A legal voice for Hispanics

EMPOWERING PEOPLE: Jose Batista, the son of Hispanic immigrants, recently opened Jose F. Batista Law Firm on Broad Street in Providence to assist Spanish-speaking clients. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
EMPOWERING PEOPLE: Jose Batista, the son of Hispanic immigrants, recently opened Jose F. Batista Law Firm on Broad Street in Providence to assist Spanish-speaking clients. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

The son of Hispanic immigrants, Jose Batista didn’t know he wanted to be a lawyer until late in the game.

“I always thought about college, but never law school. It wasn’t in my vocabulary,” said the South Providence native and owner of Jose F. Batista Law Firm, which opened in mid-November.

The Roger Williams School of Law graduate said the best piece of advice he received was to enroll where he intended to practice. He knew there weren’t many local Spanish-speaking lawyers, so he took advantage of the “huge gap in the market.”

The biggest challenge working with Spanish-speaking clients, he said, is managing expectations, which includes “people think[ing] you’re a superhero, waving a wand to make things go away.”

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He said he enjoys the legal challenge of unpacking the situation, “slowing things down, empowering people and explaining their rights.” •

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