Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

Legal English Gateway Program

The Straus Institute at the Pepperdine University School of Law is proud to announce the new Legal English Gateway Program for international students and law professionals.

The program will enable international applicants to LL.M. programs, international lawyers, judges and law professionals to improve their ability in the English language, as well as deepen their understanding of the U.S legal system. Such knowledge is crucial to being able to fully understand and participate in English speaking professional activities, or LL.M. programs.

The Gateway program is a 4-week program that will be offered July 8th – August 2nd. Classes will meet daily from 10:30am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. From 10:30am to 12:30pm, the sessions will be taught by faculty from the Pepperdine University School of Law and will consist of a two-hour course on Legal Research and Writing and another two-hour course on U.S. Legal Vocabulary and Concepts. For the afternoon sessions, the focus is on mastering English speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities.

Monday - Friday
10:30 am - 12:30 pm	Legal Research and Writing (Mondays & Thursdays)
10:30 am - 12:30 pm	U.S. Legal Vocabulary and Concepts (Tuesdays & Fridays)
12:30 - 1:00 pm	Lunch
2:00 - 3:20 pm	Advanced Reading/Writing
3:30 - 5:00 pm	Advanced Grammar Workshop

In addition to the daily courses, the program will include two weekly extra-curricular professional and cultural activities. Students will have the opportunity to engage in site visits to Disneyland, the Hollywood Bowl, the John Paul Getty Museum, and to a Dodgers game, as well as to the Los Angeles Superior Court, JAMS, an interview with a sitting judge, and a panel discussion with lawyers with specialty in International Law practice.

During the duration of the program, students will be housed at the beautiful Pepperdine University Malibu Campus, and will have full access to the library and other academic resources.

The Gateway program is not for academic credit and is designed to benefit LL.M. applicants who were not able to reach the minimum TOEFL or IELTS score requirements for their target schools. The Straus Institute may invite some LL.M. and M.D.R. applicants to participate in the Gateway program so that their English language abilities can be better assessed, which could ultimately result in admission to Straus' academic programs. Students who are not ready for graduate academic study at the conclusion of  the Gateway program may be offered admission to a Straus' academic program upon completion of additional English language training.

International students planning to study law in the U.S. or prepare to take California or New York bar examinations will also benefit from the program by learning many of the pertinent aspects of the American legal system and U.S. Law.

Download the application for the program, and submit it along with a current résumé or curriculum vitae to Marcelo Rosadilla at the Straus office.

Tentative Schedule (July/August)

SUN	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development *Welcome BBQ	9 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development	10 *Site Visit: L.A. Superior Court	11 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development	12 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development *Site Visit: Dodgers Game (Rockies)	13
14	15 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development	16 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development	17 *Site Visit: JAMS	18 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development	19 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development	20 Disneyland
21	22 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development	23 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development	24 *Site Visit: Judicial Interview	25 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development	26 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development *Site Visit: The Hollywood Bowl (Chicago)	27
28	29 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development	30 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development	31 *Site Visit: Panel Discussion	1 Legal Research & Writing/ English Skills Development	2 Legal Concepts & Vocabulary/ English Skills Development *Closing Banquet

Cost: the cost of the program includes classroom experience, on-campus housing, transportation and admission to all professional and cultural site visits. The cost will be U$4,800.00.

Students interested in getting Mediation training after the Legal English Gateway Program, have the opportunity to stay one more week and attend the Mediating the Litigated Case program. This is a separate training program and will require additional registration.  Mediating the Litigated Case is a popular training program, and registration should be done early to secure a spot. Please register online at the link above or contact Mrs. Tess Marme for more information.