Bilingual Attorneys

Our Attorneys are Fluent in Spanish and English

It is difficult enough attempting to understand your constitutional rights, or what it takes to gain full U.S. citizenship, without the information getting lost in translation between you and your attorney. The same holds true in matters of criminal or family law, as well as bankruptcy and foreclosure cases. Working with a bilingual attorney that knows how to translate specific law vocabulary into other foreign languages is critical to making sure your rights are protected, while receiving proper legal advice.

The Rodriguez-Nanney Law Firm serving clients throughout Maryland including Annapolis, Baltimore and the surrounding counties, has staff attorneys that are fluent in Spanish and English and will help ease your stress and confusion about US legal issues by consulting with you in your own language.

An attorney that has the ability to accurately translate legal information avoids missed facts, and skipped words, from their client, which could be critical when it is time to argue a case or claim, in a court of law. Without the need to rely on a paid interpreter, the lawyer is better able to communicate directly with the client on a one-to-one basis, to ensure the dialogue is accurate, helpful and complete enough to provide the correct answers to both the attorney and his or her client.

Using Family Interpreters

Communicating the complexity of U.S. immigration law should never be relied upon by using family interpreters, as the results could be quite problematic. A natural reaction of any concerned relative is to interject their own bias, or agenda, when translating the answers from their relative to the attorney. Often times, the family interpreter will automatically decide what information is relevant or even translatable.

Overcoming Communication Barriers

To provide the most advantageous legal assistance, the attorney’s bilingual skills should also contain a familiarity with the specific cultural nuances of their client. This will avoid any misunderstandings in a cross-cultural environment. Many cultures and languages rely on more than just spoken words to communicate. There will be a specific degree of expression, facial movements and body gestures that help develop subtle verbal demeanor when relating, negotiating or arguing. When the attorney has the ability to interject familiarity with cultural laws and linguistics he or she will fully comprehend the communication and use their skills to offer better assistance with their client’s case.

Bridging the Gap

Even U.S. natural born citizens that speak only fluent English struggle with the legalese used in the judicial system. This is why using a paid interpreter might compromise the outcome of a court case or filed petition because of the wide gap created by the interpreter in understanding what the lawyer is saying, to communicate it to the client. A bilingual attorney has the ability to bridge that gap successfully without facing an obvious language barrier between while discussing U.S. law in a foreign language.

Avoiding Miscarriage of Justice

A hired bilingual attorney in Annapolis and Baltimore can help individuals seeking to attain U.S. citizenship. The lawyer can help with those that are concerned about deportation or their constitutional rights. By fully understanding the client, the attorney can help manage the consequences of deportation, while handling the immigration process of their client.

Any attorney that represents others in immigration law with limited proficiency in the client’s language must figure out ways to overcome language barriers to develop effective communication. Alternatively, hiring bilingual attorneys in Annapolis and Baltimore that have effective communication skills in multiple languages can make the process of dealing with immigration much easier.

Find out more about our other immigration services: