Analyzing Genre Specific Needs of Learners of Law with Reference to Sub-Skills Required in Reading of Cases

Juridical English, judicial opinions written by judges of higher judiciary, is an extremely important genre for legal discourse community. In situations where learners’ first language is other than English, law students and recent law graduates in the profession of law reportedly find it hard to cope with a variety of tasks they are required to perform while reading judicial opinions/cases. The aim of this paper is to identify the level of linguistic adequacy of learners of law with regard to eight sub-skills that are required in reading comprehension of cases. This empirical research was carried out through survey questionnaires by taking into account three members of legal discourse community: teachers of law, recent law graduates and senior lawyers. The analysis revealed that the level of linguistic adequacy varies: the complex the task required in a sub-skill, the higher the level of inadequacy. Taken as a whole, learners had inadequate competence in six out of a total of eight sub-skills required in reading of cases. The findings provide insights to course developers and teachers in the field of English for Academic Legal Purposes (EALP) and English for Occupational Legal Purposes (EOLP).