By Joy Baxter Ramsingh, Esquire
Introduction: When Mr. B saw blue lights behind him, he immediately slowed down, indicated, and pulled over safely. The officer approached and said, “Hello, how are you today?” Mr. B, smiling, replied using one of the few English phrases he knew: “Fine, thank you.” The ensuing conversation consisted of my client staring bewilderingly as the officer asked him a series of routine questions, none of which he understood.
Mr. B, my client, was a C-suite executive for a software company in Burkina Faso. His cultural research taught him how to interact with the police, so thankfully, he did not offer the officer a bribe during the stop, a routine practice in some countries. However, his misunderstanding with the officer gave rise to my representation, which consisted of an explanation and a subsequent dismissal of the charges.
This interaction occurred in a small town in Tennessee, highlighting the reality that the nature of the practice of law is increasingly global and multicultural, regardless of where we choose to practice. While international clients are no different from any other client in many regards, they may require additional cultural and linguistic guidance as they navigate the U.S. legal system. The following practical tips present some ethical and pragmatic pitfalls to avoid.
Published in the September/October 2020 issue of The Bencher.