4.6 How much does it pay?
Whitney Chappell and Carlos Ruvalcaba
Since readers of this book are considering different career paths for themselves, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the salary range for this type of job. While money isn’t everything, pursuing a job that promises financial security is certainly appealing for most people, and successful lawyers tend to do well for themselves. However, being an immigration lawyer depends on a formal knowledge of Spanish as well as the more casual speaking skills we’ve discussed to this point. Let’s listen to Carlos first tell us why students interested in this line of work should study formal Spanish and then talk about the salary range for attorneys.
Transcript: “Being able to formally speak Spanish in the legal setting as an immigration attorney–it is a necessity, not, not… It is a necessity. It is a very useful tool at your disposal. Being able to formally write in Spanish allows you to develop writing, um, research, and, and communication skills to communicate with clients from all over Latin America. It also allows you to develop a more neutral Spanish to be able to communicate with them and being able, and, and to be able to understand them. In the immigration world, we handle a lot of, we deal with a lot of declarations. We always have to take declarations from clients, and those skills allow you to not only communicate with your client, but also write that information in a comprehensive, cohesive way, because a lot of those declarations will be submitted to an immigration judge. A lot of those declarations will be submitted to someone, and it could be the deciding factor in a case, and you want to be able to make sure that those declarations are written, um, well, they are translated well, because at the end of the day it could, it could make a difference in a, in a client’s case. As an immigration attorney, you can earn between $70,000-$300,000, of course in the non-profit world, you’re expected to make anywhere from $70,000-$90,000 depending on where you are geographically, but, you know, if you, if you work, um, in the private world, you know, you do private practice, you could potentially earn over $90,000, I would say that an average would be $300,000 for a business immigration attorney.”
As Carlos notes, being an immigration attorney requires solid, professional Spanish skills, which is why he encourages anyone reading this book to study academic Spanish. He uses Spanish in written declarations on a daily basis that are submitted to a judge. Writing these declarations requires polished, formal Spanish writing skills, as a poorly composed document risks weakening both the lawyer’s reputation and credibility in the eyes of the court, and it could even jeopardize the case itself. His entire team at Ruvalcaba Hernández Law Firm, PLLC, must also have strong written Spanish skills, as they review legal documents in Spanish every day, compose messages to consulates, lawyers, or foreign governments in Spanish, and communicate with professionals (e.g., psychologists) from the Spanish-speaking world as well.
In addition to the generous pay scale, Carlos notes that the job comes with other benefits, such as medical, vision, and dental insurance, long-term disability, and life insurance, with the cost of continuing legal education and conferences covered by the firm. They can also count on reliable vacations, two weeks of paid time off, and sick days. However, Carlos emphasized that these perks are not what keeps him coming in to the office. In a post-interview conversation, he told me that his job is “súper bonito, nunca me voy a cansar de entregar una residencia” ‘really beautiful, I’ll never get tired of giving someone their residency.’ It provides him with deep satisfaction to be able to help his clients, and other branches of the law don’t necessarily lend themselves to this same sort of joy and personal fulfillment. Even when clients seeking asylum have experienced something terrible and traumatic, being able to help them close the cycle and plant the seed of a more positive future in the United States is incredibly rewarding.
