ASLegalese

September 12, 2020 1p-4p Eastern

Amber Farrelly, Esq.

Presented through ZOOM

0.3 CEUs Legal

This workshop will be focused on understanding the meaning behind legal terminology and get to the heart of the concept. There are two kinds of legal vocabulary—1) words derived from the Latin, Greek, or French, which are often easy to recognize as being legalese, and 2) English words that are implicitly legalese, such as “consideration,” “information,” “motion,” and “brief.” Too often, we hear the Latin-root legal term and are lost at the meaning. When this happens, we often resort to fingerspelling the words or dropping it from the interpretation. Even more often, we hear legal words in English and interpret it according to the English, and not the legal meaning. In both instances, the meaning is lost and therefore not conveyed accurately to the Deaf individual.

This workshop is presented in ASL

Level of Participant’s Prior Knowledge of Topic: Little/None to Experienced Interpreters

Target Audience: Working and student interpreters 

Presenter Bio

Amber D. Farrelly received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma at Norman and her Juris Doctorate degree from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law with the highest distinction for her pro bono work. Amber began her legal career clerking for both defense teams in the Yogurt Shop Murders shortly after their reversals in 2007 until both cases were dismissed in 2009. She began practicing as a criminal defense attorney in 2009, and has worked with the Innocence Project, The Innocence Project of Texas, and the Texas Civil Rights Project. 

Amber is licensed in and practices throughout the state of Texas and in the U.S. Western District. Amber specializes in Deaf clientele and is a court-certified interpreter in American Sign Language (ASL). Working with the Conviction Integrity Unit in Dallas County, she testified as an expert witness on ASL and Deaf culture in the Stephen Brodie exoneration case—the only Deaf person exonerated in the United States. She has consulted and testified on numerous cases involving Deaf individuals as an expert. 

Amber is the former president and current parliamentarian of the Texas School for the Deaf Foundation Board. She is dedicated to and an advocate for the Deaf. 

Amber received the Texas Society of Interpreters for the Deaf President’s Award in 2016. She was named Travis County Woman Lawyer of the Year for 2012. She has given numerous presentations and workshops on legal interpreting and Deaf rights. She has also been a guest on 48 Hours, America’s Most Wanted, Intersections Radio, and Legal Broadcast Network.

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