Legal English Courses

Unlock your professional potentialOversea is the perfect solution for professionals who want to specialise and improve their skills. Our courses are specialised and here you can find the training you need to unlock your professional potential.

Learn English your way

Oversea offers a variety of courses tailored to your needs. All our courses are taught in English, so you can learn at your own pace and master the language. We also have specialised modules that target specific job sectors.

Customised courses for each student

Our experienced team of native speakers and specific job sectors (legal, administrative, technical) will guide you through a customised course tailored to your individual needs. We also offer up-to-date content relevant to the international job scene.

Obtain professional certifications

Oversea is a TOLES examination centre, offering industry-specific certifications for lawyers throughout the country with no deadline.

Legal English Test

The Toles exam provides certification in the knowledge of English in the legal field. In particular, it is dedicated to the English of business law.

Who is this dedicated to?

The Toles exam is dedicated to legal professionals, law students and legal translators.

For more information on how to register for exams and courses, or to check your initial knowledge level, you can contact us by clicking on the blue button at the top of the page.

For the academic year 2024/2025, partnerships are active with:

FAQ Toles Exam

The examination consists of 3 independent levels

FOUNDATION levels A2/B1

HIGHER levels B1/B2

ADVANCED levels C1/C2

The examination does not include an oral test under any circumstances and focuses mainly on the written skills (production and comprehension) often required in legal communication.

The TOLES examination has no real correspondence with the ALTE levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This is because the tests require competence in the language specific to the profession, which is often independent of knowledge of general English.

The TOLES examination has no expiration date and there is no failure. Scores range from a minimum of 0-100 to a maximum of 500 placing the candidate in one of six ability bands:

EXCELLENT – VERY GOOD – GOOD – SATISFACTORY – APPROACHING SATISFACTORY – ONLY BASIC.

The certificate is recognised by numerous bodies including the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank, to name a few.

The TOLES is not the only exam that can certify English language in business or law, however it differs in its practical approach to the subject. The tests and their content are derived from investigations at law firms or companies that require specialised document writers who use specific terminology.

There are five dates per year and from JANUARY 2022 the examination will be in DIGITAL (Computer Based) format. The content of the tests will remain the same, the way they are conducted will change.

Oversea, as a Toles Authorised Centre, will send the list of candidates wishing to register for each session directly to the London Contact Person.

Subsequently, instructions will be sent to each candidate to verify that they have the technical requirements to access the Toles Legal platform on which the exam will then take place (e.g. video camera, Chrome browser installation, browser extensions installation).

Dates for the 2024 sessions

23 May 2024 (registration deadline 3 May)

27 June 2024 (registration deadline 7 June)

22 August 2024 (registration deadline 2 August)

21 November 2024 (registration deadline 1 November)

Oversea, as an Authorised Toles Centre, offers discounted examination rates.

FOUNDATION LEVEL EXAMINATION: standard price € 249.90 € 180.00 (VAT Exempt)

HIGHER LEVEL EXAMINATION: standard price € 279.65 € 200.00 (VAT Exempt)

ADVANCED LEVEL EXAMINATION: standard price € 327.25 € 225.00 (VAT Exempt)

Toles exam preparation courses – Registration always open

  • THE LEGAL PROFESSION

Introduction to the course: The speaker will proceed with the introduction to the topic of the first meeting by explaining what it means to work in the field of law, what it means to present a case in a civil court and what the main areas of law are.

  • THE LANGUAGE OF BANKING

The speaker takes the roll call and continues with the introduction to the topic of the second meeting by explaining the tasks of a lawyer in the banking context, the management of a new bank account explained to a client and the management of loans.

  • THE LANGUAGE OF CONTRACT LAW

The speaker takes the roll call and continues with the introduction to the topic of the third meeting by introducing an example case of a contract with the detail of its elements. It will continue with an in-depth discussion of precedents and the conclusion of an offer.

  • THE LANGUAGE OF CONTRACT LAW – PART II

The speaker takes the roll call and continues with the topics complementing the topic presented in the previous webinar: what is a consideration, the differences between a contract and a statute, and what steps to take in court in the event of a breach of contract.

  • THE LANGUAGE OF EMPLOYMENT LAW

The presenter takes the roll call and continues with the introduction of the following topics: the legal responsibilities of an employer, how an employment contract is composed, how an employment contract is terminated and, finally, a case-study will be presented.

  • THE LANGUAGE OF THE LAW OF TORT

The Rapporteur takes the roll call and continues with the introduction of the following topics: types of Tort, what is the ‘duty of care’, in-depth discussion of ‘negligence’ and illustration of a well-known Tort case in British law.

  • UNDERSTANDING CONTRACTS

The speaker takes the roll call and continues with the introduction of the following topics on how to write contracts in English, covering aspects of: formal expressions, technical terms, archaic words, the structure of a contract.

  • THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS LAW

The speaker takes the roll call and continues with the introduction of the following topics: who are sole traders and what are partnerships; how a partnership agreement is made. It will continue with an overview of public and private enterprises, as well as what happens when one of them decides to acquire another or has to be closed due to insolvency.

  • MODERN LETTER WRITING

The speaker takes the roll call and goes on to introduce the following topics: how a letter is written and what its constituent elements are. The typical formulas of a legal letter, the register to be used and the most common mistakes in writing a letter will be described.

  1. UNDERSTANDING CONTRACTS

The speaker takes the roll call and continues with the last topic of the course, which is an in-depth look at how to write and understand the language of contracts. Termination, force majeure, warranty and indemnity clauses will be explained.

Recap of the topics and administration of a final 20-question multiple-choice quiz on the entire course with live correction.

DURATION: 30 hours

DAY: Thursday

N.B. Oversea is willing to change proposed days and times of attendance based on the requests of the majority of those who pre-register. In the event of a change, new schedules will be announced prior to the start of each course and before formalizing registration or payment of the fee.

HOURS: 6:30-8 P.M.

START/END OF COURSES: scheduled departure upon reaching a minimum of 5 registrations. In case of a lower number, Oversea is happy to prepare a “tailor-made” offer for those interested or an individual 15-hour course can be arranged. Contact us for a quote: segreteria@oversea.it

MODE: WEBINAR on the KATTEDRA platform

CREDITS: the course has been ACCREDITED by the National Forensic Council. No. 1 credits are recognized per session attended.

COST: standard price € 1,740.00 € 780.00 + € 20.00 registration fee. The fee includes teaching materials.

  1. THE LEGAL PROFESSION

Introduzione al corso: Il/la Relatore procederà con l’introduzione al tema del primo incontro spiegando cosa significa lavorare nel campo della giurisprudenza, cosa significa presentare un caso in un Tribunale Civile e quali sono i principali settori legali.

  1. THE LANGUAGE OF BANKING

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’introduzione al tema del secondo incontro spiegando i compiti di un legale nel contesto bancario, la gestione di un nuovo conto bancario spiegata a un cliente e la gestione dei prestiti.

  1. THE LANGUAGE OF CONTRACT LAW

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’introduzione al tema del terzo incontro introducendo un caso esemplificativo di un contratto con il dettaglio dei suoi elementi. Si proseguirà con un approfondimento sui precedenti e sulla conclusione di un’offerta.

  1. THE LANGUAGE OF CONTRACT LAW – PART II

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con gli argomenti a completamento del tema presentato nel webinar precedente: cos’è una “consideration”, le differenze tra contratto e statuto e quali sono i passaggi da affrontare in Tribunale nel caso di violazione di un contratto.

  1. THE LANGUAGE OF EMPLOYMENT LAW

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’introduzione dei seguenti argomenti: le responsabilità giuridiche di un datore di lavoro, come si compone un contratto di lavoro, come si termina un contratto di lavoro e, infine, verrà presentato un case-study.

  1. THE LANGUAGE OF THE LAW OF TORT

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’introduzione dei seguenti argomenti: tipi di Tort, che cos’è il “duty of care”, approfondimento sulla “negligence” e illustrazione di un noto caso di Tort nella legislazione britannica.

  1. UNDERSTANDING CONTRACTS

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’introduzione dei seguenti argomenti relativi alle modalità di scrittura contrattuale in inglese curando gli aspetti di: espressioni formali, termini tecnici, parole arcaiche, la struttura di un contratto.

  1. THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS LAW

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’introduzione dei seguenti argomenti: chi sono i “sole traders” e in cosa consistono le “partnerships”; come si stipula un accordo di partnership. Si proseguirà con una panoramica sulle imprese pubbliche e private, così come cosa accade quando una di queste decide di acquisirne un’altra o deve essere chiusa per insolvenza.

  1. MODERN LETTER WRITING

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’introduzione dei seguenti argomenti: come si scrive una lettera e quali sono i suoi elementi costitutivi. Verranno descritte le tipiche formule di una lettera legale, il registro da usare e i più comuni errori nella redazione della stessa.

  1. UNDERSTANDING CONTRACTS

Il/la Relatore fa l’appello e prosegue con l’ultimo argomento del corso, ovvero un approfondimento sulle modalità di scrittura e comprensione del linguaggio della contrattualistica. Verranno illustrate le clausole di risoluzione, di forza maggiore, di garanzia e di indennità.

Ricapitolazione degli argomenti e somministrazione di un quiz finale a scelta multipla di 20 domande su tutto il percorso con correzione in diretta.

DAY: Wednesday (Higher) and Tuesday (Advanced)

N.B. Oversea is willing to change proposed days and times of attendance based on the requests of the majority of those who pre-register. In the event of a change, new schedules will be announced prior to the start of each course and before formalizing registration or payment of the fee.

HOURS: 6:30-8 P.M.

START/END OF COURSES: scheduled departure upon reaching a minimum of 5 registrations. In case of a lower number, Oversea is happy to prepare a “tailor-made” offer for those interested or an individual 15-hour course can be arranged. Contact us for a quote: segreteria@oversea.it

MODE: WEBINAR on the KATTEDRA platform

CREDITS: the paths are ACCREDITED by the National Forensic Council and recognize a total of 14 credits for attending the entire Higher level course and 15 credits for the Advanced path.

COST: standard price € 1,740.00 € 780.00 + € 20.00 registration fee.

If you do not know your language proficiency level access the TEST section on our website.

Conversational English about Law

Conversational English about Law courses are short, but intensive English language courses.

Each course includes meetings of 1.5 hours each for a grand total of 20 hours.

These are courses intended for participants with a level of English proficiency between a good B1 + (plus) and B2.
In fact, the course aims to introduce legal topics and then develop them in the classroom with conversation sessions and moments of debate and discussion.

It is a course that focuses mainly on oral skills to know how to express oneself about legal issues that will have been introduced and briefly explained by the lecturer at the beginning of the session.
The focus is also on enriching one’s professional vocabulary.

How the Conversational English about Law courses are organized

The number of users for each course is a minimum of 3 up to a maximum of 5 participants per classroom. This is to ensure a high level of interaction between lecturer and participants such that the course is worthwhile on a practical level. In addition, it is important for the same users present at the course to engage with each other thus creating a pleasant and conducive learning environment.

The courses, which are held in presence at Oversea’s headquarters, are accredited by the Turin Bar Association. No. 8 training credits are recognized (for participation in at least 16 hours of the course).

The webinar version of the course has been accredited by the CNF and 10 training credits are recognized.

For more information, contact us by clicking on the blue button at the top of the page.

  • BASIC ELEMENTS OF LEGAL ENGLISH

Overview of the most important linguistic elements in the use of legal English in oral and written form with examples and practical exercises.

  • VIRTUAL COURTS

Has the transfer of hearings online been an advantage or disadvantage for the legal profession? Is the digitization of trials effective in the Italian system?

  • ONLINE FRAUDS AND SCAMS: USE OF THE INTERNET

The use of the Internet and its dangers.

  • EMPLOYMENT LAW: WAGES, TERMINATION, REDUNDANCY

The world of employment and current cases involving wages, layoffs and redundancies within companies.
TYPES OF TORT.
Taking inspiration from real cases, participants will be asked to discuss civil damages caused by negligence or intentional harm by making comparisons between the two legal systems (Italian and Anglo-Saxon).

  • DISCRIMINATION AT WORK

Discussion of real, topical cases involving different types of discrimination that can occur in the workplace.

  • TAX EVASION AND CRIMES RELATED TO MONEY

The problem of tax evasion, how to combat it, which countries are involved, discussion of real cases.

  • ELEMENTS OF A CONTRACT – PROTESTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS: FREE SPEECH RIGHT

Freedom of speech online and in the streets: discussion to identify the current situation.
What do our clients want? Understanding and managing 21st century clients.

  • ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Implementation of the Medianos educational game for conflict resolution according to the rules of mediation.

  • ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Discussion and role-playing to determine the use, application or danger of artificial intelligence in the legal field.

  • MAKING THE LAWS

There are some laws that could be changed, some that should be deleted, and some that should be introduced.

Thursday

h. 19.00-20.30 (1,5 h);

Scheduled departure upon reaching minimum of 3 registrations.

Standard price: € 1,160.00 € 520.00 + € 20.00  entry fee

Material included in the fee.