The paper's approach to legal English is closely related to the discovery of the roots of the common law and the development of this extraordinary tradition in the English-speaking world and beyond. After illustrating the various cultural and linguistic influences on the emergence of the common law, the role of legal French in the formation of legal English is discussed in light of the persistence of Latin in medieval common law. The historical institutional background thus serves to reinforce some final methodological considerations for non-native English-speaking students.