A Review of the American Bar Association ’ s Opinion of October 2021 and the Potential Impact on the Access to Justice .

CARLOS G . COLON-MACHARGO Ogletree Deakins colonmachargo @ gmail . com

Obtaining legal advice and engaging in litigation in the Unites States is an expensive proposition . The task of seeking legal representation when one does not have an existing relationship with an attorney could be dautning for most people . Many hurdles must be jumped before the potential client is able to arrange a consultation with the attorney and , at that point , there are no guarantees that an attorney will take the case which restarts the whole process all over again . Imagine how unnerving the situation is for someone in this country who is not proficient in the English language .

The American Bar Association recently addressed the considerations that lawyers must contemplate when representing a client that does not speak the same language as their lawyer . The Formal Opinion concerning Language Access in the Client

20 March / April 2022