. US Legal Education General Law School Admission JD Program Financing Legal Education Law School Accreditation Master’s Degree in Law and other Postgraduate Degrees Teaching Methods Pro Bono Opportunities Bar Exam Law School Admission and Aﬃrmative Action Grutter v. Bollinger et al. Discuss Concepts Vocabulary Legal Subjects VIII. The US Legal Profession Legal Jobs Stratiﬁcation of the Legal Profession Partnership Track Billable Hours Legal Ethics Discuss Excercise Concepts Vocabulary IX. The US Jury System General Grand Jury Excuse / Exemption from Jury Duty Voir Dire Jury and Trial Consultants Jury Deliberation Jury Nulliﬁcation Exercise Discuss Concepts Vocabulary X. Case Flow General Criminal Pre-Trial Activities Civil Pre-Trial Activities Trial Post-Trial Procedures Discuss Concepts Vocabulary XI. Mutual Legal Assistance Letters Rogatory Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Extradition and Rendition Discuss Concepts Vocabulary XII. Alternative Dispute Resolution General Arbitration Mediation Discuss Concepts Vocabulary XIII. Selected Issues Property Law Family Law Equity Contract Law Tort Law Corporate Law Discuss Concepts Vocabulary Crimes Vocabulary Elements of Crimes Exercise Concepts Asset Forfeiture Discuss Concepts Vocabulary Vocabulary Vokabular Preface to the Third Edition When writing a textbook on a general subject such asthe US legal system, the temptation to include additional topics and aspects in each new edition is large. I have tried hard to resist this temptation and to focus instead on rewriting and expanding the already existing chapters and adding a few selected subchapters. In doing so, I have updated and increased a large part of the book and have added a variety of new terms and concepts. Carrying out the express wish of my students, a complete German-English vocabulary list has been added to the already existing EnglishGerman one. Students as well as teachers who have been using the book in class should ﬁnd the revised edition more readable and more focused. Naturally, my main audience remains law students. I hope that they will ﬁnd this new edition both inspirational and user-friendly. Let me thank them for having provided me with suggestions and corrections over the past seven years. VI Preface to the Second Edition After just one year, the he

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this book?

To familiarize non-English-native lawyers and law students with legal texts and legal language, and to introduce core American legal terminology and concepts through contextual coverage of the US legal system.

Which topics are covered in the overview of the US legal system?

The book covers court structure, legal education and teaching methods, case citation and briefing, legal professions, court and litigation procedures, jury matters, and selected civil and criminal law issues.

How does the book present terminology after each chapter?

Each chapter is followed by a list of related legal terms and concepts, with most terminology defined and explained in English rather than translated word-for-word into a German framework.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Genevieve