Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

se tituló como abogado (Corte Suprema de Chile, 1968)

English translation:

was admitted to practise law by the Chilean Supreme Court (1968)

Added to glossary by Elizabeth Medina
Jan 14, 2013 15:18
11 yrs ago
9 viewers *
Spanish term

se tituló como abogado (Corte Suprema de Chile, 1968)

Spanish to English Law/Patents Education / Pedagogy Law degree in academic qualifications
This would be translated as "he received his law degree in..." but what throws me off is the reference to the Chilean Supreme Court. It seems to me that he passed his bar exams in 1968, but what does the Supreme Court have to do with that?

Any clarification will be much appreciated.

Rgds,
Elizabeth

Discussion

philgoddard Jan 14, 2013:
I think this is bad writing in Spanish, because it breaks the rule that you should never put text in parentheses without making clear how it's connected to the rest of the sentence. But have you tried Googling this person? Do they have a résumé or biography online?

Proposed translations

+1
7 hrs
Selected

was admitted to practise law by the Chilean Supreme Court (1968)

I post this with some hesitation, since Taña has already cited this very phrase, but she has indicated that she prefers to leave her post as a reference. However, I am sure it's correct, and I feel that (if you agree) it ought to be put in the glossary, not least because every existing reference there to "título de abogado" equates it to a law degree, and that is not the case here, even if it is in other cases.

(By the way, it will be "practice law" in American English.)

Of course "título" often means a university degree, and "titularse" often means to graduate. But a "título de abogado" in Chile is a professional licence (license) to practise law, not a degree. The appropriate law degree, which you have to have before being granted the "título de abogado", is Licenciado en Ciencias Jurídicas (commonly known as Licenciado en Derecho), obtained from a university. To get the título you have to have one of these, and also fulfil certain other prerequisities: minimum age 20, no criminal record, certificate of good conduct, six months' probationary practice, Chilean nationality, or law studies in Chile if not Chilean.

The "título", as I say, is a professional licence. It would not be incorrect to say that this person was "granted the title of attorney/barrister", depending on whether the target is UK/Commonwealth or US; but "admission to practice law" is the standard expression for this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admission_to_practice_law

The "Corte Suprema" part is actually a bit of a tautology, since the "título de abogado" in Chile is always granted by the Supreme Court, in public plenary session. Here's a statement on the subject from the FAQ on the Chilean Poder Judicial website:

"En el ordenamiento jurídico chileno, los abogados son conceptualizados como las personas revestidas por la autoridad competente, de la facultad de defender ante los Tribunales de Justicia los derechos de las partes litigantes, de conformidad a lo dispuesto en el artículo 520 de nuestro Código Orgánico de Tribunales.
El título de abogado es otorgado por la Corte Suprema, en audiencia pública y reunida en tribunal pleno, y previa comprobación y declaración, de que el postulante reúne los requisitos establecidos por la ley, que son los siguientes:"
http://www.pjud.cl/PDF/ATUsuarios/PreguntasFrecuentes/requis...

It goes on to set out the requisites (including the licenciatura degree) as summarised above.

Here's someone else who includes the Corte Suprema part in his CV:

"Grados y títulos académicos
Licenciatura en Derecho, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. 1994
Título de Abogado otorgado por la Corte Suprema de Justicia. 1998"
http://www.filosofiacristiana.cl/miembros/alvarado.html
Peer comment(s):

agree Taña Dalglish : He ... he! Post away my friend! I certainly think that it is the meaning, but Phil does make a good point re the lack of clarity & your pt. re "Corte Suprema" being a bit of a tautology is valid.
5 mins
Very true. I imagine people mention it because it sounds rather grand. Anyway, I do think this has got to be right, and it's worth making the point about "título". Gracias, y un abrazo :)
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks so much Charles, Taña, excellent clarification, most grateful."

Reference comments

15 mins
Reference:

Elizabeth:

I believe we need further context so that those who can help will have a clearer understanding.

However, see this link: (but I am guessing too!)
http://jointconference.law.cuhk.edu.hk/speakers.php
Professor Jaime Arancibia
Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law at Universidad de los Andes (Chile)
In 1999, he received his LL.B, highest distinction, from UC Law School in Chile and ****was admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court.****
Peer comments on this reference comment:

agree Rosa Paredes : That's it. You should enter this as your answer ... (?)
4 hrs
Thanks Rosa. Appreciate it, but I will leave as a reference.
agree philgoddard : This does seem the most likely answer.
5 hrs
Thanks.
agree Charles Davis : Once again you have given the correct answer as a reference. I have taken it upon myself to document it and post it as an answer. I hope that's OK with you.
7 hrs
Absolutely! My initial thinking was that it was more reference worthy as opposed to glossary material! Thanks again.
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