| Country Czech Republic
City Prague
Host Institution CEELI Institute
Project Description
The regional project in Legal English focuses on working with a team of over 20 law faculty professors and legal English specialists from 12 countries across southeastern and central Europe to develop on-line instructional modules that address the language and legal content needs of users. The project started with the present EL Fellow in September 2005 and has come a long way. During the first year or so of the project, the members of the development team of 20+ fluctuated due to unforeseen circumstances. Presently, the team has solidified and the EL Fellow has worked intensively to train them to develop these on-line materials. Although they have made great progress, additional training is still needed. The initial plan was to develop a minimum of 20 modules using a flash-based on-line format (see demonstration module at www.language4law.org). Due to financial considerations, the EL Fellow was forced to abandon this format and, in consultation with technical experts, migrated the entire project to a Moodle format which is turning out to be nearly as flexible and engaging and exponentially more cost effective than the flash based approach (see www.l4law.org). To date, modules on Joint Ventures, International Sales and Goods, Mergers and Acquisitions, Trademark Infringement, and Medical Malpractice are nearing completion. 5 additional modules will be complete by June 30, 2007. One additional year of an EL Fellow Program based at the CEELI institute in Prague is needed to develop an additional 10 modules and complete the training of the development team so that additional modules can be developed for years to come. The EL Fellow travels among the universities where collaborating module developers are based, consults with them and conducts training sessions as requested. S/he pilots the language4law materials with practicing lawyers and advanced law faculty professors and students and incorporates their reactions into the materials. With the financial support of White and Case (an international law firm that the Language4Law NGO is already providing fee generating services to in order to help defray some of the development and training costs that the EL Fellow incurs), the EL Fellow invites selected members of the development team to the CEELI Institute in Prague on a quarterly basis to participate in module development and training sessions facilitated by the EL Fellow. The EL Fellow also conducts intensive courses on legal drafting for interested law faculty professors, legal English instructors, practicing attorneys and legal advisors assigned to a variety of ministries.
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