Иностранный язык для юристов

О. А. Фомина 
О. Ю. Потанина 
И. В. Щербакова 

Иностранный язык 
для юристов 

Учебное пособие 

Москва 
2022 

УДК 811.111:34(075) 
ББК  81.432.1я723 
Ф76 

Научный редактор: 
Калашникова А. А., канд. филол. наук, доц. каф. «Иностранные языки» 
ФГБОУ ВО «Донской государственный технический университет» 

Рецензенты: 
Акай О. М., д-р филол. наук, доц. каф. английского языка  
в сфере журналистики и массовых коммуникаций  
ФГБОУ ВО «Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет»; 
Ковальчук Н. В., канд. филол. наук, доц. каф. «Иностранные языки»  
ФГБОУ ВО «Донской государственный технический университет» 

Фомина, О. А. 
Ф76  
Иностранный язык для юристов : учебное пособие / О. А. Фомина, 
О. Ю. Потанина, И. В. Щербакова ; под ред. А. А. Калашниковой. — 
Москва : Директ-Медиа, 2022. — 144 с. 

ISBN 978-5-4499-3194-8 

В учебном пособии представлены разнообразные задания и упражнения по английскому языку, направленные на формирование различных 
компетенций, навыков чтения и перевода, а также на усвоение материала 
на практике. 
Предназначено для студентов колледжей очной и заочной форм обучения по специальности 40.02.01 Право и организация социального обеспечения, укрупненной группы специальностей 40.00.00 Юриспруденция. 

УДК 811.111:34(075) 
ББК  81.432.1я723 

ISBN 978-5-4499-3194-8
© Фомина О. А., Потанина О. Ю., Щербакова И. В., текст, 2022
© Донской государственный технический университет, 2022
© Издательство «Директ-Медиа», оформление, 2022

Предисловие 

Настоящее учебное пособие предназначено для студентов среднего профессионального образования, обучающихся по специальности 40.02.01 Право и 
организация социального обеспечения, укрупненной группы специальностей 
40.00.00 Юриспруденция. Пособие также может быть использовано широким 
кругом лиц, желающих самостоятельно совершенствовать практическое владение иностранным языком в сфере юриспруденции. Цель издания — содействовать овладению общекультурными и профессиональными компетенциями 
через последовательное и взаимосвязанное развитие навыков и умений в 
таких видах речевой деятельности, как чтение, говорение, письмо и аудирование (в том числе в рамках юридической тематики). 
Пособие состоит из 7 разделов. Система упражнений в каждом разделе 
соответствует схеме процесса усвоения речевого материала и включает в себя 
задания по развитию навыков чтения, говорения, письма, аудирования, задания по грамматике и развитию лексических навыков. 
В данном пособии предложены задания, основанные на традиционных и 
современных интерактивных методах, связанные с работой в парах, группах и 
нацеленные на развитие продуктивных иноязычных умений. В результате 
освоения данного курса английского языка студент приобретает необходимую 
коммуникативную компетенцию. 

 
Unit 1. What is law? 

1.1. The need for law 

1. How do you understand the difference between the following terms? 
Read and check. 

• A law and a rule. 
• Criminal law and civil law. 
• Law and morality. 

The need for law 

Law is a system of rules that a society or government develops in order to deal 

with crime, business agreements and social relationships. It is also a set of rules for 
good behaviour which is considered right and important by the majority of people as 
well as supported by the power of the government for moral, religious and emotional 
reasons. 

The main function of law is a regulative one. Law basically serves two func
tions in a modern society. First, it serves to order and regulate the relations between 
all “persons”: individuals, businesses or governments. Secondly, law acts as a standard of conduct and morality. Through both of these functions law forms and regulates the pattern of behaviour of a given society in order to achieve a broad range of 
social objectives. A modern society cannot exist without law as there would be anarchy in this society then. 

Law is “invisible” for ordinary people and is noticed only when somebody vio
lates its order. If our neighbours play loud music late at night we will probably try to 
settle the matter in a reasonable and informal way without going to the police. Only 
when an informal discussion breaks down we will start thinking about law. 

Relations and transactions in modern societies are so complex that often we 

cannot deal with them without seeking legal advice. We use it when we buy or sell 
property, settle disputes with our employers, demand a refund for a defective product, try to hold somebody liable for damaging or stealing our possessions. Thus there 
are different types of law: civil law, criminal law, law of contracts, law of property, 
labour law, etc. 

Life of a modern society is changing very fast and every day new phenomena 

appear. Therefore, there is always a demand for new laws to regulate new spheres of 
life. For example, two hundred years ago there were no cars, so people didn’t need 
any laws for roads and traffic. With the invention of the car there appeared a need for 
driving regulations and we cannot imagine our life without these rules. The same 
happened with the advent of the computer. When the first computer crime took 
place, no one could be punished for it as there was no law for it; only after this case 
the need for law on computer crime and later on cybercrime appeared and they 
started to be developed. 

Every country tries to provide laws which will help its citizens to live safely 

and as comfortably as possible but no country has been successful in producing such 
laws which are completely satisfactory. But as you can see life in a civilized society, 
not in anarchy, is impossible without law, so it is much better to live with the imperfect laws which we have than if we had none at all. 

4 

 
2. Match the words or phrases on the left with their equivalents on the 
right. 

1) society
2) government
3) regulative 
4) anarchy 
5) violate 
6) transaction 
7) legal advice 
8) property 
9) invention
10) labour law

a) общество
b) нарушать
c) юридическая консультация 
d) правительство 
e) сделка 
f) регулятивный 
g) изобретение 
h) анархия 
i) собственность
j) трудовое законодательство

3. Match each word on the left with the correct definition on the right. 

1) liable
2) objective
3) crime 
4) society
5) dispute

a) the people living in a region as an organized group
b) is what you are trying to achieve 
c) an argument between people 
d) legally responsible 
e) an illegal action punished by law

4. Use the correct form of these words to complete the second column of 
the chart. Use a good dictionary to help you. 

Noun
Adjective

1) crime
1) …

2) society
2) …

3) …
3) powerful

4) individual
4) …

5) …
5) moral

6) modernity
6) …

7) informality
7) …

8) …
8) liable

9) regulation
9) …

10) …
10) successful

5. Use one of the adjectives or nouns above to complete the sentences. 

1) She always wants to be the best. She is always looking for … . 
2) He regularly breaks norms and rules and sometimes acts violently. His be
haviour can be considered anti-… . 

3) He likes people to feel comfortable and relaxed during a meeting. An … at
mosphere is very important to him. 

4) In modern legislation there are many different methods of punishment  

for … acts. 

5) He has always wanted to get high positions in the government — he has al
ways wanted more and more … . 

6. Match the antonyms. 

5 

 

1) legal
2) social
3) perfect 
4) possible 
5) modern 
6) moral 
7) right 
8) important
9) anarchy
10) civilized

a) unimportant
b) impossible 
c) law and order 
d) uncivilized 
e) asocial 
f) imperfect 
g) wrong 
h) traditional
i) illegal 
j) immoral

7. Check that you know the meanings of the adjectives below. 

Lawful, reliable, economical, popular, practical, successful, attractive, realistic, 
balanced, usual. 

8. Antonyms are sometimes formed by prefixes -un, -im, -in. Write adjec
tives with the opposite meaning from the exercise above. 

-un
-im
-in

9. Answer the questions on the texts. 

1) What is law? 
2) What is the main function of law? How is it put into practice? 
3) Why cannot a society exist without law? 
4) In what situations do we usually need to seek legal advice? 
5) What types of law do you know? 
6) Why do new laws appear? 
7) Why does every country try to provide laws? 

10. Comment on the following statements. Give reasons for your answer. 

1) There are good laws and bad laws. 
2) Should we obey the law which we disagree with or which we consider to be 

stupid and unnecessary? 

3) Are there any laws you would like to change or abolish? 
4) Are there any new laws you would like to introduce? 
5) Everybody must be equal before the law, regardless of their wealth, social 

status or position. 

1.2. The first laws 

1. Read the text and translate the words and phrases in bold. 

The first laws 

Rules and laws have been a part of human life ever since people started living 

in large settled communities. One of the most detailed ancient legal codes was drawn 
up in about 1758 B. C. by Hammurabi, a king of Babylonia. The code was carved into 
a great stone pillar so that it could be read by every citizen. The pillar is now in the 
Louvre museum in Paris. 

6 

 

The laws were about most spheres of life and punishments under the code 

were often harsh. The principle of revenge was observed: an eye for an eye and a 
tooth for a tooth. Not only murderers but also thieves and false accusers faced the 
death penalty. Hammurabi’s laws outlawed private blood feuds and represented an 
advance on earlier tribal customs, because the penalty could not be harder than the 
crime. 

The ancient Greeks were among the first to develop a concept of law that sepa
rated everyday law from religious beliefs — they believed that laws were made by 
the people and for the people. In the seventh century B. C., Draco drew up Greece’s 
first written code of laws. Under Draco’s code death was the punishment for most 
offenses. Thus, the term draconian usually applies to extremely hard punishments. 

Several decades passed before Solon — poet, military hero, and Athens’ 

statesman — devised a new code of laws. Trial by jury, an ancient Greek tradition 
was retained, but enslaving debtors was prohibited. Most of the harsh punishments 
of Draco’s code (except that on homicide) were prohibited or changed to make them 
more humane. 

Roman Law is one of the greatest systems that have ever existed. It was based 

upon custom. Greeks and Romans believed in “natural law” — certain basic principles that are above the laws of a nation and arise from the nature of people. Roman 
Law and Greek Law had a strong influence on the law of most European countries 
and on Anglo-Saxon law. 

2. Answer the questions. 

1) What were the first two known ancient law systems? 
2) What principle were they based on? How do you understand this principle? 
3) Why do you think Hammurabi decide to carve his laws into a pillar? 
4) What is the origin and the meaning of the word “draconian”? 
5) Why were Hammurabi’s laws an advance on ancient tribal traditions? 
6) What was the Greek concept of law? 
7) What was Solon’s Contribution to ancient law? 

3. Read the text paying attention to the pronunciation section below. 

Draconian laws (Draconic code) 
Драконовы законы (Драконовские меры) 

Draconian laws are extremely harsh and cruel laws. They are called after Dra
co, an Athenian law-giver of the 7th century B. C. 

Draco devised a code of laws, which were so severe that, as a Greek orator said, 

they were written in human blood. Every violation of a law was made a capital offense in this code. Idleness, as well as murder, was punished with death, and when 
Draco was asked to give his reason for this, he replied that even the smallest crimes 
deserved death, and there could be no higher punishment for the greater ones. 

Pronunciation and stress: 
• Draco ['dreikǝu] 
• Draconian [drei'kǝunjǝn] 
• Athenian [ǝ'θi:njǝn] 
• dragon ['drægǝn] 

7 

4. Do the following two-way translation.

— Скажите, что такое Драконовы законы? Они имеют какое-нибудь от
ношение к сказочному чудовищу? 

— Oh, no. The Draconian laws are called after Draco. The mythical dragon has 

nothing to do with them, as far as I know. 

— Видимо, Дракон был законодателем. И давно он жил? 
— He lived in the 7th century B. C. 
— Ну, конечно, опять древняя история, мое уязвимое место. Наверное, 

Ассирия или Вавилония? 

— No, Draco was an Athenian law-giver. He lived in Athens, one of the fore
most cities of Greece. 

— И чем же особенным отличались его законы? Почему он так просла
вился? 

— It was notoriety that he earned, not fame. His laws were extremely harsh 

and cruel. He made every crime a capital offense. The laws set terrible penalties even 
for minor offenses and the smallest crimes. 

Unit 2. Crime and punishment 

2.1. Crime 

1. Introduction. Analyze the dictionary definitions of “crime”, underline
the differences and circle the similarities. Give your own definition of “crime”. 

• “Crime — an offence for which one may be punished by law”. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary) 
• “Crime — an offence which is punishable by law”. (Longman Dictionary of
Contemporary English) 
• “Crime — an action which is against the law, or, more generally, (an example
of) bad or unacceptable behavior”. (Cambridge International Dictionary of English) 

2. Read the text and match the headings with the sections of the text below.

• Psychological and psychiatric theories.
• Genetic and biological theories.
• Social environment theories.
• Theological and ethical theories.
• Multiple causation theory.
• The theory of choice.

Why do we commit crimes? 
All adults at some time or another commit a crime, sometimes by accident, but 
why do some people intentionally commit crimes? Here are some theories that try to 
explain the causes of criminal behaviour: 
1) No one knows why crime occurs. The oldest theory, based on theology and
ethics, is that criminals are perverse persons who deliberately commit crimes or who 
do so at the instigation of the devil or other evil spirits. Although this idea has been 
discarded by modern criminologists, it persists among uninformed people. 
2) The idea that some people commit crimes because of biological factors has a
long tradition. This theory suggests that criminals are born, not made. It was developed in the 19th century by the Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso, who believed 
that crimes were committed by persons who are born with certain recognizable 
hereditary physical traits. Among the things he considered important were skull and 
ears shapes, colour of the hair and the eyes, etc. Although experts today no longer 
believe this, they argue that human behaviour can be linked to an individual’s genes. 
Studies of adopted children who show criminal behaviour suggest that their behaviour is more similar to their biological parents’ behaviour than their adoptive parents’, showing a genetic link. 
3) Many prominent criminologists of the 19th century stated that a person’s
surroundings such as poverty, lack of privacy and poor sanitation influence their 
behaviour. These conditions engender feelings of deprivation and hopelessness and 
are conducive to crime as a means of escape. More modern scientists point out that 
just as children learn good behaviour from their parents, so children can learn bad 
behaviour from their families and friends. It is a vicious circle, as one expert states: 
“Problem children tend to grow up into problem adults, and problem adults tend to 
produce more problem children”. 

9 

 
4) Studies of the 20th century investigators indicated that about one-fourth of a 
typical convict population is psychotic, neurotic, or emotionally unstable and another 
one-fourth is mentally deficient. These emotional and mental conditions do not automatically make people criminals, but make them more prone to criminality. Recent 
studies of criminals state that emotional disturbances may lead to criminal behavior. 
5) The central idea of this theory is that crime is a career decision, an alternative way of making a living. The theory argues that most criminals are rational people, who know what they want and the different ways of getting it. They are able to 
balance the risks of committing a crime, such as going to prison, against its benefits, 
i. e. what they gain if they aren’t caught. The conclusion is: if there are more benefits 
than risks, — do it; but if there are more risks than benefits, — don’t do it. 
6) Since the mid-20th century experts have inclined to the so-called multiple 
causation theory. They reason that crime springs from a multiplicity of influences — 
biological, psychological, cultural, economic and political. The multiple causation 
explanations seem more credible than the earlier, simpler theories. An understanding of the causes of crime is still elusive, however, because the interrelationship of 
causes is difficult to determine. 
To protect its citizens laws are made to regulate human behaviour and the 
State provides crime prevention policies, remedies and sanctions if the laws are 
broken. However, research is continuing into people’s motivation for committing 
crimes, because understanding this may help us apply the correct punishments for 
crime. With more knowledge, it will be easier to prevent crime and to help criminals 
to lead a more useful life. 

3. Match the synonyms. 

1) link
2) deliberately
3) to occur 
4) prominent 
5) to lead to 
6) to argue 
7) to continue
8) behaviour

a) intentionally
b) to go on
c) to cause 
d) to happen 
e) important, noticeable 
f) conduct 
g) connection
h) to state

4. Match the antonyms. 

1) adult
2) by accident
3) the oldest
4) uninformed 
5) similar to 
6) poverty 
7) unstable
8) rational

a) minor
b) stable
c) wealth
d) irrational 
e) on purpose 
f) the latest 
g) different from 
h) literate 

5. Use the appropriate form of the antonyms above in the following sentences. 

1) You can’t go to the pub with me because you are only fifteen and … are not 
allowed to enter such places. 

10