Janet, I’ve enjoyed your blog. I’m residing in Argentina for the next few yearsand have an opportunity to study law here. When I return to the US, will I be able to sit for the bar, will there be opportunities for someone like me, willthose opportunities be significant, or will they in fact be limited by
virtue of where I got my education? Many thanks.
Tim
Dear Tim: I am glad that you have enjoyed reading my blog. In fact, by reading the posts in the “Ask Janet” category, you will see that I’ve addressed inquiries similar to yours.The January 22 post will give you the links to the states that admit foreign trained lawyers to practice in the US and the qualifications for doing so.It also gives the link to the rules on this issue from the NY Bar which, at the moment (and probably for the foreseeable future) will be the state that is most welcoming to foreign trained lawyers. Review the requirements carefully, not only now but also closer to the time that you would seek to become licensed to make sure that you have met the requirements.Your best potential employer would of course be one that would need your Argentine law expertise, like a company that does a lot of US-Argentine business, law firms that service such clients, or a governmental entity dealing on US-Argentine matters. It seems to me that getting some actual legal work experience while in Argentina would improve your resume–experience that you could even get while in school. A lawyer with practical work experience–not just the theoretical knowledge of foreign law–is much more marketable.
You asked whether your job opportunities in the US will be limited by virtue of where you got your education (Argentina rather that the US). Generally speaking, yes. A US trained lawyer with good grades from a good law school will have more job offers. However, if you can play to your strengths by emphasizing your niche (Argentine law knowledge), and find an employer who needs just that, there may be an ideal job for you.
Your ability to find a job in the US really depends on your ability to network effectively. Use your time in Argentina to make as many contacts as you can with Argentines doing business in the US. Even if they are not in a position to hire you, they can make valuable introductions to others in the US for you. Likewise, during trips to the US during the next few years, continue such networking on the US side. In fact, you might go ahead and get involved in the International Law Section of the ABA now and start building contacts. As a student, your membership rate will be lower.
By the way, I just wrote a chapter about moving up the international law career ladder for the upcoming third edition of the Careers in International Law book published by the ABA’s International Law Section. Keep your eyes peeled (or check my blog) down the road to see when the third edition is released. All of the chapters will have info. that may be useful.
All the best,
Janet
Inquiry from Ajay:
Hi Janet. I am a US citizen who have just completed my legal studies in the UK namely with LLB and the BVC and I am thinking of doing the New york bar. In terms of gaining admission to do the NY bar exam Ii think that won’t be problem, however, I’d like to know the employment prospects after completing the bar exam. Whether it would be easier for me to come to New york and pursue my career there or contact US law firms already in the UK and remain here and later get transferred.I look forward to hearing from you. Ajay
Response from Janet H. Moore: Ajay:Nice to hear from you. I am glad to hear that you are considering taking the NY Bar because being licensed to practice in the US will certainly enhance your employment prospects here. Networking will be your key to success. I would encourage you to take a multi-faceted approach to finding a job in the US. This will increase the chance that you will find a position here, and perhaps be lucky enough to choose among several good options. You should consider networking with contacts in:1. The UK, looking for positions with firms that have US branches or home offices, as you alluded to.2. The US, using all connections possible–alumni contacts and other professional resources–to gain an entrée, and paying your own way to NY for a few weeks and networking on site (with lots of advance interviews set up, if possible).3. In addition, to the extent that you have close personal and professional connections in another country, also ask them whether they in turn, have connections within US law firms.You inquired about working in the UK for a US firm and then transferring to the latter. As you can imagine, one disadvantage of this approach is that there is no guaranty that you would be the lawyer chosen to relocate to the US. Moving lawyers to other offices abroad is an expensive proposition.From my observation, only the cream of the crop with a given firm is invited to move abroad; further, any lawyer so chosen must have a special skill, client contact or other quality to make him or her one selected for a stint abroad. Internal firm politics also influence who is chosen to move.If you join such a US-based firm’s UK office, you very well may be the one that your firm selects to move back to the US. However, that’s a bit hard to predict in advance. So, if your heart is set on working in the US, I would encourage you to put a lot of effort into getting a position there to start with rather than counting on being transferred later from the UK. It will take a lot of persistence, but the stronger your networking, the better chance you have.
If you join such a US-based firm’s UK office, you very well may be the one that your firm selects to move back to the US. However, that’s a bit hard to predict in advance. So, if your heart is set on working in the US, I would encourage you to put a lot of effort into getting a position there to start with rather than counting on being transferred later from the UK. It will take a lot of persistence, but the stronger your networking, the better chance you have.If you do end up working for a firm in the UK, do try to work on as many client matters as possible that involve US business. The more experience you can gain with US legal matters, and the more US legal contacts you can make, the better.
Best of luck!
Janet
Question from Jose: I am a Mexican lawyer with an LLM from Georgetown University. I have the opportunity to pursue a doctorate of laws at US institution or take a job with an international agency based in the US. Which would be best if I want to practice in the US?
Janet Moore: Take the job! Jose, so many of your foreign lawyer colleagues are clamoring for good work experience in the US. Academia is well and good, but if you want to have a vibrant legal practice (as opposed to a purely academic career), you truly need some work experience.
At the end of February I spoke to a bright group of foreign LLM students at the Inter-American Development Bank during a program sponsored by the International Law Section of the ABA, among others. After the program many of the LLM students in the audience approached me (as have more in subsequent weeks) to ask for guidance on getting a real job in the US. Jose, you are lucky indeed to have landed such a job here, and I encourage you to take it. It can be an invaluable stepping stone to future employment.
However, for your fellow LLM students who have not yet landed job offers in the US, my advice is to keep networking. Network with law school colleagues and professors, natives of your country who are living in the US, contacts at home who have US contacts–whatever it takes. From my observation, truly persistent and determined LLM students who do NOT give up, do eventually land paying jobs in the US–although perhaps not “dream jobs”, these jobs give valuable work experience and can lead to other employment.
Question from Joshua: I wanted to inquire as to whether you could answer some concerns I may have in taking an international legal position. I am currently in my final year of law school. I have received an offer to practice law at a major international law firm in the US, as well as at the German arm of a major international law firm in Munich. In Germany, I would be on a German track, i.e. German pay scale. I was told that foreigners have difficulty making partner in Germany, and that the firm, should I want to be a partner, would expect me to move back after 4-5 years to be on a US partnership track. I do not necessarily know at this stage whether I want to be a partner or not.
My concerns are twofold – First, if there is any slowdown in work, is an American lawyer more likely to be fired and second, will I have difficulty either in returning to the US as a mid-level associate or in the event of a downturn that results in the position no longer being open.
Any thoughts you may have would be helpful. I think that the safe route would be to take the US opportunity and then go abroad after a few years; but I also think the Germany option presents a great opportunity to start a career in Europe.
Response from Janet: Nowadays, very few lawyers stay in any one job for a long time. Even those who make partner often transition to other law firms. Thus, you might view your next career choice as a good stepping stone for the future; perhaps you will remain at this same firm for the rest of your career after making partner, but more likely not.
You might weigh the two opportunities to determine which will provide you the best training and experience early in your career. You can’t go wrong with a major international law firm, whether it is located in the US or abroad. You are lucky to have both choices.
You might create a chart to help you evaluate the pros and cons of each. Do you have a sense for the kind of work and the amount of responsibility you would have at each place? Do you know how associates are treated and valued? Do you know any of the partners with whom you would be working, and if so, do you like and respect them? What is the culture like at each firm? What kind of training and professional development programs do they offer associates? What are the billable hour requirements? If you don’t have a sense for the answers to these questions, see whether you can chat with some current associates off the record, or search the Internet for entries on some of the law firm associate internet chat forums.
I would be less concerned about potentially being laid off as a US lawyer in a European firm. It’s impossible to predict that outcome, and I wouldn’t base my career decision on that, if I were you. Further, in case of layoffs, being an American might actually work to your advantage; because you would offer unique expertise as a US trained lawyer, you might be the last to be laid off!
Rather, I would make sure that you choose a firm in which you will be happy working, at least initially, because you are bound to be working long hours at either. Second, I’d focus on the training that you will get, making sure that you will be working from the beginning in the kind of practice area you desire. You don’t want to find yourself stuck in an unappealing or uninteresting practice group. Once a lawyer has practiced for several years in one area, it’s sometimes challenging to switch. Good luck!
Question from European Father: My son, a US citizen, is completing his undergraduate education in the UK and eventually wants to practice law there. What are the pros and cons of his attending law school in the US and then practicing in the UK?
Janet: Which educational path your son chooses really depends on his long-term goals. For example, where does he want to be based in the long-term? What kind of law does he want to practice? If he knows that he wants to be based in the UK, then a UK law school seems the easiest and most logical choice. It’s very helpful to have close connections with law school peers down the road for networking purposes, and so having a lot of peers based in the UK would be helpful. Further, he would have the requisite education to take the bar exam, become licensed and practice law fully in the UK if he attends law school there. Note, however, that many (but not all) lawyers in the UK take law as their undergraduate course of study,
This wouldn’t preclude him from practicing in the US down the road, but he would (at least under the current laws) either have to work in the US just as a foreign visiting lawyer (because he wouldn’t be licensed to practice US law), or become qualified to practice law in the US (such as by obtaining a LLM degree from a US law school, for example, and taking a bar exam in the state in which he wanted to practice.) Many states, like the State of New York, have more lenient rules for foreign lawyers trained in the common law who want to become qualified in New York.Your son’s area of interest might also dictate his choice of school. Certain areas of the law are more developed in the US (such as personal injury law) than in the UK, and so this might influence his choice. Conversely, there are other areas of the law for which he would be better served to have a UK law degree, such as if he wanted to focus on laws of the European Community.
Certain law schools are also known for excelling in certain kinds of law, and so he might opt for a school with a good program in his chosen specialty.
If he obtains a US law degree but returns to the UK to practice, he will be licensed to practice in the US, not the UK. Certain law firms and corporations with offices in the UK do hire US trained lawyers, especially to handle sophisticated corporate and securities transactions, it seems. In fact, most of the major US firms have branch offices there. However, these positions are much sought after and quite competitive to get. If he has a US law degree, your son could also take the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (assuming he meets the prerequisites), or get additional legal training in the UK and take any applicable UK exams so as to qualify him to practice in the UK. More information for attorneys wanting to qualify to practice in the UK can be found at: http://www.legaleducation.org.uk/Careers/thebar.php#clp If it is too soon for him to answer these questions, he might apply to a variety of schools in both jurisdictions and then pick the best school that accepts him and appeals to him.
