I was stunned when, during a referral call for a Spanish-speaking client to greater Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County (PA) Bar Association’s lawyer referral service told me (very politely) that they had exactly one attorney listed as speaking Spanish.
One, for a Bar serving a county of 1,200,000 people.
Rhode Island has fewer people, can you imagine only one Spanish-speaking attorney findable in a state?
As some who practiced for eight years in the heart of Wheaton, MD’s “Nuevo Salvador” Latino community for overwhelmingly Spanish-speaking clients, I just found my mind … blown. But since I learned Spanish only at age 45, maybe I should be less judgmental.
Montgomery County, MD is slightly smaller than Allegheny County, PA. About 2.5% of Allegheny County is Hispanic, per the Census, versus 20% in MoCo. Roughly the same 20% percentage in nearby Prince George’s County, Maryland as a whole is 11%. While many people of Hispanic ethnicity certainly speak no Spanish whatsoever, or just prefer English, a great many have family who prefer or speak Spanish solely, and might prefer to contact a bilingual attorney – if not for themselves, then for their mother or uncle.
It seems weird for lawyers – a greedy bunch, by repute – to leave this market untouched. And yet here we are. The Bar in suburban DC is quite diverse and has many bilingual attorneys, certainly not enough.
Even if you don’t want to make the commitment to “learn Spanish”, you can at least learn 100 words. If you know 100 songs, you can learn 100 words and phrases. You know 100 songs. This will be a growing list of useful words for working lawyers. This is not a substitute for grammar or for cultural awareness.
| TERM | Meaning | Notes |
| platicar | to speak | “hablar” is common, but more than a few use “platicar” |
| estacionar | to park | also “aparcar” |
| desempleo | unemployment | both the status and the benefits |
| libertad condicional | probation | loose translation but common |
| novia/novio | girlfriend/boyfriend | also “bride/groom” but used broadly for adult relationships |
| spalda | back | |
| columna | spine | |
| hombro | shoulder | |
| nuca | neck | |
| cuellar | throat | |
| brazos | arms | |
| cabeza | head | |
| frenar | to brake | |
| Me duele ____ | my ____ hurts | in Spanish and other European languages, it’s a little less common to use the possessive “my” for a body part in idiomatic. “The foot is hurting me” is typical German or Spanish. |
| jurado | jury | |
| juez | judge | |
| corte | court | |
| temprano | early | |
| a tiempo, puntual | on time | |
| almuerzo, lonche | lunch | |
| tiempo extra | overtime | |
| full coverage | full coverage | every Spanish-speaking client I have every had understands this term, no translation seems to be needed |
| dolor | pain | |
| moreton | bruise | |
| esguince | sprain | |
| renunciar | to quit | |
| despedir | to fire | |
| bolsa/bolsillo | wallet/pocket | |
| tan mucho como posible | as much as possible | |
| le/les agradezco | I am grateful to you | Formal, “les” is “to you” plural. |
| tu/usted | you | You should use “usted” with adults and older teenagers, and be very careful about “tu” except to recognize it when said to you. |
| Estamos abiertos/cerrados | We are open/closed | |
| tarea | homework/tasks | good for giving to clients to do |
| tal vez | maybe | |
| está bien | OK, that’s good | literally “it is well” but universally how clients tell me that they will accept an offer from an adjuster/counterparty. |
| Por favor ponga mi celular en su celular | Please put my cell (number) into your cell phone. | Texting, whether on WhatsApp or otherwise, can bridge the gap in stress and accents both ways. (You have a strong accent, so do I.) |
| tonto/a | foolish | beware using the word “estupido”, which has a rather nastier “valence” in the Spanish-speaking world than English “stupid”, comparable to the slur “r****d”. |
| wages | sueldo | |
| salario | salary | |
| full time | full time | broadly recognized by Spanish speakers |
| overtime | tiempo extra | |
| bi-weekly | quince dias | although technically inaccurate, “15 dias” is common for bi-weekly or twice-monthly pay |