At TransLegal we strive to help our customers communicate effectively in an increasingly globalized world where cross-border transactions and international negotiations play an ever more important role. And as attorneys we know what it takes to successfully communicate complex legal concepts and arguments. Accordingly, we engage with our customers to help them improve their Legal English, and, concomitantly, their work product.

Founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1989, TransLegal has become the world leader in Legal English. In addition to the translation and proofreading of legal documents, our in-house staff of lawyer-linguists provides a wide range of products and services to the international legal community including the World Law Dictionary, a partnership between TransLegal and over a dozen leading law faculties around the world.

TransLegal also provides Legal English testing, online Legal English courses and resources, live seminars and training. Every year, TransLegal’s products and services help tens of thousands of legal professionals around the world improve their Legal English.

TransLegal recently launched the World Law Dictionary project, a partnership between TransLegal and leading law faculties around the world. The final product will be an online law dictionary which allows users to search in at least 20 languages for English translations of the legal terms in their languages. The English law terms which are provided as translations will be linked to TransLegal’s extensive and ever-growing database of English language materials, providing for each term sound files for pronunciation, usage notes, example sentences and language exercises and videos, thus making the World Law Dictionary a unique and powerful legal language tool.

TransLegal’s partnerships with leading British and American universities such as the Boston University School of Law, the University of Cambridge, and Cambridge University Press have led to the creation of extensive English language testing and teaching materials that are used by legal professionals around the globe. This includes two bestselling coursebooks in Legal English published by Cambridge University Press: International Legal English and Introduction to International Legal English as well as International Legal English China Edition. And, in partnership with Cambridge University Press and Boston University, TransLegal launched PLEAD – the Program for Legal English Academic Development. TransLegal’s courses and coursebooks have become the world standard for Legal English and are used by universities, language schools, bar associations and law firms in over 100 countries.

The world’s largest staff of lawyer-linguists

A Chicago lawyer with an LLM from Heidelberg, an English solicitor fluent in Swedish, and a California lawyer who lectures at the University of Paris are just a few examples of the diversity and expertise of the lawyer-linguists at TransLegal.

TransLegal’s senior management

 

Michael G. Lindner, B.A., J.D.

Founder and CEO, TransLegal Group
Born: New York, USA. Admitted to the Connecticut Bar and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Practiced law in a private law firm in the area of civil litigation. Founded TransLegal, 1989. Translator authorised by the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SWEDISH

Thomas B. Mann, B.A., J.D., LL.M.

Vice President, TransLegal Group
Born: Chicago, USA. Received his legal education in the United States at American University and an LL.M. in German law from Heidelberg University. Admitted to the Illinois Bar and to the United States Federal Court for the District of Illinois. Member of the American Bar Association. Practiced corporate and commercial law in a private law firm in Chicago from 1987 – 1992.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, GERMAN

TransLegal’s lawyer linguists

 

Reuven Ben-Dor, M.A. (Cantab.)

Born: Leeds, England. Law Degree, Cambridge University, 1975. Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Israel Defence Forces, Prosecutor (1977-1983); Chief Defence Counsel, Northern Command of the Israel Defence Forces, (1983-1990).
Translator authorised by the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SWEDISH, HEBREW

Robin A. Bernstein, B.A., J.D.

Born: New York, USA. Admitted to the New York and Maryland Bars and the United States Federal Courts for the Districts of New York, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. Practiced in a general civil litigation firm in Washington, D.C. (1981-82), and as an assistant District Attorney in New York City (1982-1989). Robin also volunteers as a legal advisor at a women’s shelter in Stockholm.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SWEDISH

Neil Clarke, B.A., M.A.(Econ), J.D., LL.M.

Of Counsel
Born: Newcastle-upon Tyne, England (UK). Admitted to the New York and California (inactive) Bars and various federal courts. Received his legal education in the United States at Duke University and an LL.M. in French law from the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas). Practiced in large firms in California, New York, Philadelphia and Paris, and later in his own firm in New York, with a focus on securities law, mergers and acquisitions and general business law.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, FRENCH

Matt Firth, L.L.B. , M.A.

Director of Production
Born: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. LLB (English and French Law) 1995, University of Canterbury, Kent, England. RSA CTEFLA, Cert. IBET, Diploma and MA in TEFL (dissertation: Materials Design in English for Legal Purposes) 2006. Matt has taught English and English for Specific Purposes since 1996 and is currently senior lecturer in Legal English at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, where he is also Coordinator of the C1 level English courses across all disciplines. He is editor of the ETAS teaching journal, a founder member of EULETA (the European legal English Teachers’ Association), and regularly gives f2f and online training sessions and presentations in Legal English, Business English, and Internet in language education. Matt is co-author of Introduction to International Legal English (CUP) and has written several online workbooks and teacher’s books for CUP in the area of Academic English. His research interests include materials development for Legal English and online learning.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN

Emma Strevens, Solicitor (non-practising)

Born: York England. Qualified and admitted to the roll of solicitors of England and Wales in 2002. Practised as a commercial solicitor in England at Legal 500 firms for 10 years specialising in commercial property. Member of the Law Society of England and Wales.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SWEDISH

Robert N. Houser, B.A., J.D., LL.M.

Director of Language Assessment Services
Born: Philadelphia, USA. Admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Practiced 5 years in the areas of commercial and tort law litigation. Practice included numerous trials and appeals before the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Received his Master’s degree in European Law from Stockholm University. Lecturer in EC Procedural Law and coach of the Stockholm University European Moot Court 1997-1998, 1999-2002. Director of EC Procedural Law (2001-2002) at Stockholm University, and regular lecturer in the subject. Co-author (TransLegal) of the “International Legal English” book published by Cambridge University Press and chief advisor at TransLegal for the Cambridge University ESOL “Cambridge English: Legal” examination, also known as “International Legal English Certificate” (ILEC).
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SWEDISH

David Shaw, LL.B.

Of Counsel
Born: London, England. David has a Masters Degree from Oxford University. He trained as a lawyer in the City and West End of London in aircraft and ship finance and commercial dispute resolution. In 1991, he qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. In the UK, he practiced as a Solicitor in Legal 500 commercial law firms (Bircham Dyson Bell and Sherrards) and was a Lecturer at the College of Law of England and Wales (the largest provider of legal education in Europe) on the Linklaters and Allen & Overy Legal Practice Courses and an assessor in legal drafting. He was also Senior Lecturer in International Banking Law at City Banking College and a Visiting Lecturer in Business Law at the Westminster Business School at the University of Westminster. In the UK, David edited and contributed to several business and corporate law text books. David has also lectured in European Corporate Law and Legal English at the University of Lund.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SWEDISH

Randy G. Sklaver, B.A., J.D.

Born: New York, USA. Admitted to the California Bar and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles (1987). Practice included insurance coverage litigation and appeals as well as tort law litigation and appeals.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SWEDISH

Thomas Thévenin, Maîtrise en droit, CAPA

Of Counsel
Born: Reims (France). Member of the Barreau de Paris (inactive). Received his legal education in France at the University of Paris-X Nanterre and the Ecole de Formation du Barreau. Attended the University of Texas at Austin, School of Law, as part of an LLM-exchange program. Practiced with both French and American international law firms in Paris, represented foreign and domestic clients before various French courts on matters involving criminal law, contract law, tort law, commercial law, labor law and corporate law.
LANGUAGES: FRENCH, ENGLISH

Michael S. Walker, B.A., J.D.

Of Counsel
Born, Virginia, USA. B.A., with distinction (1991), J.D. (1994) University of Virginia. Admitted to Virginia (1994) and DC (1996) bars. Practiced for 11 years in realm of disputes/international arbitration as well as general commercial law with a top-ten US law firm in its Washington, DC, London and Munich offices. Accredited by British Institute of Translation and Interpreting and winner of its 2005/2006 John Hayes Prize for the best translation examination in any language combination. Translator of commentary on Austrian Arbitration Act of 2006.
LANGUAGES: GERMAN, ENGLISH

William Yeago, B.A., J.D., LL.M.

Born: North Carolina, USA. Received his education at Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sophia University in Tokyo, the Sorbonne in Paris and is a certified English teacher (ESL/EFL) by the California State Board of Education and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Studied law at the University of California – San Francisco, Oxford University (Magdalen college), and the University of Paris II (Assas-Panthéon). Admitted to the State Bar Association of California, the United States Federal Court for the Northern District of California, the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Practiced 10 years in appellate law in the areas of Corporate and Commercial law. Currently an Adjunct Professor of Foreign Law and Languages at the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), the University of Paris I (Sorbonne) and Head Lecturer and Bar Examiner at the Paris Bar Association Legal Training Centre (EFB). Contributor to the Cambridge University Press book “International Legal English” and advisor for the University of Cambridge ESOL “International Legal English Certificate” (ILEC) examination.
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, FRENCH