2007 年初夏，我风尘仆仆地从上海赶到北京，来参加由 lawsprit 主办的，为期一个月的法律英语培训。
作为上海的一名执业律师，我深知在中国全面开放的背景下，一名合格的律师，不仅应当熟悉中国的法律，而且必须对英美法系以及大陆法系的基本知识有所涉猎；不仅应当熟练运用自己的母语，还应力争培养出自己用英语作为工作语言的能力。
此行之前，我虽然对于学习法律英语的重要性有着比较清醒的认识，但是由于缺乏适合的学习方法，加之市场上的法律英语书籍之良莠不齐，我对法律英语学习本身的规律依然不甚了了。
直到我上了 lawsprit 的课程以后，才对法律英语的学习有了真正系统地认识。虽然不一定完全准确，我还是愿意拿来与大家分享，以供大家参考。
首先，法律英语经过了长时间的发展，已经发展成了一门的学科。它虽然还是以法律和英语的基础知识为背景，但是已经发展出了完全独立的特点。具体来说，虽然它是以法律为描述对象的，可是经过了多年的积累，对于具体的法律事实与法律制度的表述已经定型化。虽然从广义上来说，它还是英语的一个分支，但是它的用词依然保留着古代英语的诸多痕迹。所以说学习法律英语绝非简单的学习法律与学习英语的叠加，而是需要独立的训练的。
其次，对于实务工作者来说，在所有的法律英语中，最为实用的为合同英语，而合同英语的学习应当以实用而优秀的范本为学习的对象。只有通过对数个优秀的范本的反复揣摩和模仿，才能在最短的时间里掌握审核和起草或者翻译英语合同的能力，这是任何原版教科书所不能替代的。
通过一个月的学习，虽不能说有巨大收获，但是我自信已经获得了我所需要的方法。而这些方法将成为我今后学习的“制胜法宝”。
In July of 2007, I reached Beijing from shanghai, to take part in a one-month legal English training hold by Lawsprit.
Working as a full time lawyer, I realized that to be a good lawyer, I should not only familiar with the Chinese law, but also owns some knowledge about the common law system as well as that about the civil law system; and I shall not only be an expert in using Chinese, but also try to gain the ability of using English as a working language, especially after China has open its market fully
Before that, I had realized the importance of learning legal English clearly, but my study was still blocked for lacking of the useful skills and suitable references, for which reason, I am not able to find my way of study legal English.
It is not until I finished the course here in lawsprit can I got a good understanding of how to study legal English. I would like to share it , although it may not suitable for all kinds of readers.
First, after a long period of development legal English has become a new kind of subject which based on legal knowledge and English. It has its own characteristic. For instance, while describing the law, legal English has raised many specific ways of expressions. Although it is still one breach of English, Legal English remains many archaic words which can hardly been seen in daily life. So it is not a simple combination of Legal and English, but a skill which needs training.
Second, for a lawyer, contract English is the most useful among all kinds of Legal English which should be learned from the sample contracts; one can only know how to deal with English contract through study and rewrite the samples if he wants to manage it in a shorter time. The skills learned in the former way can not easily got from the English version books.
All in all, after the training, I believe that, at least, I have find my way to study Legal English even if it can not to be treated as a great advance in my study. I also believe that the way I found will be a useful tool in my further study.
上海学员：左律师
