Lawyer

Johannes Claus III

Attorney at Law, Charlton Law Firm, LLC
BA Spanish, BA German, Minor in Economics (BSU), Juris Doctor (Northwestern School of Law)
Dutch, Portuguese, German, Spanish

The language skills and talents of Boise attorney Johannes Claus III are rooted in his extensive global experience: born in West Germany to Dutch parents, he served a Christian ministry in Brazil, studied as an undergrad in Mexico and Germany, and interned for a Dutch law firm in Spain. Additionally, Mr. Claus’ military career as a US Air Force attorney took him to Turkey and Iraq. He’s lived all over the world, has studied multiple languages for over thirty years, and continues to apply his linguistic and cultural knowledge in his legal career.

Question & Answer

How is proficiency in another language useful or important for Johann’s professional experience?

During his time in the Air Force, Mr. Claus took proficiency tests from the Air Force on his German and Portuguese skills, both of which he passed. He admits he hardly used either language during his military service, but they paid him an extra $800 with every paycheck for his knowledge of the “specialty” languages.

How is the ability to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds useful or important in this field? How have your language and cultural skills supported and/or enhanced your opportunities in this field?

Mr. Claus has practiced law in Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, and Twin Falls. In each of these cites, he has found ample professional opportunity: his language skills, particularly his proficiency in Spanish, which is widely spoken in these communities, put him ahead of other “monolingual” lawyers who applied to the firms he worked for. In the office, Mr. Claus has always been the “go-to” guy that his law office referred Spanish-speaking clients. He’s been able to explain complex legal concepts to his clients in their own language, which saved the firm money from hiring an interpreter. These Spanish-speaking clients he’s represented have also then referred him to their relatives and friends. And when Mr. Claus established his own law firm in 2024, this gave him a great competitive edge in attracting clients from these communities.

What are some other skills that are important for success in this field?

Mr. Claus continues to travel abroad regularly. In addition to his legal studies and talent for languages, he takes an active interest in the history, architecture, literature, and art of the countries and cultures he comes to know. A well-rounded individual, he says that “to learn a language is to come to know the culture as a whole. It enriches the language learning process”.

What did Johann do to prepare for this field?

“It was the language classes that I took at Boise State, both Spanish and German, that got me into Northwestern.” Mr. Claus says, “And the semesters I spent through USAC in Michoacán, Mexico and Luneburg, Germany. And my law internship in Madrid, Spain provided a framework for the Spanish “lawyering” I ended up doing once I wound up back in Idaho.”

Reflection

I really enjoyed interviewing Johann. Though I’m not heading towards a legal career like he pursued, I admire how he learned languages over the course of life experiences and then used them to his advantage in the profession he chose. He and I have a lot in common, and I felt I could (and did) learn a lot from him.

About the author

name: Eston Hall

institution: Boise State University