Working in the United Kingdom, long-term plans

[Anonymous User]

I'm a 1L at CCN, and the topic of getting a firm job in the United Kingdom in the long term (i.e., not for 2L summer/immediately after graduation) came up in discussion. I was just looking for advice on how this happens--presumably through working in the US after graduation and then transferring (either in-firm or as a lateral transfer), right, or not? Would there be some advantage, with a goal of working in Britain, to work for the American office of a British firm at graduation, or is it equally likely if I work for an American firm? How likely would I be, assuming a medium prestige biglaw job, of getting a biglaw job in Britain if I had to laterally transfer? Is there some sort of test or shortened degree that I would need to take/get in Britain to practice there with an American JD?

Just general advice wanted. I know this is a little premature for a 1L to be poking around about. I just want a sense of the realism of a possibility that I only recently considered.

[sophie316]

This is also my plan and I'm a 2L at NYU. If you're not planning on doing it immediately after graduation or for your 2L summer, then my advice is to just get the best firm job you can. If you can get a job at a firm that has a London office with a US practice, so much the better. Don't go for a magic circle/UK firm just because they're British. A good US firm with a London office is probably a better bet. That said, between a US firm with no London office and a British firm, I'd go for the British one. Research firms, see which ones like to shout about being international. Some firms will let summers do a rotation abroad, usually this requires less ties than doing a full summer there. If you can do a rotation in London that may help in the future. My biggest word of caution about this is that you cannot work at a US firm in London and do US litigation. You will be doing corporate work, and fairly specific corporate work at that. Research this and if you really want to end up in London make sure you go somewhere with a good practice in that kind of work and that that is what you end up doing(otherwise you will be very unlikely to be able to lateral to a London office). The only potential exception to this is international arbitration, as there are some firms with US arbitration practices based in London. However, there are fewer than those doing corporate work so this will make the possibility of ending up on London more of a gamble.