2.3. A law firm’s practices areas

Reading 3.

Key vocabulary: to print brochures, to create web pages, areas of expertise, prospective clients, competency statement, practice areas, to handle cases, natural species, forestry/timber, grazing, irrigation, mining claims, wildlife, to assist clients, condemnation, a broad array, conservation easements.

Law firms commonly print brochures or create web pages in order to make their areas of expertise known to prospective clients. This kind of text, or competency statement, is usually entitled 'Practice Areas’ and generally lists the areas of the law in which the firm has performed successfully and the areas which staff members have most experience in.

Read the competency statement of a large American law firm.

Practice areas

The law firm of Johnson, Fabian, and Brugger was founded in 1993. Our staff lawyers are experienced in handling cases involving Natural Resources, property and Real Estate law and have represented clients with issues involving local and natural authorities and organizations.

Our firm has dealt with a wide range of natural species, forestry/timber, grazing, irrigation, mining claims, oil and gas, water, and wildlife. We have assisted clients in various property matters, including federal, public, state and private lands, communication sites, condemnation, easements, land exchanges, property boundary disputes, ownership disputes, and rights of way.

In addition, our lawyers have handled a broad array of real-property/real-estate transactions, including commercial, residential, agricultural, and conservation easements.

Due to our comprehensive natural resource and property capabilities, our firm can provide experienced counsel for all environmental and natural resource matters affecting property owners.

Post-reading task. Answer the following questions to the text above.

1. What area of the law does the firm handle in addition to real property?

2. What two types of disputes are explicitly named in the text?

Ex. 1. Decide whether Johnson, Fabian and Brugger is the right firm for these parties (1-4) to consult for legal assistance.

1.Mr. Simmons is engaged in a dispute with Mr. Burns concerning repairs that must be made to a pipe leading through Mr. Burns' property to Mr. Simmons' house. Mr. Burns refuses to allow the workers access to his property.

2.Mr. Wyatt produces a natural insecticide from the seeds of a type of Indian tree which grows on his property and has been selling it to organic farmers in his region. A pharmaceutical company is suing him for infringement of patent rights.

3.Mr. Parker's neighbour operates a private childcare centre within her property.

During the summer, the children spend a lot of time outside, and the noise level is extremely high. Mr. Parker and his neighbour agreed to install a fence, but disagree about the exact boundary between their properties and about who should pay for the fence.

4.Mr. Tanaka is a landscape architect working under subcontract with a construction company on the site of a large private home. The lead contractor has filed for bankruptcy protection. Mr. Tanaka wants to know whether he can stop work, pack up his gear and walk off the job site. He also wants to know whether he can enforce his mechanics' lien rights against the real property's owner.

Ex. 2. Read the text again and answer these questions.

1.What are the phrases in italics used to express?'

2.Underline the verb tenses in the text. Which verb tense is used most often? Why?

3. Find two words in the text that are synonyms of the word case.

4.Which sentence of the text expresses what the firm can do?

Writing 1. DESCRIBING A FIRM'S PRACTICE AREAS

Ex. 3. Using the phrases in italics in the text, write a short description of the practice areas of your own law firm or of a law firm you are familiar with.

Note some of the important features of such a statement:

• It is written in the first person plural (the 'we' perspective);

• Much of the information is provided in the form of lists;

• The present perfect tense is used to refer to what the firm has done;

• The text may begin with a reference to the firm's history and may conclude with a statement that sums up what the firm can do.

Ex. 4. Choose a topic related to real property law in your jurisdiction, which lends itself to structuring by means of classification.

Some possible topics are:

• Types of tenancy agreements

• Types of concurrent ownership of property

• Types of estates

• Tenant's rights

• Landlord's rights

Ex. 5. Read the following information about three Law Companies and their practice areas, search in the Internet for the detailed information about these (or other) companies, prepare and present to the group your report, comparing the effectiveness of these companies’ work, give your own point of view on the presented information.

• Назва компанії: Юридична фірма "Рафальский и партнеры" Сфера діяльності: Юридичні послуги, право, адвокатура, консультації Опис діяльності: юриспруденція Сайт компанії: http://www.rafalsky.com.ua Регіон роботи: Київ

• Назва компанії: Юридична компанія "Маляренко і Марієн" Інші назви: Ігор Марієн Сфера діяльності: Юридичні послуги, право, адвокатура, консультації Регіон роботи: Київ

• Назва компанії: Юридична фірма "Справедливість" Сфера діяльності: Юридичні послуги, право, адвокатура, консультації Опис діяльності: Подолати труднощі, поліпшити своє життя і життя своїх близьких, добробут і настрій оточуючих людей Ви зможете з фахівцями-юристами Української юридичної фірми. Юристи нашої компанії завжди на високому професійному рівні нададуть юридичну підтримку кожному, хто звернеться до нас! Наша кропітка праця-запорука Вашого успіху, всі наші знання, досвід, тепло сердець працюють саме для Вашого добробуту, ми прагнемо зробити українців заможнішими! Сайт компанії: http://spravedlivist.in.ua Регіон роботи: Київ