Categories : Law Practice Management
Bridging Cultural Gaps: How to Effectively Communicate With Clients From Different Cultures
By David Seto
Today the United States and California are more diverse than ever. According to the U.S. Census, the share of the people born outside of the U.S. living in California has risen from 15 percent in 1980 to 27 percent today. There are nearly 11 million people in California born outside of the country. Most of these people are from Latin America or Asia and many are unfamiliar with our Common Law and our adversarial system. New immigrants tend to be younger workers or new students. However, as the immigrants age they will become more familiar and utilize the legal system for more services, not just immigration. It is therefore important for everyone to have what is called “cultural competency.”