PERFECTING THE LANGUAGE OF LAW: COLLOCATION

Read the information above and replace the underlined word in the following sentences with a word from the table to make the sentences correct.

1. A payment of the sum of £50,000 is our last offer to settle this matter out of court. 2. The value of shares in Forster Entertainment plc fell extremely yesterday following the CEO’s criminal conviction for tax evasion. 3. The judge suspended the trial until 9am the following morning. 4. Our client was in manufacturing but great competition from China put him out of business. 5. I don’t like to introduce the subject of legal costs but it’s something we should discuss before we go any further with this matter. 6. The lawyer for the other side tried to negotiate a longer payment period but I’m happy to tell you that he failed terribly. 7. Your client was in violation of contract from the moment he failed to deliver the goods to my client’s London premises on the agreed date. 8. The government place tax on imported goods to raise money and to protect domestic manufacturers from cheap competition. 9. I’ve discovered that my partner in the business has built up debts of £200,000 without my knowledge. 10. The logo that you’re using for your restaurant severely resembles the trademark that my client registered 25 years ago and we’ll take legal action if you don’t stop using it. 11. Our law firm offers a large range of legal services including an online dispute resolution platform. 12. You claim that your failure to do your obligation was due to a force majeure event but it is clear to us that you did not have enough employees to deliver the service that you promised.

Read the following information and choose the correct word from the list below to complete it.

COLLOCATION IN USE: A claim in the County Court Jo Rider built a website for Harry Spencer to promote his (1) ….. of restaurants and, despite having a written agreement in place and (2) ….. reminders from Jo, Harry has not paid the (3)….. sum owed to Jo, which is £7,500. Jo has decided to (4) ….. a claim against Harry in her local County Court. She is entitled to claim the £7,500 plus interest from the (5) ….. date. To start the legal process of suing Harry, Jo must (6) ….. the County Court claim form. This form requires information from Jo on both the claimant and the defendant, such as (7) ….. names and addresses, as well as a detailed explanation of the circumstances of the claim being made. Jo could (8) ….. advice from a solicitor or some other legal professional but she must (9) ….. in mind that this is a small claim and any legal fees she may (10) ….. will not be recoverable. The next part of County Court procedure is for Jo to (11) ….. the new claim form to the individual County Court where she wants the proceedings to be (12) ….. . It is at this point that court fees will become payable, usually in proportion to the amount being claimed. After the County Court has (13) ….. the claim form, it will be (14) ….. on the defendant and upon the defendant receiving it the first (15) ….. of County Court procedure is complete. The court will usually send the claim form to the defendant by first-class post and it is assumed that the defendant will have received the claim on or before the second business day after posting.

(a) submit (d) bear (g) stage (j) issue (m) due (b) take (e) served (h) full (k) numerous (n) chain (c) outstanding (f) heard (i) incur (l) processed (o) fill out

Read the following case and choose a word from the text to form each of the collocations below. COLLOCATION IN USE: The Snapchat contract dispute In 2011 Stanford University student Frank Brown had an idea for a new app. It would allow a user to send a photo from one phone to another but the photo would disappear soon after viewing, making it impossible for the receiver to save the image or forward it to anyone else. Frank shared his idea with a friend, Thomas Spiegel, and they asked computer coder Robert Murphy to help them. The parties entered into an oral agreement to develop the app and to split the profits equally.

• In July 2011, the three contributors launched their new business, Snapchat. • Soon after, an argument broke out between Frank Brown and Thomas Spiegel. • Thomas Spiegel and Robert Murphy then changed all passwords and stopped communicating with Frank Brown. • Frank Brown asserted his right to a share in the business. • Thomas Spiegel and Robert Murphy then instructed a law firm, Cooley LLP. • They also incorporated a company as a separate legal entity to run the Snapchat business. • Frank Brown then brought a claim against the other two on the grounds that Snapchat was created as a partnership with three partners. • Thomas Spiegel and Robert Murphy denied all of Frank Brown’s allegations and denied that any legal obligations had arisen under their previous relationship with Frank Brown. • In September 2014, the parties settled the claim out of court in an agreement that resolved the dispute between them, which included an agreement not to disclose any information contained in the settlement that had been reached.

1. To ….. a new business. 6. To ….. an allegation. 2. To ….. your legal right to something. 7. To ….. a claim out of court. 3. To ….. a law firm. 8. To ….. a dispute. 4. To ….. a company. 9. To ….. information. 5. To ….. a claim against someone. 10. To ….. a settlement.