Challenges and Pedagogical Needs in Legal English Acquisition: A Case Study of First-Year Law Students in Kosovo

First-year law students at AAB College in Kosovo report significant barriers in mastering legal English, with 72% of students identifying the subject as demanding or challenging. Research indicates these difficulties stem from a mismatch between common-law-oriented instructional materials and the local civil-law framework, alongside a lack of structured, performance-based practice opportunities.

Did You Know? Only 15% of the course materials analyzed between 2018 and 2023 contained comparative notes or civil-law mapping, leaving most students to navigate conceptual gaps in terminology without formal guidance.

Expert Insight: The disconnect between legal theory and linguistic application is a classic bottleneck in professional training. When students cannot map a term like “estoppel” to a functional equivalent in their own jurisdiction, they struggle to gain the confidence required for high-stakes advocacy. The data suggests that without systemic curriculum adjustments, these learners may continue to prioritize surface-level grammar over the rhetorical precision required in international legal practice.

Major Challenges in Legal English Proficiency

Students face a multifaceted learning environment where language proficiency and legal theory intersect. According to survey data, 58% of students identified speaking and 52% identified writing as their most difficult tasks. This difficulty is compounded by the dense nature of legal terminology; 65% of participants reported that specific legal terms act as a distinct barrier to their progress.

Classroom observations confirm that these challenges frequently manifest during practical exercises. For instance, in a week-two observation, a student requested an Albanian equivalent for the common-law concept of “tort,” highlighting the lack of direct translation for system-bound legal terms. This conceptual non-equivalence often results in hesitation during oral advocacy, as students lack the certainty needed to articulate arguments in real-time.

Pedagogical Approaches and Resource Gaps

While 68% of students reported that their courses incorporate real-world case studies, there is a clear perception of insufficient practical application. Although 80% of students value hands-on exercises, 55% reported that these opportunities are currently lacking. Document analysis suggests that while materials often present common-law discourse, they fail to provide the necessary scaffolding, such as annotated glossaries or staged drafting prompts, to bridge the gap for civil-law learners.

Feedback routines also appear to be a point of contention. Observations showed that in four out of six sessions, instructor feedback focused exclusively on grammatical accuracy, such as spelling and verb tense, rather than the structural organization of legal arguments. This lack of genre-level guidance may contribute to the 52% of students who identified writing as a primary struggle.

What May Happen Next

Based on current student feedback and identified pedagogical gaps, the institution could see a shift toward more structured, performance-oriented learning modules. If the college chooses to implement the students’ top recommendations—which include more mock trials, guest workshops, and systematic terminology support—the dispersion in student confidence levels may decrease. Analysts expect that integrating civil-law mapping into existing textbooks could reduce the processing time students currently spend clarifying concepts, potentially leading to more consistent participation in moot court and other oral advocacy exercises.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most difficult components of legal English for students at AAB College?
According to survey data, speaking (58%) and writing (52%) are the most frequently cited challenges, followed by knowing legal terminology (45%) and interpreting case studies (41%).

How do students perceive their current institutional support?
Nearly half of the respondents (48%) reported a shortage of support and resources, while 40% found the support adequate. The remaining 12% were uncertain or did not engage with the provided resources.

What do students recommend to improve their learning outcomes?
The most common recommendations include more practical exercises and real-world examples (70%), the introduction of mock trials or simulations (50%), and access to guest lectures or workshops (40%).

How might a more localized approach to legal English materials change the way future law students engage with complex international concepts?