KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals Summer 2014 | Page 10

My advice to paralegals interested in working
abroad is to research, research, research before making your move! Consider all of your
options – most importantly your legal specialty. Corporate and Transactional paralegals are
always in high demand in international firms
and paralegals with that type of experience
are apt to find work abroad a little bit easier.
However, I came from a solid commercial litigation background and was still able to secure
a position with a major, top tier international
law firm. It often just boils down to networking and available positions!
If you are ready to make the leap abroad,
I would advise you to target US firms with
offices abroad. The easiest transition to a
foreign office is to move via internal transfer
from within a US-based law firm. Many big
firms actually have internal programs that offer their employees the opportunity to work
abroad for as short as six months and as long
as two years.

Networking within paralegal associations
– locally, nationally and internationally will
also be very useful to you in your job search.
Securing employment abroad as a paralegal can be a long arduous process, but it is
not unattainable.
If these routes for working abroad prove
unfruitful, you may not have to look further
than your family ancestry to find work. In order to work overseas, an American requires
a work permit and visa from a sponsor employer. To be sponsored by an employer in
the United Kingdom, the employer must
prove to the British government that you
as the potential employee possess specialized skills that they have been unable to
locate within the UK local job market. This
is very feasible to prove if applying to work
within the corporate, banking, and finance
practice areas due to endless cross-border
transactions.
If you have British ancestry or ancestry
from a country within the European Union
however, the process can be very simple. If
you can qualify as a dual citizen, the sky is
the limit for you in obtaining work abroad.
learning experience and a clearer, more
open, intelligent, and informative perspective on the world. I wish you all the same
opportunity!

Another option is to research firms abroad
that are of interest to you. Then narrow down
by practice area within those firms. Research
the attorneys working in those firms and
make a connection. If they are American,
reach out to them and let them know your
goals and background. They may be able to
point you in the right direction, or even better, let you know of any current openings. All
it takes is one connection to get you on the
right track!
Finally, I highly recommend contacting recruiters and legal placement agencies who
specialize in placing Americans abroad. n
placing Americans abroad. A simple search on
the Internet can lead you to these agencies.
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