Miami legal market

[jillibean]

I'm in Miami now and before I got here I was dreading the idea of having to learn Spanish. It is true that wherever you go, people speak Spanish. In fact, no matter how white/asian/black you look they will still speak to you in Spanish first and switch to English (if they know it). However, in courtrooms they speak English, at firms they speak English, at school they speak English.... get the idea? You really don't need to know Spanish unless you are doing something immigration related, international, or public-interest where most of your clients will speak another language. Creole is another biggie down here, so if you know French that may be attractive to some employers but I really wouldn't worry about that part.

As for firms, White & Case, Greenburg, Ackerman, Carlton Fields, Hunton & Williams....
If you aren't at a Florida school be prepared to give a good explanation as to why you are interested in working in Miami (other than the weather). You won't be disadvantaged by starting your career in Miami unless you decide to move somewhere else later. You would be at a disadvantage wherever you go afterwards just because you don't have any roots in that area. That is why most people advise you to work where you plan on being at in the long term.

[Startin Up Soon!]

Thanks for the response!  How about Weil? 

[iahurricane]

I'm in Miami now and before I got here I was dreading the idea of having to learn Spanish. It is true that wherever you go, people speak Spanish. In fact, no matter how white/asian/black you look they will still speak to you in Spanish first and switch to English (if they know it). However, in courtrooms they speak English, at firms they speak English, at school they speak English.... get the idea? You really don't need to know Spanish unless you are doing something immigration related, international, or public-interest where most of your clients will speak another language. Creole is another biggie down here, so if you know French that may be attractive to some employers but I really wouldn't worry about that part.

As for firms, White & Case, Greenburg, Ackerman, Carlton Fields, Hunton & Williams....
If you aren't at a Florida school be prepared to give a good explanation as to why you are interested in working in Miami (other than the weather). You won't be disadvantaged by starting your career in Miami unless you decide to move somewhere else later. You would be at a disadvantage wherever you go afterwards just because you don't have any roots in that area. That is why most people advise you to work where you plan on being at in the long term.

I guess this post takes back all your previous ones on this thread from years ago saying spanish is required to even get an interview in miami?

[iahurricane]

I would have to disagree that Spanish is a requirement. It certainly helps, especially if you want to do international work but it definitely is not a requirement. There are also several strong litigation and bankruptcy practices.

I wouldn't think it was either.  Spanish is certainly spoken in Miami, but it's hardly the dominant language. 

Yes, it is the dominant language spoken in the city. Spanish is the first language of 66.75% of the City of Miami's hosueholds.

http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=&mode=&zip=&place_id=45000&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r

In all of Miami-Dade County, it is the primary language of 59.25% of households:

http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=86&mode=geographic&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=top&a=&ea=&order=r

And the most watch television station in Miami? It isn't FOX, ABC, CBS, or NBC...it's the Univision affiliate:

http://www.univision.net/corp/en/pr/Miami_21062004-2.html (old PR, but it's still #1).

Keep in mind that even if it's the first language of most people in the City, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the "dominant" lanaguage.  Overall, I'm sure more people speak English than speak Spanish.  (Most Spanish-speakers will speak both.)  More importantly (for Biglaw), the people at the top of the socio-economic ladder will mainly speak English.

This is Miami. If you are at the top of the socio-economic ladder in Miami, you definitely, without a doubt, speak Spanish. The most expensive areas in Florida, like Coral Gables, are primarily Spanish speaking areas. If you go into a high-end store like Gucci or Nordstrom, you will be greeted in Spanish and the signs are in Spanish. The wealthiest people in Miami are typically Hispanic, and, more specifically, Cuban and Venezuelan.

My mom works with a client in Miami in a different industry who is ridiculously wealthy, but speaks very little English.

Hispanics in Miami aren't the lower-income types that are typical of other largest, urban areas.

This just isn't true. In fact, Coral Gables is the one area of Miami that I've never, ever had a problem meeting someone who didn't speak english. Its really the poorer areas of town where you go into a subway and the workers can't even speak english and you have to point to what you want.

[jillibean]

I'm in Miami now and before I got here I was dreading the idea of having to learn Spanish. It is true that wherever you go, people speak Spanish. In fact, no matter how white/asian/black you look they will still speak to you in Spanish first and switch to English (if they know it). However, in courtrooms they speak English, at firms they speak English, at school they speak English.... get the idea? You really don't need to know Spanish unless you are doing something immigration related, international, or public-interest where most of your clients will speak another language. Creole is another biggie down here, so if you know French that may be attractive to some employers but I really wouldn't worry about that part.

As for firms, White & Case, Greenburg, Ackerman, Carlton Fields, Hunton & Williams....
If you aren't at a Florida school be prepared to give a good explanation as to why you are interested in working in Miami (other than the weather). You won't be disadvantaged by starting your career in Miami unless you decide to move somewhere else later. You would be at a disadvantage wherever you go afterwards just because you don't have any roots in that area. That is why most people advise you to work where you plan on being at in the long term.

I guess this post takes back all your previous ones on this thread from years ago saying spanish is required to even get an interview in miami?

Yes, I take back all of that from before. Granted, I'm from white-ville USA so coming here was like a culture shock and I didn't really know what the heck I was talking about- like every other 0L.  2 years later I think I do.

[jtgain]

I live in Palm Beach County and am very familiar with the Miami area.  Knowing Spanish will definitely help you anywhere in South Florida.  Being bilingual will be a big bonus to your resume much moreso than other areas of the country.

But it is not a requirement.