After all, legal proceedings are always stressful, and in times of stress, it’s easiest to speak in the language you’re most comfortable with. Therefore, many clients may seek out legal professionals who can speak their language. If your firm doesn’t offer services in Spanish, these clients may seek out another that does.
When disputes arise, a person’s first inclination is often to call a lawyer, attorney Randolph Rice tells Reader’s Digest. But there are many situations in which hiring a lawyer is the last thing you should do. Says Rice, ideally, everyone would resolve disputes without lawyering up.
Whether you want to work with Spanish-speaking clients or work in international law, your knowledge of Spanish will come in handy. Even if a job doesn’t require it, it’s still a skill that many employers covet.
Even if a job doesn’t require it, it’s still a skill that many employers covet. Learning Spanish legal terms will also increase the number of people you can serve. Even if a client speaks fluent English, he/she may be more comfortable communicating in Spanish.
Additionally, learning Spanish legal terms will allow you to help people that many other legal professionals cannot help. 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.
But let’s get started the right way with 40 common terms every legal professional needs to know!
Acción judicial means “legal action.” Pleito usually means “lawsuit” or “action.”
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.”
In a legal context, acusar can also mean “to charge.” The reflexive, acusarse, can also mean “to confess.”
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.
Well, no matter what part of the legal arena you favor, learning Spanish will help you.
“If you want to improve your chances of securing the best lawyer to take your case, you need to prepare before you meet them,” advises attorney Stephen Babcock. “Get your story, facts, and proof together well before your first meeting.” This not only ensures that you understand your own needs, but it helps a good lawyer to ascertain whether he or she can actually help you. “We want the best clients too. Proving you’re organized and reliable helps us.”
“ Winning cases can be lost because of a client who lies or exaggerates just as easily as because of a lawyer who tells the client what the client wants to hear instead of what is true.” So when dealing with attorneys, don’t just look for honesty—be honest.
On reading a demand letter, the other person will often say, “this isn’t worth the trouble” and they quickly settle. But here’s a secret from Knight: You don’t need a lawyer to write a demand letter. You can do it yourself. Just make it look as formal as possible, and you may find your dispute goes away—no charge to you.
In fact, a lawyer should try to stay out of court. “In my experience, a good lawyer always finds every opportunity to keep a case from being decided by a judge, and only relents on trying a case before the bench when all alternatives have been exhausted,” attorney, Jason Cruz says.