Federnotizie ha deciso di tenere una rubrica periodica per offrire ai suoi lettori l’approfondimento di alcuni termini inglesi più frequentemente utilizzati dai professionisti che operano nel settore legale. Si tratta di spiegare in modo semplice alcune parole, espressioni o frasi elementari precisandone il significato, il corretto utilizzo ed il contesto giusto nel quale inserirle. Si tratterà quindi di “pillole” di inglese giuridico anche per chi ha una conoscenza scolastica della lingua, che verranno pubblicate con frequenza quindicinale.

Tuttavia le maggiori difficoltà che gli italiani incontrano nella interpretazione della lingua estera non si riscontrano nella lettura di un testo, quanto piuttosto nella comprensione della lingua parlata. Proprio per aiutare a superare questa difficoltà Federnotizie ha scelto di avvalersi di una persona esperta del settore, che insegna quotidianamente a legali, in particolare notai, l’inglese legale: Peter Liebenberg di lingua madre inglese – Legal English ESL (English as a Second Language) Specialist.

Mr. Liebenberg leggerà o meglio esporrà in un breve video, al quale si potrà facilmente accedere, il contenuto della “pillola”. La parte essenziale del testo esposto dallo Specialist sarà resa disponibile anche per iscritto in modo che si possa ascoltarne l’esposizione e successivamente leggere la “pillola” o anche leggere prima il testo e seguire poi il video, al fine di acquisirne la corretta pronuncia e abituarsi ad ascoltare e comprendere.

Let’s improve our legal English while enjoying it!

Party, counterparty and counterpart

Transcript:

Helllo!

Today we look at party, counterparty and counterpart.

Remember that when we refer to an individual who is entering into a contract, we call that person a party to the contract or agreement. We do not call that person a part to the contract, but a party to the contract. Also note that we don’t say he “He is a party of the contract” but we say “He is a party to the contract”, So, can I say “He is part of the contract”? No, because we say ““He is a party to the contract”.

Now, the other person who enters into a contract or agreement is called the counterparty. Also in this case we say “She is the counterparty to the agreement” and not “of the agreement”.

But we know that the word counterpart also exists in Legal English. So, can I say “She is the counterpart to the agreement”? No because we call the other person the counterparty. So we say “She is the counterparty to the agreement”

Counterpart means another thing.

When we sign a contract the parties to the contract don’t have to be in the same place, city, or even country. Party A could be in Nairobi and Party B could be in Nocera. Each party will have a “copy” or, better still, the exact same papers of the contract and will put their signatures to the contract where they are. Each one of these papers or “copies” is called a counterpart. Their lawyers or representatives will then give party A the counterpart signed by party B, and party B the counterpart signed by party A.

We write in the contract that “This agreement has been signed in counterparts” and by this sentence, the judge, and the world at large, understands that Party A has a counterpart signed by party B, and party B the counterpart signed by party A and the union of these two counterparts is the contract. This avoids the need of having both signatures on the same papers or the need for people to be in the same place when signing a contract.

Obviously if there are 3 parties involved, there will be 3 counterparts, or 4 parties, 4 counterparts and so on. In all of these cases the union of all these counterparts creates the agreement.

Thank you, and see you next time for more Peter’s Pills to improve your legal English.

See how “party to a contract” is translated into Italian here: https://context.reverso.net/traduzione/inglese-italiano/party+to+a+contract

Legal English – Sommario delle Lezioni

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 59 – Appurtenent vs In gross
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 58 – Building societies and Banks
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 57 – Valid, void and voidable contracts
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 56 – Rescission
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 55 – Golden expressions
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 54 – Pre-emption right vs Right of first refusal
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 53 – What do we mean by “agent” of a company?
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 52 – Voting at a meeting
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 51 – Contracts vs Deeds
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 50 – Executive and Non-Executive Directors
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 49 – Transfer of shares vs transmission of shares
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 48 – They, them, their for singular nouns
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 47 – Jointly and severally
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 46 – Invoice words
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 45 – Quotation
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 44 – Gazumping and Gazundering
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 43 – English words that the English do not understand
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 42 – Easement vs Profit à prendre
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 41 -er, -or and -ee names
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 40 – The Objects Clause
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 39 – When is Latin hot, and when is it not?
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 38 – Default
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 37 – Company Agent
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 36 – Injunction (false freind)
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 35 – Mortgage
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 34 – Freehold, Leasehold and Commonhold estates
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 33 – Transferor, Transferee and Transmittee
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 32 – Tax evasion, tax mitigation and tax avoidance
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 31 – Numbers
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 30 – Ordinary resolutions vs special resolutions
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 29 – AGM vs EGM
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 28 – A going concern
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 27 – Collocations: Violate, breach, break, disobey and infringe
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 26 – Company meeting words
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 25 – Mortgagor vs Mortgagee
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 24 – Fixed charges vs Floating charges
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 23 – Doctrine
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 22 – Construe
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 21 – Sign vs Execute
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 20 – The closing statement
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 19 – Writing Business Emails
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 18 – Limited companies
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 17 – Annual Accounts
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 16 – Meetings
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 15 – Attorney-at-law vs Attorney-in-fact
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 14 – Here and there compounds
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 13 – Subject Matter
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 12 – The clear days rule
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 11 – Shareholder, Member or Holder of shares?
• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 10 – Competition Law

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Peter Liebenberg

Peter Liebenberg è uno specialista nella formazione delle persone nella conoscenza della lingua inglese. Ha creato molti corsi nel campo dell’inglese per professionisti, tra cui English for banking, English for business e English for Insurance, ma ha sempre avuto un debole per l’inglese legale. Altri corsi che ha creato comprendono Phrasal Verbs I e II. Quando Peter non fa formazione, corre a Parco Sempione, crea arte nel suo studio sulla Martesana e fa volontariato.