Description
In SMU's Spanish for Legal Professionals certificate program, you will increase your communication skills and ability to support your Spanish-speaking clients and colleagues. Practice Spanish with native speakers, work with common legal documents, and complete other exercises to improve your listening, speaking, reading, and writing acumen. Along the way, build a portfolio of professional work to demonstrate your ability to conduct legal processes and business in Spanish without an interpreter.
Prior experience in a law office and understanding of the legal system will support your success in this program.
Program Outline
- Module 1: Greetings and Introductions (initial contact via e-mail and phone)
- Module 2: Let's Meet at the Office (setting up a meeting: location, date, and time)
- Module 3: Getting to Know the Client (client basic information and description)
- Module 4: Tell Me Your Story (addressing the past in detail)
- Module 5: Preparing for the Case (requests for legal documentation)
- Module 6: Review of Client Documents (reviewing documents in Spanish)
- Module 7: New Client Onboarding (writing a retainer, fee agreements, etc.)
- Module 8: Course Review and Final Portfolio
Learner Outcomes
At the completion of this program, you will be able to:
- Use relevant vocabulary and legal terminology in the context of a professional, legal setting.
- Demonstrate correct pronunciation in spoken Spanish.
- Read materials including forms, correspondence, and other documents in Spanish.
- Compose messages, letters, and other documents with correct grammar and professional vocabulary.
- Conduct interviews with clients entirely in Spanish.
- Reflect cultural competence in interactions with colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders from across the Spanish-speaking world.