Hubo un malentendido con mi abogada, pero lo aclaramos por teléfono.

with

Breakdown of Hubo un malentendido con mi abogada, pero lo aclaramos por teléfono.

• mi: my
• nosotros: we
• lo: it

Questions & Answers about Hubo un malentendido con mi abogada, pero lo aclaramos por teléfono.

Why is hubo used here instead of había?

Hubo is the preterite form of haber and presents the misunderstanding as a single, completed event in the past: Hubo un malentendido = “There was (at one point) a misunderstanding.”

Había (imperfect) would describe a background situation or ongoing state:

• Había un malentendido entre nosotros = “There was a misunderstanding between us (for some time / as a situation).”

In this sentence, the idea is “a misunderstanding happened” (a specific incident), so hubo is the natural choice.

Could I say Había un malentendido con mi abogada instead? What would change?

You can say Había un malentendido con mi abogada, but it slightly changes the feel:

• Hubo un malentendido…
  Sounds like: “A misunderstanding occurred / popped up (at that moment).”
  → One event.

• Había un malentendido…
  Sounds like: “There was an ongoing misunderstanding / We were in a state of misunderstanding.”
  → A more continuous situation or background.

In everyday conversation about a specific incident that later got resolved, hubo is more natural.

What exactly does lo refer to in pero lo aclaramos por teléfono?