One Immigration Lawyer on the Importance of Inclusive Software
Inclusive software is beneficial for your clients but also your legal team.
The Modern Law Firm series delves into how AI can streamline your law firm — whether it’s by saving you time and money, eliminating mistakes and redundancies or making your workflow more efficient.
The immigration system is difficult to navigate on your own—now imagine the forms you need to fill out to adjust your status aren’t in a language you read and understand. That is the reality for many immigrants.
According to Pew Research, only 32% of new arrivals (who are undocumented) are proficient in English. And while that indicates an increase (the number was at 18% in 2007), it shows there is a need to offer services and paperwork in languages other than English.
Noodle is available in a variety of languages. Here's why one immigration lawyer says this is necessary.
3 Reasons to Have Immigration Programs in Different Languages
Speaking the language of your clients is useful, but using programs that are in their language is a game-changer. Here’s why:
Build Trust
Using software that is available to clients in the language they speak shows how thoughtfully you approach your practice. It means that even when you’re adding new systems to your workflow, you have your client’s interest in mind. And this can translate to increased trust among your clients. Since immigration law, in particular, benefits from the trust a client has in their lawyer, doing everything you can to maintain trust can be a boon to your practice.
Fewer Errors
The immigration process asks for a lot of information. If it’s not in your client's language, you are increasing the chances of errors because misunderstandings are more likely.
Less Work for Legal Teams
Legal teams may be translating forms or other paperwork themselves, which is a time-consuming process. This can make appointments longer and more challenging. It also means you wouldn’t be able to empower your clients to work on their cases on their own time. You’d have to work with them on everything.
An Immigration Lawyer on the Importance of Inclusive Software
When considering new programs to add to her firm, Lilia Alcaraz, of Alcaraz Tocchini LLP, says that if it’s not in Spanish, it’s a non-starter.
“We have clients that speak Spanish,” she says in a Noodle webinar. “If that’s not going to cater to the client [that’s] just going to make it more difficult for the client and also for us.”
In Alcaraz’s experience, it’s common for legal solutions to completely overlook Spanish speakers. “A lot of software doesn’t cater to Spanish speakers,” she adds. “Not only that, but also the [forms] are not dynamic. What that means is if [the form] says name, do you have any children and you say ‘no,’ well it won’t go on and ask about the name of all your children. I still see immigration software that ask you all these questions that are unnecessary. It just confuses the client.”
And the last thing you want to do is create an even more confusing system. But with translation, you’re helping to move cases along faster while making it as easy as possible for your client.
A Sampling of Noodle’s Available Languages
Below, see a few of the languages that Noodle offers clients:
