Sure, you might also need years of schooling in law, paralegal studies or a related field, but Spanish can be that extra skill that sets you apart-sort of like the cherry on top of your legal sundae.
However, if you’re willing to learn, your law firm can start marketing to Spanish-speaking customers, who make up a sizable chunk of the population. This can massively increase the number of clients who may be interested in your services.
Finally, learning Spanish legal terms is useful for anyone learning Spanish. After all, you’re likely to hear these terms if you watch Spanish-language news. Plus, if you ever find yourself in legal trouble while abroad, even if it’s just a parking ticket, you’ll be super relieved you took the time to learn a little legal Spanish.
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Clear communication is important, so clients who do not speak English fluently will need someone who can communicate with them in order to navigate through the criminal justice process. As the Denver Bar Association Docket notes, speaking Spanish allows lawyers to help an under-served population access justice.
Tribunal can also refer to a jury or panel, but this meaning is rarely used in a legal context— jurado is the more common word for a legal jury . Juzgado can also mean “courthouse.”
Acción judicial means “legal action.” Pleito usually means “lawsuit” or “action.”
But speaking Spanish in a business setting isn’t quite like normal, everyday Spanish you hear between friends— you have to know how to use it correctly.
The Spanish-speaking population is rapidly growing. This means more and more people speak Spanish as their primary language, which means you’re much more likely to have clients who speak Spanish.
American University’s Washington College of Law offers a course on Spanish for lawyers that’s available online or in person.
For just $4.99 (or $0.99 if you’re an Android user), you can download this handy legal dictionary app that also works offline so you don’t burn through data.
123 Teach Me offers a number of great resources for learning legal Spanish, all condensed in one neat section of the site (linked above).
This book offers a wide selection of vocabulary for topics ranging from contracts to felonies to immigration—honestly, it includes nearly any law topic you might need to know. It’s also neatly organized so you can easily focus on any topic of interest without encountering any superfluous vocabulary words.