ELC goes to London.

Yes indeed!

In the interests of being always better for our dear clients, ELC, as fully-fledged members of the TOLES examination network – that’s the Test of Legal English Skills for the lay folk – decided to go to London, to do a course in legal English.

The two-day event took place at the Law Society in Chancery Lane, the equivalent of the French Ordre des Avocats. Even as we exited the tube, we were aware of entering a whole new world. Busy lawyers strode down Chancery lane, their arms full of briefs, concentration furrowing their brows as they went over their pleas … The shops around us were filled with the wigs and gowns of barristers and our heads were immediately filled with scenes from great works such as “In the Name of the Father” and “The Trials of Oscar Wilde” but also films that we actually understood like “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Legally Bond”.

The event was held in the most beautiful of London buildings and the quality of the lecturers was second to none:

Elahe Ghazinoori, director of the law firm EMG Associates, gave an interesting opening speech on how to fireproof your contracts ahead of Brexit – a topic on everyone’s minds this week.

The author, Ken Adams gave a fascinating lecture on modern contract drafting: a move away from archaic terms and towards simpler, clearer texts.

Alex Hamilton, of the company Radiant Law, London, gave an insightful talk into the role of Artificial Intelligence in the legal profession and how we should neither shy away from nor fear new technologies but work hand in hand with it to improve our methods and make us more efficient.

Richard Lackey, international translator, took us through the tricky practice of translating legal terms from one legal jurisdiction to another and The event was closed by Catherine Mason, founding member and director of TOLES Legal, who gave an in-depth look into the mysteries of this excellent exam.

The quality and the professionalism of the seminar was excellent, but I cannot go without mentioning the warmth, the kindness, the intelligence and the wonderful spirit of co-operation between the attendees.

We cannot wait to meet them again at the next conference!