Can a foreign lawyer find a job in a NY law firm?
Q: I am an Irish national who is interested in pursuing a career as a lawyer in New
York. I hold a primary law degree and a master’s degree in commercial law. I would like to sit for the bar exams next year but I would prefer to do so while working with a NY law firm. Is it common for NY firms to be open to such arrangements?
A: There is a small but growing need for foreign lawyers like yourself to work in firms in New York. Large New York firms with international practices are trying to position themselves to compete in an increasingly global marketplace. Many of these firms now have special "foreign associate programs" where they accept a select number of foreign lawyers to work in the firms' New York office for one year. In addition, there have been a number of recent mergers of U.S. firms with European firms, such as Clifford Chance and Rogers & Wells, and White & Case with Feddersen Laule. So there is a lot of potential in the job market for foreign lawyers. That's the good news. The bad news is that these programs are extremely competitive and there are many foreign lawyers competing for relatively few spots. Many of the foreign lawyers are also enrolled in ll.m. programs in United States law schools, which gives them an extra advantage.
I would suggest that you market yourself in particular to U.S. law firms that do business with Ireland. I would also suggest that you consider enrolling in an ll.m. program for one year in the United States. That way you can participate in special recruitment programs that the law schools have for foreign ll.m.'s seeking employment. You might want to do some research on your own first to see if you could land a foreign associate position on your own. To locate firms that have large international practices, I would try to obtain a directory such as the "2000 National Directory of Legal Employers", which is available through the National Association for Law Placement in Washington, D.C. You could then contact individual firms and inquire as to their plans for hiring foreign associates. Best of luck.
Hillary Mantis, Esq., has been a career counselor for over 10 years and has authored career books, including Alternative Careers for Lawyers, and Jobs For Lawyers: Effective Techniques for Getting Hired in Today’s Legal Marketplace (published by Impact Publications). For more information about private career counseling, e mail altcareer@aol.com
