5 best practices for connecting with Hispanic legal clients

If you look at the statistics, there's no question that your law firm should be partnering with Hispanic clients today. According to recent Census data, the U.S. Hispanic population surpassed 60 million in 2019, and with a formidable $1.6 trillion in purchasing power, this demographic now wields more economic influence than ever before.

With Hispanic communities growing throughout the country, odds are that your law firm—no matter how big or small—is in a position to serve Hispanic clients in your area. So, the question isn't if you should connect with Hispanic clients, but how you should.

Before you dive in, law firms shouldn't try to market to the Hispanic community if they're not at least slightly familiar with it already. To gain a deeper understanding of the Hispanic market and how to tap into it, we invite you to explore our in-depth guide Increasing Opportunity: How Law Firms Can Forge Strategic Connections with Hispanic Clients.

In the meantime, there are certain best practices your firm can follow to overcome common barriers and effectively increase business opportunities, as outlined below.

1. Familiarize yourself with the local demographic

The U.S. Hispanic population is not a homogenous group but rather a diverse demographic, and this diversity is something law firms seeking to reach Hispanics need to understand before attempting to engage them. Like almost any demographic, Hispanics vary in terms of race, gender, age, religion, socio-economic status, political beliefs, and education level. A young woman who recently arrived in California from Guatemala, for example, sees the world and behaves differently than a middle-aged man who was born in Florida to Cuban parents. Getting familiarized with the Hispanic demographic nuances, especially among the population specific to your local area of business, will help steer the way your law firm markets to Hispanic consumers and serves them as clients.

2. Utilize the Spanish language

If a law firm wants to serve Hispanic clients who don't speak English well, then it should consider hiring a Spanish speaker. Of course, having a Spanish-speaking attorney, paralegal, or staffer employed at your firm is ideal. But hiring a professional translation service can also help bridge the language gap, especially when it comes to crafting effective marketing material to engage Hispanic consumers.

3. Offer Spanish-language website content

Spanish-language website content is a cost-efficient way to welcome and entice Hispanic visitors to solicit your services. Not only does Spanish-language content make many Hispanic consumers feel more comfortable, it sends a message that they're being recognized and reached out to specifically—a powerful gesture of goodwill when trying to attract new clients.

4. Reach them on social media

The 2021 Thomson Reuters Hispanic Legal Needs Survey found that Hispanic consumers are more likely than the general population to use social media in their search for legal representation. Additionally, FindLaw research shows that 55 percent of Hispanic households consulted social media during their search for an attorney. This makes it abundantly clear that law firms seeking to connect with Hispanic consumers should be reaching them on popular social media platforms. As a starting point, we recommend you explore FindLaw's Spanish-language social media services which help law firms effectively engage Hispanic consumers.

5. Enable them to find you on a legal directory

Legal directories are similar in concept to online phone books, and they're particularly useful for consumers in urgent need of hiring an attorney. In the previously mentioned Hispanic Legal Needs survey, 45 percent of Hispanic consumers reported that they searched for an attorney on a legal directory such as Abogado.com or FindLaw.com. That's almost 10 percentage points higher than legal consumers overall, and a sure sign that law firms should be leveraging these platforms to meet the considerable existing Hispanic demand for legal services.

To learn more about listing on Abogado.com and additional digital marketing tactics that we recommend for engaging Hispanic clients, read our new in-depth guide, Increasing Opportunity: How Law Firms Can Forge Strategic Connections with Hispanic Clients.