Insights
Please review my Insights for cultural and practical information when I’m unavailable & cannot attend to your immediate needs.
Witness Considerations
Hesitation: “No Quiero Problemas”. When speaking with Spanish-speaking witnesses, a common response is “No quiero problemas” (or “I don’t want any problems”). This statement often signals hesitation rather than a lack of information. In many cases, the witness may know something relevant to the case but is reluctant to become involved.
This reluctance can arise from several concerns, including:
– Fear of becoming involved in a legal matter
– ICE Immigration Detention if they come to court
– Concern about upsetting family or community relationships
– Loyalty to the defendant or the victim
– Cultural norms that discourage involvement in disputes
Understanding these dynamics is essential when working with witnesses from Spanish-speaking or immigrant communities.
Through my experience representing Spanish-speaking clients over many years, I have developed an approach that focuses on gradually building trust and comfort with the witness. Rather than pressing for immediate answers, I guide conversations in stages so that the witness can better understand how their information may help clarify the facts of the case.
As trust develops, witnesses often become more willing to:
– Share relevant details they initially hesitated to mention
– Clarify timelines and events more accurately
– Identify additional individuals who may have knowledge of the situation
– Indicate where supporting information or evidence may be located
By addressing the witness’s concerns and explaining how cooperation can be handled respectfully and appropriately, it is often possible to transform initial reluctance into constructive cooperation that strengthens the case.
Eye Contact and Credibility
In many Spanish and Latino cultures, children are often taught from a young age not to look elders or authority figures directly in the eye. Avoiding eye contact is considered a sign of respect and humility in those cultural settings.
However, in the United States legal system, eye contact carries a very different meaning. Judges, attorneys, investigators, and jurors often interpret eye contact as a signal of honesty, confidence, and credibility. When a witness avoids eye contact, it may unintentionally create the impression that the person is uncertain, evasive, or not telling the truth.
This cultural difference can affect perceptions during:
– Depositions
– Police interviews
– Probation or presentence interviews
– Court testimony
– Interactions with judges or attorneys
Because these expectations are often deeply ingrained from childhood, many Spanish-speaking clients and witnesses are unaware that their natural behavior may be interpreted negatively in an American legal setting.
As a first-generation U.S. citizen born to immigrants from Argentina, I have long been aware of cultural dynamics like this. When preparing clients and witnesses, I pay attention to these subtle but important details of communication and presentation.
By helping individuals understand how their behavior may be interpreted in a courtroom or legal interview, I assist them in adjusting their presentation so that their testimony appears clear, confident, and credible within the expectations of the U.S. legal system.
Small cultural differences can have significant consequences in legal proceedings, and recognizing these details can help attorneys present their cases more effectively.
Reviews
Please Review what your Colleagues are Saying about My services.
Rob was available to go to the prison with me convenient to my schedule. His limited-time-only pricing was a great help too! Excellent interpreting services! He not only helped me with interpretation, Rob helped my client consider potential witnesses and then proactively helped get statements done to improve the case. Rob went from the prison to the neighborhood immediately so I didn’t lose time in getting the witnesses to come forward. An extra service that I found helpful, Rob created an after-interview report that summarized my meeting with the clent.
– William Shehwen, Esq. (West Chester)
Robert Brown was integral in helping me reach Spanish-speaking clients and grow my workers compensation clientele. In initial interviews Robert used my forms that I emailed to him, and he assured the client that I would advocate for his compensation benefits. Robert is available by text, phone and video anytime I need him to work with the clients.
– Eric Borjeson, Esq. (Philadelphia)
Robert assisted me with a murder trial in Lancaster, PA. He was a valuable member of my team by keeping constant communication with the client while in the local prison, and with the client’s Spanish-speaking family and character witnesses. Robert assisted us in witness preparation, statements to outline future testimony at trial, and he helped us find reluctant character witnesses. My office is in Philadelphia, the case was in Lancaster, and Robert traveled in both directions. He even helped remotely by video conferences, which often saved me travel time. He was able to work on my schedule. Robert has a great service for managing the effort of working with family and witnesses in a high profile case.
– Peter Bowers, Esq. (Philadelphia)
Robert Brown works on my Spanish client cases, and even refers cases to me as he is a fellow attorney. He works well in the Spanish community and gathers witness statements so I can focus on the case. He worked very well with my paralegals and my investigator. He’s a real professional and gives his full attention to helping improve cases.
– Evan Kelly, Esq. (West Chester)
I have worked with Robert over 15 years investigating his criminal defense cases, emergency child custody snatch cases, and domestic protection from abuse cases. We have met clients and witnesses in the community at restaurants and crime scenes. My role was to record the interviews and take notes, and Robert found and interviewed some very reticent witnesses, encouraged witnesses to gather and provide evidence, and even has much success in ethically and sensitively obtaining interviews with victims and their relatives to actually gain their support in his defense cases. Robert travels to other states, even other countries, to interview parents or grandparents who fled with children in custody cases, and he convinces them ethically and appropriately to return with the children and create a mutually beneficial custody agreement for their cooperation with the law. His talents combine that of paralegal, interpreter, investigator, advocate and lawyer. He will serve any attorney or investigative team very well.
– Greg Auld, Auld & Associates Investigations (Newtown Square, PA)
Legal Advantage Interpreting, LLC 