2. 3) A legal agent qualified to act for defendants in legal proceedings;

4) a British counsel admitted to plead at the bar and undertake the public trial of causes in an English superior court, a lawyer who has the right to speak and argue in higher law courts;

5) a British lawyer who advises clients on legal matters, prepares legal documents, esp. wills, sales of land or buildings, represents clients in the lower courts and speaks on their behalf, prepares cases for barristers to try in higher courts;

6) a person who practises law, one whose work it is to know about laws and advise and help others concerning the law, one whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise as to legal rights and obligations in other matters;

7) a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court, one who gives an authoritative opinion, one who makes decisions and judgements, advises the jury on points of law;

8) a local judiciary official having limited original jurisdiction;

9) a body of persons legally selected and sworn to inquire into any matter of fact and give a verdict according to the evidence submitted to them;

10) a public officer who attests or certifies writings (as a deed) to make them authentic;

11) the prosecuting officer of a judicial district.

Ex. 7. Using the words from the list, match each word with the definitions.

the accused court reporter witness policeman judge defence lawyer prosecutor junior defence lawyer jury trial barrister

1. a person charged with a crime;

2. a professional who decides how a criminal should be punished;

3. a professional who speaks for the accused and advises him / her in court;

4. a person who has seen a crime happen;

5. a professional who assists the lawyer of the accused;

6. a group of 12 people in court who listen to evidence and decide whether a person is innocent or guilty;

7. a person whose job is to deter people from committing crimes and to arrest those who break the law;

8. a professional who represents the state in court;

9. a person who notes down what is said in court.

10. the procedure taking place in a court of law;

11. the person who represents people in a higher court of law in England;

Ex. 8. Below are 8 people (or groups of people) who work in the different courts. Can you find them in the word square below?

Ex. 9. Complete the sentences with the terms given below:

barrister, attorney-at-law, solicitor, Queen’s Counsellor, judicial school

prosecutor, Crown prosecutor, reach a verdict

1. In England and Wales, a ..... prepares briefs but does not represent the clients in court. This is done by a ... . In the US, both functions are performed by an … .

2. In the US a ... instigates a prosecution against someone suspected of a crime.

This can be done at district, county, state or federal level. In England and Wales this is done by the ... who works for the Department of Public Prosecutions.

3. In England and Wales, a judge is appointed by the Lord Chancellor from barristers who have worked successfully for over 10 years and who have attained the status of ... . In Spain, lawyers wishing to become judges have to attend ... … for two years.

4. The jury took three days to … a … .

Ex. 10. Translate the sentences in a written form. Try to make your translation feel like a real book passage.

1. The presiding judge was Vanessa Young, a tough, brilliant black jurist rumored to be the next nominee for the United States Supreme Court. She was not known for being patient with lawyers, and she had a quick temper. There was a saying among San Francisco trial lawyers: If you are guilty, and you’re looking for mercy, stay away from Judge Young’s courtroom.

2. «Dr. Paige Taylor, the accused.» The district attorney’s voice was filled with disgust. He turned to Gus Venable, his chief prosecuting attorney. «I’m handing this trial over to you, Gus. I want a conviction. Murder One. The gas chamber.»

«Don’t worry,» Gus Venable said quietly. «I'll see to it.»

3. Gus Venable, the chief prosecuting attorney, was a show in himself. He was a burly man, larger than life, with a mane of gray hair, and the courtly manner of a Southern plantation owner. He had the brain of a computer. His trademark, summer and winter, was a white suit, with an old-fashioned stiff-collar shirt.

4. Alan Penn, defense attorney, was Venable’s opposite, a compact, energetic shark, who had built a reputation for racking up acquittals for his clients.

5. Sitting in the courtroom watching Dr. Paige Taylor, the accused, Gus Venable, the prosecuting attorney, thought: She’s jury-proof. Then he smiled to himself.No one is jury-proof. However, there was a look of innocence about her. She’s the kind girl,Gus Venable thought cynically,a man would be proud to take home to his mother. If his mother had a taste for cold-blooded killers.