Rebecca Pendleton

This specialized law course is designed to equip legal professionals with the language skills necessary to effectively communicate and engage with Spanish-speaking clients, witnesses, and colleagues within the legal field. This is not a language class in the technical sense but rather a law-related skills class focusing on discussing legal matters in Spanish to allow students to better understand legal concepts and issues. The course focuses on teaching legal terminology, phrases, and communication techniques in Spanish, tailored specifically for legal contexts such as negotiations, client consultations, court proceedings, and legal document drafting. Students learn to navigate legal conversations, comprehend, and produce legal documents, and develop cultural sensitivity to better serve Spanish-speaking clients within the legal system. This class aims to enhance the linguistic abilities of lawyers, enabling them to bridge language barriers and provide more comprehensive legal services in multicultural settings. The instructor will not spend a great deal of time on correcting individual slips and grammar syntax, unless the error risks changing the meaning of what the student may be trying to express or explain. Students with different levels of fluency are welcome to enroll in the class, however all students must possess a foundational understanding of both spoken and written Spanish. This is essential because communication between the instructor and students will predominantly occur in Spanish, minimizing the use of English during the course.