People in the Legal System. Civil Cases.

A civil case begins with a plaintiff. He or she has a complaint about the actions of another person or organization. The plaintiff files the complaint with a court. The person or organization accused of a wrongdoing is the defendant. Both the plaintiff and the defendant usually have attorneys. The attorneys speak on behalf of their clients. A paralegal, a person with legal training, may assist the attorney. In some cases, a jury listens to arguments for and against the defendant. Then they decide on a verdict. Finally, the judge makes a decision to resolve the complaint.

Complete the table using information from the text.

Person	Role or Job
	files a complaint
	is accused of a crime
3attorneys
4 paralegal
	resolves a complaint

Match the words (1-7) with the definitions (A-G)

1 verdict 2 legal system 3 court 4 complaint 5 paralegal 6 plaintiff 7 civil

A) the methods of interpreting laws and putting them into effect B) a legal conclusion C) a written document that states the reason for legal action D) the place where people go to conduct legal business E) a person who accuses another person of a wrongdoing F) an attorney's assistant with specialized legal training G) occurring between citizens

12. Check the sentence that uses the underlined parts correctly.

1 A) The plaintiff delivered a verdict at the end of the trial.
В) The judge listened to the attorneys' arguments.

2 A) Twelve paralegals determined the outcome of the case.
В) The jury decided that the man was not guilty.

3 A) The defendant hired an attorney to prove that he was innocent

В) In court the plaintiff always makes the final decision.

4 A) Mr. Moaner's attorney represented him during the trial.

В) What verdict is the defendant accused of?

Listen to a conversation between two attorneys.

a) Choose the correct answers.

1 What is the conversation mostly about?

A the creation of a complaint

В an attorney's advice to a defendant

C a plaintiff's reaction to a verdict

D the progress of a civil case

2 Why is the man worried?

A The complaint is not true.

В The jury already decided

C The defendant is guilty.

D The plaintiff has no proof.

b) Listen again and complete the conversation.

Attorney 1: Hi, Robert. How is that 1__________ case going?

Attorney 2: Hey, Janet. It's not going all that well, actually.

Attorney 1: Oh? What's wrong?

Attorney 2: The defendant's 2__________ is pretty good.He's making our 3__________ seem weak.

Attorney 1: Well, it's not, is it?

Attorney 2:No. The 4__________ owes my client thousands of dollars. But that's based on a verbal agreement.

Attorney 1: I see. So the 5___________ has nothing in writing?

Attorney 2: Exactly. I'm worried that the 6___________ will decide against us.

Use the conversation from Task 13 to fill out an update on the attorney s case.

Civil Case Update

Attorney: _______________________________

Plaintiffs Complaint: ___________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Possible Outcome: _____________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________

With a partner, act out the roles below.

Student A:You are an attorney. Talk to another attorney about a civil case. Ask Student B about:

- the case

- the complaint

-the problem

Student B:You are an attorney representing a client in a civil case. Answer Student A's questions.

Match English sentences (1-9) with correct Russian sentences (a-i).

• Не каждый может работать для общего блага. • Юрист - это лицо, чья профессия заключается в том, чтобы подавать судебные иски или консультировать клиентов и действовать от их имени по различным юридическим вопросам. • Право - это нормы поведения, установленные государством и применяемые в обществе в форме закона или обычая. • Закон - это любая норма или предписание, которым надо следовать. • Мы следуем определенным нормам поведения, если принадлежим определенным социальным институтам. • Я посоветуюсь с юристом. • Она обратилась в суд. • Судья отправляет правосудие. • Какие факторы повлияли на Ваше решение?

• The law is the rule of conduct established by a government and applicable to people, whether in the form of legislation or custom. • Law is any rule or injunction that must be obeyed. • Not everybody can work for the good of society. • A lawyer is a person whose profession is to conduct lawsuit for clients or to advise or act for them in other legal matters. • We accept some rules if we belong to particular social institutions. • I'll take legal advice. • She brought a case to court. • What factors influenced your decision? • The judge administers justice.