Solo Practice University® » Paul Jeff Perez

How Lawyers Can Learn A Second Language (And Why They Should)

Paul Jeff Perez — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:00:10 +0000

Learning a new language is an important decision, to be considered by most US-based lawyers trying to attract new clients and increase the profit margins of their law firm. As we have discussed previously in “Why and How to Hire Bilingual Employees”, hiring bilingual employees is a smart decision expected to enhance the firm’s ability to meet the needs of their clients. Attorneys that truly want to go bilingual should begin to learn a new language. You’re never too old to learn. In this context, what’s the fastest, most convenient method of learning a foreign language? There are various ways in which an attorney can discover the pronunciation, basic grammar notions and vocabulary of a second language, regardless of its particularities and level of difficulty.

#1 Language schools and special courses

Learning Chinese, Spanish or another foreign language should be at the top of a lawyer’s professional goal. Now they have the opportunity to finish what they’ve started years ago in school or revisit a New Year’s resolution, by investing their spare time and money in language courses offered by a language school. The best part is that attendees receive the best educational support ensured by qualified staff with excellent teaching skills. However, it can be expensive and it might be difficult for busy professionals to find time to fit this activity (which requires commuting to the school’s location) in their already tight schedules.

#2 Turning an important assignment into a fun, enjoyable activity with inexpensive online tools

Cutting-edge technology works in our favor, helping us annihilate cultural and linguistic barriers by making the most of free or inexpensive online tools, in the form of language programs and language software available online, like Babbel and Rosetta stone. Babbel is a great option for both beginners and advanced and offers attorneys the chance to explore a fun, interactive learning process which helps them get familiar with the pronunciation particularities, the basic vocabulary and grammar rules of any language that they might want to study. Known as the leading language-learning software available online based on a clever mix of sound, images and text, Rosetta Stone gives attorneys the chance to study 30 different languages and it is commonly considered one of the fastest, most effective ways of discovering the particularities of a second language. This program is available in 4 sets (Levels), but they can also be purchased individually, according to one’s needs. If you’re going down this path, be prepared to invest a great deal in your education, as only the first set (Level 1) will cost you approximately $180. Also remember that you can always try it for free before investing in these useful online sessions.

#3 DIY learning process- the trickiest, most rewarding method

Assuming that you think that the first two options aren’t really tailored to your specific needs, there is one other alternative that you might want to consider. Invest your time and energy in a DIY learning process: use free, basic online tools to discover the correct pronunciation of a certain foreign language. Meet and talk to non-English speakers in their own language to enrich your vocabulary. Refine your skills and continue your vocabulary training by watching movies and shows in the new language (i.e. Sesame Street). After a while, you will manage to understand essential grammar rules by using cost-free flashcard programs, and even succeed in writing your own short essays. Persevere by reading a lot of books written in the language that you’re currently studying. All in all, the DIY second language learning progress is fun, challenging but equally rewarding for any lawyer who might be willing to go bilingual without wasting any time and money.

For more on language learning see, “I Learned to Speak Four Languages In A Few Years: Here’s How“, and www.howtolearnanylanguage.com.

Are you learning a new language? Why did you make the decision to do so? Which learning option fits your needs? Please let us know in the comments section.

Written by Paul Jeff Perez

Why & How to Hire Bilingual Employees

Paul Jeff Perez — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:52 +0000

In an increasingly global marketplace, legal professionals possessing bilingual abilities are more and more in demand, as law firms are looking to meet the needs of their customers.

As the population of non-English speakers in the United States continues to grow, hiring bilingual employees becomes important in meeting the unique language needs of clients seeking professional legal representation. If you are building a bilingual solo practice, you should also hire a bilingual lawyer, paralegal or receptionist, to better meet your clients’ needs.

Why Hire Bilingual Employees?

Hire bilingual employees that are able to communicate in your client’s native language to help your firm cater to an increasing population of non-English speakers.
Hire a bilingual receptionst to make a big difference in being able to interact and build rapport with clients from the moment they first call you. People are always more comfortable with those who can speak their language and understand their needs.
Many non-English speaking immigrants do not obtain the legal help they need simply because they do not understand their rights. By hiring bilingual employees, you can bridge the communication gap to simplify the legal process and bring understanding to these clients.
Hiring a bilingual lawyer has the potential to grow your practice and even open up your business to international markets. As your clients begin to do business in foreign markets or with foreign companies looking to expand their products and services into the U.S., you will position your firm to compete for their legal business.
A bilingual paralegal that can handle writing and communicating in another language can also help to reduce the need for document translation services and interpreting services. Marketing your services to non-English speaking communities places you on the cutting edge of those few law firms that can provide legal services for non-English speaking clients.

How to Hire Bilingual Employees

If you plan on recruiting and hiring a bilingual lawyer, secretary or receptionist yourself, here are some steps you should take:

Post ads in local newspapers, especially in foreign-language papers printed in your area. There are various recruitment websites available such as Bilingual Job Board or Craigslist, but also websites focusing only on recruitment of bilingual staff.
Be very specific about what you’re looking for and put together a list of skills that the applicants should possess in order to qualify for the job. If you end up hiring someone who does not have any legal experience, they may require additional language training.
Job fairs sponsored by community colleges, universities and business organizations can also be an excellent resource for hiring. You could hire either American students who are very fluent in a foreign language or foreign students who are fluent in English.
Word of mouth referrals from existing clients, vendors and colleagues can bring about additional prospects for potential staff members.
Properly test the applicant, both in English and the foreign language to make sure the person you choose will indeed be able to communicate efficiently in both languages.

If you don’t have the necessary time to handle this process, you should contact a specialized recruiting company that can find you proficient and trustworthy candidates. This will probably cost you more money, especially if the recruiting agency will also conduct applicant testing, but at least you will make sure you get only valuable candidates to interview.

For more information on building a bilingual solo practice, please check out my previous articles:

In my next article, I’ll be discussing improving your language proficiency (how to learn a new language).

Written by Paul Jeff Perez

How to Hire and Work with Document Translation Services

Paul Jeff Perez — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:00:03 +0000

Any attorney considering focusing his or her practice on providing bilingual legal services will need to solve the problem of document translation. Choosing the right translation service can be crucial to success of a bilingual practice. Just as your clients will speak languages other than English, they may have many non-English documents with important bearing on their legal rights and responsibilities. They may be involved in legal disputes that span country or linguistic borders. An incorrectly translated word may have disastrous implications for a case.

But just as important as any legal and ethical requirements, your clients themselves, their friends and family will often be fully immersed in non-English languages and will notice both correctness and nuance, or the lack thereof. By taking a slipshod approach to document translation, whether yourself or through an employee, contractor or service, you may unintentionally communicate a lack of respect for someone’s entire culture. At the very least your clients—actual and potential—as well as their no-English-speaking adversaries may ascribe carelessness to you based on poor translations. These are exactly the sorts of ideas you don’t want getting around tight-knit social communities. Ensuring a high level of translation quality is not only the right thing to do, it is good business.

WHY HIRE A CERTIFIED TRANSLATION SERVICE?

A major reason to hire a certified service is quality assurance. With potentially many translators working on your legal documents over the space of years, by selecting a service that with a certification guarantee, you ensure that a high level of quality will always be met.

In addition, the certifications themselves, and even a specific type, may be required in many legal contexts, from litigation to the mundane. Certifications are often required when translating official documents, such as birth or death certificates or even college transcripts. Another common requirement is when submitting documents to agencies. As a small example, in order to get a document translated from a foreign language accepted by the state of Utah’s Driver License Division, the translator must have successfully completed an acceptable program and have filed a copy of the resulting certificate with the Division. Similarly, a certification that a translated document corresponds to the non-English original, made by a translator accredited by a body such as the American Translators Association (ATA) (website at http://www.atanet.org), may be required for introduction in some court contexts, or in a foreign country. Translators can of course also help with a variety of other tasks where certification is not required, including marketing, website localization, and brochure creation.

TYPES OF TRANSLATION CERTIFICATIONS

Translation certifications vary by country. In the U.S., accredited translation organizations include the ATA, which offers certification in many different language pairs. Other countries may require certain translations to be performed by diplomaed or sworn translators, as defined under the laws of those jurisdictions. Make sure that translators you hire are not only members of any accredited bodies but also certified by them.

HOW TO FIND CERTIFIED TRANSLATORS

To find a certified translator, refer to the directory of an accredited body. For example, the ATA features online directories where you can search for both individuals and companies providing translation services (see http://www.atanet.org/onlinedirectories/). Searches can be restricted not only based on ATA certification status, but also specialization in subject areas including certain subfields of law.

QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE HIRING A TRANSLATOR

As with hiring any contractor, you will want to know the answers to basic questions such as how long the translator or service has been in business, how much total volume of work they have performed within the legal industry and without, and the like. Another important consideration is the software tools and other aspects of information management, security and confidentiality in place. Ask how much work the translator or service has performed for other attorneys. In addition you may want to ask language-specific questions such as the following:

1. In what language(s) do you provide translation services? What dialects? What is your or your employees’ mother tongue?

In general, it is good if the language into which an important document will be translated is in the translator’s mother tongue, for maximum control of nuance. Hence a translation service will ideally have people with mother tongues on both sides of a needed translation language pair.

2. What translation services do you provide?

A full-featured translation service should provide summary, draft and certified translations, as well as editing and proofreading .Make sure you understand not only the fee structure, which will often be passed on to clients, but also how much lead time is involved for various types of translation requests. Ask about the translation procedure itself: is the document translated, then proofread before being finalized? If relevant, also ask if emergency rush service is available. If relevant, ask whether the service or translator will work on-site on request for logistical and document control reasons.

3. What are your translation and linguistic qualifications and certifications?

As with any contractor, ensure that the certifications possessed by the translators involved are correctly matched to your legal requirements.

4. Are you (or any of your employees) a member of any professional bodies?

Just as with attorneys, membership in professional organizations can indicate someone with a high level of skill, as well as a dedication to continuing education.

5. Do you handle bilingual and monolingual format?

In bilingual format, the translated text is placed next to the original. This can be useful for translating documents such as forms, since all readers can see clearly what text and meaning corresponds to each area of the document. Monolingual or “mirror image” format maintains the formatting of the original document, but with all translated text.

6. What is your legal background? Are you (or do you employ) an attorney with the required language background?

Ideally, due to the sensitive nature of legal work, a translation service will employ at least some attorneys for both translation and proofreading purposes. All translators used in a legal context should have good familiarity with legal terminology in source and target languages, as well as being familiar with the use of bilingual legal dictionaries. Ask how the translator or service would track and identify documents to correspond with your client and matter numbers, Bates numbers, and other document codes encountered in your practice.

TIPS AFTER HIRING A TRANSLATOR

Prior to or just after hiring a translator or service, you or a member of your firm should personally verify the translator’s credentials. After the first work samples have been produced, if you have deep familiarity with the source and target language, carefully proofread it yourself. Is it free from spelling, syntax and grammar errors? Is the precise meaning of the original text preserved as closely as possible, and is the translation structured to be as free as possible from misinterpretation? If you are not capable of performing these checks yourself, find someone who is.

Other steps should be performed to make sure that your entire practice is correctly set up to handle translation services. Have all client-facing forms, including but not limited to authorizations and retainer agreements, translated into each target language served by your practice. Also, make sure that clients are informed up-front about the cost of translation services, so that there are no surprises with the first translation bill.

Written by Paul Jeff Perez

Hiring and Managing a Bi-Lingual Receptionist

Paul Jeff Perez — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:00:22 +0000

If you want to build a bilingual legal practice, choosing a good bilingual receptionist is a very high priority. Your receptionist is a key interaction that clients will have with the firm, and often the first contact that new clients will have with your law practice. Selecting and managing that person or service is an important part of building your relationship with your clients. Ensuring that he or she is well prepared to interact with your clients in a manner that will make your practice effective is very important. There are many resources that you can take advantage of to make the process go more smoothly.

Recruiting and Hiring Yourself

There are several different ways to recruit bilingual staff. You can recruit yourself through advertisements in local papers or on Craigslist at www.craigslist.org and the Bilingual Job Board at www.bilingualjobboard.com. There are also language specific boards, such as www.ihispano.com which specializes in Spanish jobs. There are websites that focus on job recruitment in foreign languages. If there are local papers in the language you are recruiting for, listings in those papers would give you a wider array of candidates.

Professional Call Services

There are several different call services that can provide a legal practitioner with access to highly skilled bilingual employees: ReceptionHQ, www.receptionhq.com, provides a professional call answering service in several languages, including Spanish; DaVinci Virtual at www.davincivirtual.com, Alert Communications at www.alertcommunications.com These call centers can provide Spanish only receptionists. While Ruby Receptionists and Total Attorneys provide great receptionist services, thus far they do not have Spanish speaking receptionists available.

There are many advantages to professional call services, including reduced costs, staff with uniform skills and convenience. The staff does not get to know your clients, however, and you do not influence how the staff is trained, which is a significant tradeoff in a relationship driven business.

Professional Staffing Agencies.

There are many professional staffing agencies that can provide staff to you. They will test their skills and preparation for the position and this can often be a good choice. It does, however, increase the costs significantly. If you hire the person permanently, there is an upfront fee. If you hire the person on a contract basis, you pay a premium for the agency’s providing of the staff. Most employment agencies in major cities can provide candidates for you to consider.

Testing

To find good candidates and weed out those who may not be comfortable in a truly bilingual work environment, you may want to have a test in both English and the foreign language, written and spoken, and reading comprehension. Again, many persons who speak a foreign language may not be comfortable working in that language. Having a good sense of your employees’ strengths and weaknesses will improve your working relationship with them, and their working relationship with your clients. There are professional tests such as ALTA, www.altalang.com, as well as general tests.

A Special Concern

If you are hiring bilingual staff, you may want speak with them about how they learned the language they speak, and any professional experience they have had will be especially helpful. A word of caution, be careful how you ask about their language skills, because questions about their country of nationality or anything that may appear to be a question of their heritage in violation of the EEOC.

Managing Your Receptionist

You can work well with staff who do not have a great deal of professional experience in bilingual or multilingual environments with a bit more preparation. You may want to lay out more detailed scripts to prepare them for their interactions with your clients. In addition, even if everyone in the business is bilingual, it is a good idea to decide on a single language standard in which to maintain your records. While at some point everyone in the practice may be bilingual, that may not always be the case.

The Legal Language Barrier

It is easy for attorneys to forget how much legal language they have accumulated and use in the course of their practice of law. There is a lot of technical and legal terminology that attorneys and their staff have to use on a daily basis. If you hire someone without experience in a legal environment, be prepared to bring them up to speed in legal terminology in all languages used in the office.

Culture vs. Language

It is good to make sure your receptionist is culturally competent. Depending on how and where a person gained their language skills, they may or may not be fully versed in the culture of many of your clients. To minimize problems, fostering a very professional and yet friendly approach to the business environment is very helpful.

What has been your experience? Let’s discuss.

Written by Paul Jeff Perez

Here Are the Keys to Working with an Interpreter

Paul Jeff Perez — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Attorneys face many challenges when working with clients, communication being one. For someone in need of legal services and who is a limited English speaker, finding a qualified lawyer who speaks your native language can be extremely challenging. Although there has always been the need for bilingual attorneys, as the number of limited English speakers in the United States grows, so does the demand for legal interpreters.

Need for Qualified Legal Interpreters

As discussed in 10 Steps To Creating And Building A Bilingual Solo Practice, more than 55 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, 24.5 million do not speak English “very well.” English speaking lawyers can serve this underrepresented community by utilizing the services of legal interpreters. Some of the key reasons that legal interpretation services should be provided are to:

Ensure complex legal information being discussed between the lawyer and client is fully understood;
Ensure all parties involved in an adversary proceeding or the client in an administrative proceeding hears the same message so that one party does not have an advantage over another;
Ensure the justice system is accessible to all Americans, regardless of English proficiency.

Responsibilities of Legal Interpreters

Attorneys have the responsibility to hire legal interpreters who possess the appropriate qualifications for the job. This means the interpreter is certified by a recognized organization, is fluent in the target language and dialect, is culturally competent and has prior experience with case relevant terminology. A well intentioned family member or friend can not replace the expertise of a legal interpreter, and can often lead to lack of full disclosure as clients may not feel comfortable speaking about sensitive topics in front of their family member or friend. A good interpreter is constantly improving their craft and building their language library. The legal interpreter must be able to provide accurate and complete language interpretation in a manner of seconds, while maintaining the same meaning and tone of the original message. One can imagine what effect a monotone interpreter can have on a fiery cross-examination or on a emotionally charged testimony.

Tips for Attorneys

As mentioned, it is critical for attorneys to hire qualified interpreters, with expertise and experience in the legal system. Some courts have full-time and part-time interpreters or at least have lists of qualified interpreters. The National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators Database is a great tool for finding a court interpreter or translator. Attorneys should build strong relationships with interpreters, setting high standards of expectations. The following are some tips for building a strong relationship with a legal interpreter.

Availability – The need for an interpreter can arise at any time. Therefore, it is important to maintain a list of legal interpreters to be able to quickly schedule one for the time slot needed. Locating an interpreter for some languages may take weeks.

Preparation – Just as attorneys prepare for any proceeding, legal interpreters also need to prepare by reviewing frequently used words from prior proceedings, reviewing translations and important documents and meeting with the limited English speaker to ensure there are no conflicts or challenges to the interpretation.

Interpretation Mode – Interpreters can interpret as the message is being spoken or after every few sentences. The exact mode of interpretation would be different based on the interpreter’s skills but also based on the actual needs of the proceeding. Therefore, an attorney would need to identify and be cognizant of which mode the interpreter will use to ensure there is sufficient time allotted and all parties are aware of the proper speaking protocol.

Complete Services – It is critical that when there is a limited English speaker client, everything spoken and written, whether in or out of the court, must be interpreted or translated in the client’s native language. Otherwise, the client cannot be fully present and apprised of what is going on with the court proceeding or legal service provided.

Conclusion

For someone who speaks a foreign language, an already complex legal system usually becomes even more complicated. Not only is there the language barrier but also the challenge in understanding all the legal jargon. Even with good intentions, unless legal interpretation is provided when needed clients will not receive the best legal assistance possible. Although there could be an expense involved, this is a vital service that could easily have a huge impact on the overall outcome of a court proceeding.

Have you used an interpreter before? Please share your experience.

For additional resources for definitions of legal terms and information on the laws of the U.S. and certain other countries, check out NYCLA’s (New York County Lawyers’ Association) Multilingual Lawyering Committee website.

Written by Paul Jeff Perez

How to Choose in Which Language to Offer Legal Services

Paul Jeff Perez — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:00:06 +0000

As noted in my previous entry, the first step to building a foreign language practice is to choose a language that you’re comfortable with and holds an interest for you. Above all, the goal is to develop language abilities in your office that maximize your ability to effectively serve your client base.

For some, like me, the choice will be an easy one, especially if you already speak a foreign language that accommodates your target client base. If the fit is not as natural and obvious for you, though, there are several factors to consider.

1. Do You Speak a Foreign Language?

This is probably the most obvious point. If you are already fluent in a language, or have developed at least some ability, you should naturally consider expanding your practice toward that language. If your non-English speaking clients can communicate directly with you, it eliminates the need for an interpreter and immediately builds trust with those clients. However, this will only work if your language abilities fit your client base. If your practice or local constituency doesn’t speak the same language, you’ll need to consider alternatives.

2. What Foreign Language or Culture Interests You?

Learning a foreign language, or refining your skill level, requires a commitment of time and energy. By choosing a language that interests you, you’ll be more likely to stick with it and reach your linguistic goal. Similarly, choosing a language spoken in a cultural group that interests you will help you master the delicate nuances and avoid any miscommunications that might alienate your target client base. Your natural curiosity about any given language or culture gives you another level on which to connect.

3. Do Your Clients Speak a Foreign Language?

An attorney’s business, first and foremost, is client service. If a subset of your clients already speaks a particular language, you should focus on offering abilities in that language. The purpose is twofold: not only do you better serve your present clients, but you create a connection that will encourage them to refer family and friends who also speak that language. You also increase your ability to understand your client, and vice versa, preventing complaints about misunderstandings or miscommunications.

4. What Immigrant Communities Are Near You?

Understanding your community’s immigrant population can help you identify the language needs. The Miami area, for example, has large Latin American immigrant populations, making Spanish a likely choice. Chicago has vast Hispanic and Asian populations, so the choice may depend on which group is closer to you or better fits your abilities or practice. Likewise, Washington, D.C. has large populations from El Salvador, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, and Ethiopia, so there are multiple groups in need of service. On the other hand, most Midwestern and South Central states—with the notable exceptions of Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas—have smaller populations of immigrants and thus offer fewer options for developing a bilingual practice.

5. Does a Certain Immigrant Community Make Sense for Your Practice?

The answer to this, of course, depends on your practice area. That said, certain characteristics of the U.S. immigrant population (PDF) can help you identify specific needs. For instance, half of U.S.-born immigrants are between the ages of 18 and 44. European immigrants are more likely to be female, while more African immigrants are male. By researching these facts and trends—in addition to employment, income level, marital status, and parental status—you’ll be better able to make informed decisions about your language specialty based on your geographical location.

Ultimately, choosing a language will help you to better serve a specialized group of clients. By selecting a language in which to offer legal services, you’ll create one more tool in your legal arsenal that you can use to grow your practice in a highly targeted way. As you serve clients and demonstrate that you truly can speak their language—literally and figuratively—you’ll begin to reap the rewards in the form of community referrals and lasting credibility.

Written by Paul Jeff Perez

10 Steps To Creating And Building A Bilingual Solo Practice

Paul Jeff Perez — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 10:00:41 +0000

Paul Perez has been with Solo Practice University since we opened our virtual doors March 20, 2009. Born and raised in Queens, New York, during his time at SPU he has graduated New York Law School, passed the bar, been gainfully employed, while simultaneously creating and building his solo practice in immigration law for Spanish speakers. We are very pleased to have him join Solo Practice University® as a monthly columnist sharing his experiences creating and building a bilingual solo practice.

As a new lawyer seeking advice on how to go solo, one of the best tips I received was from a Solo Practice University member and mentor, Chuck Newton, who advised me to focus on a niche area of law as a way to best market my business. (For more about niche practices, read Susan Cartier Liebel’s two-part series, “Should You Create A Niche Practice”, Debra Bruce’s, “Narrow Your Niche to Broaden Your Client Base, and Rachel Rodgers’, “Niche Slapped: How I Chose a Niche Area of Law to Practice”, ”)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau more than 55 million people in the United States in 2007 (19.7% of the population) spoke a language other than English at home. This represents a 140% change since 1980. ">The largest growth was for Spanish speakers (23.4 million change). Groups with the lowest proportion of speaking English very well include Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

SE HABLA ESPANOL

Based on my existing clients’ needs, I have focused my practice on family-based immigration law for Spanish-speakers. When a Spanish-speaker does an online search for an immigration lawyer, they are more likely to see my ads and visit my website because they are in Spanish. This shift in focus has helped me stand out from the many immigration lawyers who do not offer bilingual legal services.

My clients appreciate the ability to speak to their lawyer and get legal information in their native language. Because I offer legal services in Spanish, my clients often refer me to their non-English speaking friends and family. It has been my experience that non-English speakers often do not get legal assistance because of language barriers. Those that do hire English-only law firms often find themselves frustrated because of their inability to communicate with their lawyers. These clients are often taken advantage of because they do not understand the U.S. legal system and do not know they have certain rights as clients. The result of all this, is that a very large population in this country does not have equal access to the legal system .

If you were in Mexico or some other non-English speaking country and had been arrested , how would you choose your lawyer? How important would it be that your lawyer speak English? Would you be able to understand the attorney agreement without a translation? Would you trust your friend who knows some Spanish to interpret an important meeting or hearing or would you want a certified interpreter? These are some of the challenges non-English speakers face in the U.S.

TEN STEPS TO BUILDING A BILINGUAL PRACTICE

By making some changes in how they deliver legal services, law firms can remove language-barriers and improve access to the legal system for non-English speakers. Following these ten steps will help you build a bilingual practice and get more clients:

1. Identify your target foreign language group.

Choose a language that makes sense for you and that you are interested in. Things to consider include: Are you already proficient in a language or did you take courses in high school and college? Are there immigrant communities near you? How many lawyers in that community offer legal services in the client’s native language?

2. Select a qualified interpreter service for client meetings and court appearances.

Qualified interpreters may be required for certain meetings and appearances. Well intentioned family members or law firm staff may not have the proficiency required to interpret complex discussions. Options to consider include interpreters by phone, interpreters by video, or an interpreter who will actually be present at the meeting.

3. Select a bilingual receptionist.

Bilingual receptionists should be able to schedule appointments as well as answer commonly asked questions. Prepare a plan of how calls from potential and existing non-English speaking clients will be handled. If you have a receptionist for regular office hours, you may want to consider a receptionist service for when your office is closed.

4. Select a translating service to translate written communications.

A good translating service will provide summary, draft and/or certified translations. Some will also provide website localization and multicultural marketing services. This aspect cannot be overlooked. Mistakes in translation can make the firm look unprofessional and turn potential clients away.

5. Hire bilingual staff.

Law firms should seek to hire bilingual lawyers, paralegals and secretaries. This will help ensure that the firm can provide services to non-English speakers in various languages, not just the target language.

6. Improve your language proficiency.

This is a long term project with the goal of being able to communicate directly with your non-English speaking client. Options include language software programs, online language programs, and language schools. According to The Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State, some of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn are Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Norwegian, and Romanian. Some of the most difficult are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Arabic. (For more on language learning see, “I Learned to Speak Four Languages In A Few Years: Here’s How”, and www.howtolearnanylanguage.com)

7. Join local organizations.

Joining local organizations will help improve the firm’s visibility and help you understand the needs and desires of the people in that community. This may lead to invitations to conduct seminars and workshops. Look to join small business associations, church groups, and not for profits serving the local community.

8. Offer seminars and other educational content in a foreign language.

Educational marketing is a great way for potential clients to get to know you. Your job isn’t to teach the specifics of how to file for divorce or start a personal injury action, since your audience will forget most of what you say, especially if it is very detail specific. Rather, your goal should be to answer frequently asked questions and get potential clients to like you and trust you.

9. Create a foreign language online marketing campaign.

Everybody is online today, whether they speak English or not. As Susan Cartier Liebel recently noted in, “Making A Case For Social Media For Lawyers” 48% of Young Americans find out about news through Facebook, the average user has 130 Friends and is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events. Social media and online marketing can be a powerful tool for word of mouth referrals.

10. Offer meeting locations in immigrant communities.

The best way to market to your target community is by offering to meet clients in their community. Depending on where you live, it can sometimes be difficult for non-English speakers to travel to where your office is located. By offering a means to meet with clients in their community, you will stand out from other firms and will truly become a lawyer the community can trust.

In the coming months, I’ll discuss in detail each of these ten steps and help you to build a bilingual practice by sharing best practices and offering reviews of products and services I have used or rejected and why.

It is my hope that you commit to offering legal services to non-English speakers as a way of both improving access to the legal system and to reach more clients.

If you are offering legal services to non-English speakers please share how you have modified your existing practice or whether you have a stated goal to create and build a bilingual practice and how you are doing.

Written by Paul Jeff Perez