Court hearings
Civil and criminal hearings, arraignments, motion hearings, status conferences in Hennepin, Ramsey, and other Minnesota district courts. Roster status matched to proceeding type.
Court interpreters
Certified court work. Rates posted. No agency taking a cut.
Minnesota Court Interpreter Roster: certified and other qualified. Hennepin and Ramsey county courts, public defenders, depositions, immigration hearings. Urgent hearings filled fast. Daily caps, direct deposit, and a session record with your name on it every time.
Proceeding types
What we dispatch in Minnesota.
Depositions
Civil depositions, expert depositions, witness preparation. Typically pre-booked days in advance. On-site or VRI.
Attorney-client meetings
Privileged communication with public defenders and civil litigators. Per-session confidentiality acknowledgment. On-site, VRI, or OPI.
Immigration hearings
EOIR immigration court proceedings in Minnesota. Federal interpreter standards apply; offers route to interpreters with the appropriate language and credential.
Public defender client meetings
First-contact communication with LEP defendants. Often Somali, Hmong, or Spanish. On-site or OPI depending on custody status.
Post-conviction
Parole hearings, probation meetings, post-conviction relief proceedings. OPI and VRI are common for distributed settings.
What you get
The deal for court interpreters.
Minnesota Roster verification respected
Your roster status (certified or other qualified) is verified and matched to proceeding type. Criminal hearings in Hennepin County only reach interpreters credentialed at the level the court requires.
Urgent-hearing dispatch
Urgent hearings shorten the offer window and widen the reach. The countdown timer on each offer shows how long you have to decide. Common-language urgent hearings during court hours typically fill quickly.
Pre-booked depositions
Depositions appear in your offers list days out. You can plan your week rather than being held available for short-notice calls.
No agency between you and the pay
Posted rates, transparent session records, direct deposit via Stripe Connect. No agency taking a percentage off the top and paying you net-45.
Common questions
Questions court interpreters ask first.
- What credentials qualify me for legal work through Lingfaro in Minnesota?
- For Minnesota state court proceedings, roster status on the Minnesota Court Interpreter Roster (certified for Spanish; other qualified for most other languages per Minn. Stat. § 546.42) is the standard. For federal courts and EOIR immigration hearings, federal certification (FCICE for Spanish; otherwise-qualified status for other languages) is required or strongly preferred. CLSP and NAJIT credentials are also accepted. The dispatch system filters offers to interpreters whose certifications match the proceeding type.
- How does Lingfaro protect attorney-client privilege?
- Sessions involving privileged communication are tagged at dispatch. You acknowledge a per-session confidentiality agreement when you accept; the acknowledgment is captured in the session record and visible only to authorized parties. Session metadata is role-scoped. Opposing parties never see a session that involves their adversary's matter.
- Are urgent hearings dispatched differently?
- Yes. Urgent hearings shorten the offer window and widen the reach automatically. During court hours, common-language urgent work typically fills quickly. The countdown timer on each offer shows you exactly how long you have to decide.
- What about depositions and immigration hearings?
- Depositions are typically pre-booked; you'll see them in your offers list days ahead. EOIR immigration hearings in Minnesota follow federal interpreter standards; offers route to interpreters with the appropriate credential for the language. After-hours arraignments use OPI by default in most Minnesota jurisdictions.
- Are pay rates higher for legal work?
- Often, yes. Court-credentialed work generally pays more than general interpretation. Rates vary with language, modality, jurisdiction, proceeding type, and urgency. Rather than quote a range, Lingfaro shows the exact rate with every offer; you accept or decline without negotiation.
- Do I need to appear at the courthouse in person?
- Depends on the proceeding and the court. Many Minnesota courts now use all three modalities (on-site, VRI, and OPI) depending on the matter and the parties' preferences. Configure which modalities you're available for in your profile; only matching offers reach you.
On the Minnesota Roster? Apply.
Upload your roster certification, get verified within one business day, start receiving offers that match your language and jurisdiction.
Apply now