Match the words on the left with the correct definition on the right.

1 judge	a) a person against whom a charge is brought in a court
2 juror	b) an official who has the power to decide questions before a court
3 defendant	c) one in a group of people chosen to decide guilty or not
4 plaintiff	d) a person who brings a charge against somebody in a court
5 witness	e) a person who tells in a court what he knows or has seen
6 prosecutor	f) a government lawyer who brings charges against criminals in a court of law

 

3. Answer the following questions:

1) Who can be a juror?

2) Is it possible to refuse jury service?

3) What people are not allowed to serve as jurors?

4) How does a witness get information about a crime?

5) Why are witnesses important?

6) Who can call a witness in a trial?

7) What is an expert witness?

8) Who can be a judge?

9) How do people call a judge in the court?

10)  What is the judge’s job?

 

Study the picture and make the list of people in the courtroom.

 

Find out who does these functions in the courtroom.

1	a) makes sure that all the witnesses are seated in the right places and shows the public where to sit; b) asks everyone to stand; c) escorts the witnesses to and from the witness box where they are 'sworn in'.
2	a) questions witnesses to get the facts of the case; b) attempts to prove that the defendant is not guilty.
3	a) makes sure that the magistrates have all the information they need; b) reads out a summary of the law.
4	a) is someone you go to if you have a legal problem; b) questions witnesses to get the facts of the case; c) tries to persuade the magistrates that the defendant is guilty.
5	a) answers the complaint of a plaintiff or a prosecutor; b) is charged or accused of a crime; c) may appeal to the federal court if s/he loses a case.
6	a) works for local or national newspapers, radio, TV and online; b) can take photographs outside the court and can make sketches of what’s going on inside.
7	a) makes the decision if the accused person is ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’; b) makes notes of the important evidence.
8	a) is asked questions by the lawyers about what happened; b) is called individually and has to swear to tell the truth.

Make up sentences describing what each person does in the courtroom (10 sentences).

BLOCK IV

I. VOCABULARY FOCUS: TYPES OF PUNISHMENT

1. Study the following words and phrases:

punishment	наказание
license suspension	лишение прав
penalty fine	штраф
house arrest	домашний арест
community service	общественные работы
probation	освобождение на поруки, испытательный срок
suspended sentence	условный приговор
jail time/imprisonment	тюремное заключение
life imprisonment	пожизненное заключение
capital punishment	смертная казнь

Read the sentences and say what type of punishment these people can get for their offences.

1) A Mexican sells cocaine to a Canadian. __________________________

2) A man shoots his wife dead. ___________________________________

3) A terrorist group takes over an airplane and changes its course. ________

4) A man drank a few alcohol cocktails and went home in his car. ________

5) A woman gives false testimony in the court trial. ___________________

6) A man and his wife drink a lot of alcohol, don’t work and don’t look after their two children properly. _________________________________

7) A man or a woman drives faster than the limit. _____________________

8) Police officers found some marihuana in a teenager’s pocket. _________

9) A man or a woman crosses the street in a wrong place. ______________

 

Read the following definitions and say what types of punishment are they.

1)	to remain in one’s home for a certain period of time
2)	to remove driving rights for a certain period of time
3)	to spend the rest of one’s life in prison
4)	to pay money as punishment for minor crime
5)	to punish by death according to law
6)	to spend some months or years locked away from society
7)	to allow a law-breaker to go free if s/he will promise to behave well
8)	to do volunteer work such as cleaning up garbage
9)	to delay or stop punishment for a few years if the criminal will not commit another crime during this time

 

II. READING:

1. Read the following text and do the tasks after it.

Solicitors provide their clients with skilled advice and representation in all legal matters. Anyone who wishes to take legal advice usually goes to a solicitor’s office, where he sees the solicitor and tells him what he requires. Solicitors have direct contact with their clients. In most cases, barristers do not. In almost all cases, a client who needs the services of a barrister must go first to a solicitor, who will then instruct the barrister. This means that the solicitor chooses the barrister who is right for the case, and helps to prepare the cases for court.

Although solicitors and barristers are all members of the legal profession, there are many important differences between them. Barristers are mainly litigation or “courtroom lawyers” who actually conduct cases in court. Unlike solicitors, they have rights of public speech in the court, and so barristers appear in the more difficult cases in the Crown Court, the High Court, and the various courts of appeal.

Many barristers now specialize in one or two aspects of litigation. This means that they may do only criminal cases, or one or more of the many types of civil case.

Clients who need to go to court cannot normally go to see a barrister directly. They first go to a solicitor who advices a barrister. The solicitor then instructs the barrister to help the client.

Unlike solicitors, barristers cannot work in partnership with one another. Another well-known and very obvious difference is the robes barristers wear. In most courts they wear wigs and gowns. Sometimes wigs are handed down from one generation to another.

(Abridged from the original texts provided by http://www.wisegeek.com)

2. Choose the best title for the text:

1) Solicitors and their functions.

2) Solicitors and barristers.

3) Barristers and their functions.

3. Choose a sentence which reflects the main idea of the text:

1) Solicitors contact the clients directly.

2) Barristers can do both criminal and civil cases.

3) Solicitors and barristers differ in many aspects.

 

4. Point out the sentence which is NOT true to the text:

1) Barristers do not usually contact with the clients.

2) Solicitors help the clients to find the best barrister for their problem.

3) Barristers often work in large barrister’s offices.

4) Solicitors do not have the right of speaking before a judge.

5. Put the following sentences into the correct order:

1) A solicitor chooses the barrister suitable for the case.

2) The barrister appears in the court.

3) A client goes to a solicitor.

4) The solicitor helps to prepare the case for court.

5) A client needs the services of a barrister.

6. Answer the following questions:

1) Where do clients go when they need legal advice?

2) Who has direct contacts with clients?

3) Can clients choose a barrister themselves?

4) Who represents clients in a court?

5) In what courts can barristers appear?

6) Do barristers specialize in all aspects of litigation?

7) What clothes do barristers wear?

Who does the following: a client (C), a solicitor (S), a barrister (B)?

1) __________ specializes in one or two aspects of litigation;

2) __________ gives legal advice;

3) __________ wishes to take legal advice;

4) __________ has direct contact with clients;

5) __________ can work in large groups;

6) __________ wears a wig and a gown;

7) __________ conducts cases in court;

8) __________ goes to a solicitor