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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Law & Legal |
Careers in international law? |
I'm thinking about law school for the future. I'm interested in international law, or perhaps corporate law for international firms. I really enjoy traveling and different cultures, am interested in liberal arts, philosophy of law, etc. My friend said perhaps I could consider being a legal advisor for an company that does work internationally..pays really well and prestigious. However, I don't want to be a workaholic and devote my life to my job. Anyone have experience in this field or know anyone that does? Also, I'm one of those people who wants to 'make a dfiference to the human race' so I wouldn't be completely satisfied if I were just rolling in big bucks but couldnt' find meaning in my job. In this way, nonprofits appeal to me and international orgs that seek to better the world in some way. Any advice would be helpful, thanks :) LawDude is right. I'm one of dissatisfied lawyers who is working too much, at all hours. A few years ago I got certified to teach English as a Second Language and taught English abroad for a year. If you are interested in travel, making a real difference and learning about cultures, the ESL teaching is the way to go, in my opinion. Although it doesn't pay as much as lawyering, the cost of certification is minimal and you can really see how your assistance is helping people on a daily basis. And, as you get older, if you still want to practice law, you'll have a wealth of experience to write about on your law school application. Plus, many of the jobs abroad will only consider people who have previously lived abroad for a year or two. Who knows, you may even find a cool NGO to work for while you're teaching. I am an international business lawyer. I'll tell you it's not what I thought it would be. Basically, we help US business do business in other countries, either by doing agreements with foreign companies, buying foreign companies, or setting up operations in foreign countries. Do I actually know the laws in those countries? For the most part no, and as a US lawyer you wouldn't be expected to. What you are really doing is negotiating deals that make sense from a business and generally legal perspective and then you have to hire a foreign lawyer to help you out. Basically you are on the phone or email early in the morning or late at night because of the time zones. Sometimes you get to speak a foreign language, but most of the time everyone you are speaking to knows English and the agreements are 99% of the time written in English. I've done deals in probably 20 different countries and it's all pretty much the same. Anyway, it pays big bucks, but you work too much. It doesn't sound like it's for you. Plus you have to go to a top 50 school and then get into one of the bigger firms to do international deals, for the most part. There are some schools, like Cornell that offer dual degrees in foreign countries like France. This can be a better option. I also know people that work in England and in Japan that just have an American law degree. They all work alot though, but at least they get to know and work in a different culture and learn foreign laws (It also pays more than in the US). If you want to work in a foreign country though, the language is a must!!! Unless you go to England, you are not going to have a chance at foreign jobs. If you speak Japanese, Chinese, or Korean right now, you are golden. For you, I'd look into some of the European Union organizations and see what their requirements are, what languages they are looking for, etc. You may also look into job satisfaction for lawyers. There was a recent article I read that says it is not too high right now because of the long hours and high student loan debts (and I concur). Do your homework! Good luck with your decision! |
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