If you have studied law at university in your own country you probably have a very good ‘textbook’ knowledge of the law. You may also know something about the legal systems of the UK and the USA, especially if you have studied the Common Law as part of your English legal studies in a Civil Law system. However, many employers complain that law graduates don’t have a full understanding of how the law works in reality and that they tend to see legal situations in very simple terms; in black and white, instead of realising that a truly great lawyer sees all of the shades of grey in between.
This is the reason why knowing the law is no longer enough for international lawyers. They need, in addition to strong academic qualifications, an understanding of how commerce works and what the priorities of the client are within his or her particular industry. It also helps to take an English legal course as most international contracts are regulated by English law. When a company in China has a dispute with a company in Russia, chances are that arbitration or litigation will be conducted in English and based on the principles of English contract law. Are young law graduates ready for that? Many employers say they are not.
A course of practical legal English study is also essential. This is great preparation for working on international, cross-border contracts and will give young lawyers the grammar and vocabulary needed to work effectively and unsupervised on international documents. Any course of legal English study should include real-life cases and scenarios which assist with commercial awareness as well as language learning. Of course, knowing the law is essential, but increasingly it’s not enough.
