The first year in law school is critical. A student should work as hard as possible in the fundamental courses, which include contracts, torts, civil procedure, criminal law, legal drafting and property. First-year grades can be a determining factor in where you obtain summer employment during law school, and they will be important in a law firm's consideration of your application for permanent employment. More importantly, however, the legal principles learned in the first year continue to be applied by practicing lawyers for their entire careers. A second tier of fundamental courses particularly important for the aspiring international lawyer includes constitutional law, administrative law, corporation law, tax law (including corporate international taxation), securities regulation law, the law of secured transactions, antitrust law and accounting. The primary business of international law is commercial transactions, so a law student should focus on learning the fundamentals of corporate and commercial law.
Now we come to a third tier of courses. I would recommend that the aspiring international lawyer take three fundamental international law courses: the introductory course in public international law, the international business transactions course and the conflict of laws course. Many law students take at least one additional course, which they fondly remember in later years: a course which gives them an opportunity to delve into the laws of foreign countries. It could be a course of civil law or Japanese law or European Common Market law. The international lawyer will spend much of his time communicating with and working with foreign attorneys and their legal systems, so some academic exposure is warranted.
A number of law schools in the U.S. provide a strong international law curriculum, among them Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, New York University, University of Virginia, Michigan, Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley. However, other private and state university law schools have highly qualified professors who can adequately prepare the law student.
An excellent way for students to immerse themselves in international law is to work on the staff of an international law journal. Participation in the Jessup Moot Court competition each year can also expose law students to a whole range of international legal issues. Further, obtaining a position as a summer associate with an international law firm is one of the best means of exploring your interest in the practice of international law.
An excellent way to broaden your academic experience in preparation for a career in international law is to enroll in a dual-degree program, which combines a degree in law with a master's degree in international relations, foreign languages or business administration.
Finally, law students interested in a career in international law might consider spending a year or two after graduation immersing themselves in a foreign culture, either through a fellowship or through further education or employment overseas. It is often possible for the graduating law student to accept a position with an American law firm and defer entering the firm until after the year or two abroad. The law student might consider working in the offices of a foreign law firm, especially in a civil law jurisdiction, where he or she may gain an understanding for the style and substance of practice by foreign lawyers. Although the young American attorney may end up merely doing paralegal work for the foreign law firm, many of those who have done it swear by it.
Law Firms
Most international law is practiced in private law firms handling international business transactions. Thousands of law firms at one time or another handle transnational matters, but there is a group of law firms that handles a large amount of international work and some firms that specialize in it. The largest number of international law firms will be found in New York City, followed by Washington, DC. But "international" law firms can be found in all major cities of the U.S. Identifying those firms is not always an easy task: law firms do not usually broadcast their client work to the world. Some major firms that undertake a lot of international work include Coudert Brothers; Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton; Baker & McKenzie
; White & Case; Graham & James; Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind,Wharton & Garrison; Shearman & Sterling; and Sidley & Austin. Career placement advisers at law schools can advise law students which law firms to consider. Also, firm resumes available to law students should give the student some idea of the scope of the law firm's work.
Those firms that specialize in international law also typically look for foreign language capability, evidence of the applicant's interest in international affairs (such as travel, course work, extracurricular activities on campus) and flexibility. Those law firms with overseas offices often like to attract candidates who are willing not only to travel but also to spend a good number of years working overseas in one of the firm's branch offices.
A word of caution: The law student is well advised not to express too much enthusiasm for international law or travel during the interview process. This is simply because what the law firm is looking for is a good lawyer, first, and an international lawyer, second. Those interviewees who impressed me the most either impressed me with their "legal thinking" skills (which they displayed, for example, by talking about a particular course or a law review article they may have written) or who had a rich background of foreign languages, cultures, academic degrees and, on top of all that, a sound legal background.
The trek into a law firm often begins as a summer associate during a student's law-school years. Firms interview law students for summer (as well as permanent) positions. An excellent performance as a summer associate (which typically will involve legal research and drafting) can translate into an offer for permanent employment upon graduation. Once employed on a full-time basis, the novice attorney will spend five to nine years working as an "associate" on salary. Starting annual salaries at major New York law firms range from $55,000 to $65,000. Each year the associate's salary should increase until, in the seventh year, for example, it may top $90,000. In recent years salaries have accelerated at such a rapid pace that it is best to check with your law school's career adviser to obtain up-dated information. First-year salaries in other cities can be considerably lower, although keep in mind that the cost-of-living in New York is staggering. You may find yourself worse off in real terms in New York than elsewhere, even though your New York salary looks more impressive.
