As another school year comes to a close and many students prepare for internships, interviews, and graduation, questions around professionalism and belonging begin to surface: Do I sound “professional enough”? Should I soften my accent? Am I speaking the “right” way for legal spaces?

In this episode of Lady Justice Talks, we sit down with Sanzala Achakzai, Events Coordinator, and Olivia Thomas, a First Year Representative at the Women in Law Association (WILA), to unpack the idea of being “linguistically competent” in legal spaces. Together, we explore how language intersects with identity, particularly for ESL speakers and those with accents, and how accents, code-switching, and legal jargon shape experiences within the legal system.

This episode dives into the complexities of legal language and asks important questions: Who gets understood in court? Who gets left out? And what happens when you don’t speak the language of law? From translation and interpretation to cultural meaning and accessibility, we reflect on how language can act as both a tool and a barrier to justice, and how those in positions of power can use that to their advantage.

Tune in as we discuss the ways power, access, and inequality are embedded in the very words the legal system relies on.

From left: Chantelle Belonio, Sanzala Achakzai, Olivia Thomas, and Charley Atkinson.