KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals Summer 2014 | Page 8

Several years ago I found myself facing this
very quandary. I was at a cross-road in my
career. I had spent the last seven years working in a well-known regional firm, but felt
stagnant in my position.

The transition to employment in a foreign
country took approximately 9 months. This
began with researching American firms with
London offices while still living in the United
States. It also involved studying aspects of international law.

Within seven years, I had climbed the corporate ladder from a file clerk/assistant to a
Senior Litigation Paralegal. I learned an immense amount of legal practice and skills
from the truly exceptional attorneys I had
worked with and felt as though the foundation had been set for my career. I was ready
to look ahead and experience the international aspect of a much larger firm.

I traveled to the United Kingdom several times
in one year to visit and learn about the culture
and work environment of my new prospective home. I networked at every opportunity.
Fortunately through diligent research via the
Internet, legal placement agencies, and coldcalling law firms and attorneys, I located the
American Women Lawyers Group in London.
Though the group consisted of all attorneys,
they welcomed me – another fellow American and opened up the door to numerous
contacts and access to British firms with US
legal groups.

After some careful research and personal
consideration, I made the decision to go
abroad to enhance my career and increase
,my professional marketability. Specifically, I
chose to relocate to London, England.

Through their monthly meetings, I connected
with an out-going, kind attorney who asked
for my resume and brought it directly to the
attention of her hiring partners at the prestigious Herbert Smith (now Freehills Herbert
Smith LLP).

“I made the
decision to go
abroad to enhance
my career and
increase my
professional
marketability.”

In July 2007, I began working as a U.S. Securities Paralegal in the Corporate Department
of Herbert Smith. There I worked alongside
talented American, British, and Australian attorneys. Our Group also worked closely with
our Moscow and Hong Kong offices on a daily
basis, so the international outreach was wonderful. My duties for this Group involved assisting the associates on IPOs, proof-reading
and drafting prospectuses, performing legal
research, and preparing the radar agenda for
our weekly video conference with the Moscow and Hong Kong offices to discuss on-going and future deals and transactions.
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