International Exit Options? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am looking to start my career working overseas in Asia, doing cross-border transactional work. However, since I do not have any family in Asia nor can I predict the future, I am curious about exit options back to the United States. Does anyone have any thoughts on this, or know of someone who worked overseas and then returned to the US? If possible I would like to try to avoid precluding myself from gainful employment in the future should I decide to come back to the US one day.

EDIT FOR CLARITY:

Im looking to go to S Korea right after graduation, with a Korean company or firm. I've lived/studied/worked there before and have been developing my language skills for a number of years. While that is what I plan to do for the short term, I am a bit concerned about my ability to secure employment at a US firm in the future, should I decide to return to the United States down the road. I'd be licensed in the US and doing US-Korean transactional work, but not at a US law firm or corporation.

[jbagelboy]

This post needs a lot more context. No one can tell you very much based on what you've presented here alone.

Seems like if you start at a global firm in a particularly internationalized practice (arbitration, project finance, some commercial lit or m&a), you have some sort of credential like prior WE or language skills for that region (so basically Mandarin for you), and you express an interest in it, you can be sent to an overseas office for a couple years and then return to NY or SF ect. But this varies so much firm to firm, partner to partner, person to person and your post is so vague that I just don't know what to tell you

[m079]

Do you even know anything about practicing law in Korea? If so, you know that US-licensed lawyers cannot practice in Korea. They're limited to being "consultants." After the Korean legal market began opening up a few years ago, permitting foreign firms to establish offices in Korea, many US and UK firms have jumped at the opportunity. Do your research and figure out which ones those are. If you do the research, you'll also learn that US firms are going to start hiring Korean lawyers b/c previously, a tiny, tiny fraction of Korean law school grads passed the bar. Now they're allowing a much greater number to pass the bar. As a result, many US firms are looking to hire Korean lawyers.

All this is to say that there are many large American firms looking to build their current business in Korea. If you want to do work relating to Korea, get a job with those firms. Don't try to get hired by a Korean firm (you won't be able to practice law, only "consult"). If you change your mind about Korea, you can stay with your firm and do something else.

[Anonymous User]

Do you even know anything about practicing law in Korea? If so, you know that US-licensed lawyers cannot practice in Korea. They're limited to being "consultants." After the Korean legal market began opening up a few years ago, permitting foreign firms to establish offices in Korea, many US and UK firms have jumped at the opportunity. Do your research and figure out which ones those are. If you do the research, you'll also learn that US firms are going to start hiring Korean lawyers b/c previously, a tiny, tiny fraction of Korean law school grads passed the bar. Now they're allowing a much greater number to pass the bar. As a result, many US firms are looking to hire Korean lawyers.

All this is to say that there are many large American firms looking to build their current business in Korea. If you want to do work relating to Korea, get a job with those firms. Don't try to get hired by a Korean firm (you won't be able to practice law, only "consult"). If you change your mind about Korea, you can stay with your firm and do something else.

Not to sound rude, but I have been preparing for a legal career in Korea for years. I have done plenty of research and completed 2 internships there, so I am quite familiar with the limitations of US-licensed attorneys in the country. I know all about the changes made with the Korean-US FTA, which US/UK firms have established offices in Seoul, etc.

My question simply relates to employment opportunities back in the United States. Unfortunately all of the US-licensed attorneys in Korea that I know or have spoken with have not gone back to the US yet, so I cannot ask them about their employability after their Korean careers.

[iskim88]

I think u should first work in the US Biglaw, preferably a firm that's already in Korea or a firm that's looking to go. After working for a few years, flying to Korea as a FLC in the firm that you already work would probably allow you to go back and forth, I would imagine.

But do keep in mind that the Korean legal market is rather small and Kim&Jang already dominates the market (about 50% officially, based on the taxes they pay. Probably smaller percentage when hidden transactions are taken into account - embezzled taxes, that is.) and should you choose to take this route I would imagine that itd be hard to go back to the states and practice.

But a lot of what I'm saying is anecdotal as I'm only a 0L with significant ties to the Korean legal market (think top6 law firms) and can only provide limited second-hand perspective.

You do know that u have to practice law in the states for three years to be able to register as a FLC right? So might as well work a few more years and try to become a partner who can choose to fly over. But then again, I don't really know what I'm saying.

[dead head]

Not to sound rude, but I have been preparing for a legal career in Korea for years. I have done plenty of research and completed 2 internships there, so I am quite familiar with the limitations of US-licensed attorneys in the country. I know all about the changes made with the Korean-US FTA, which US/UK firms have established offices in Seoul, etc.

My question simply relates to employment opportunities back in the United States. Unfortunately all of the US-licensed attorneys in Korea that I know or have spoken with have not gone back to the US yet, so I cannot ask them about their employability after their Korean careers.

What kind of answers do you expect when you post a vague post with an inapposite title (since you're really only asking about exit options from Korea) and even in your edited post fail to say a bunch of things you're including now?

It's not surprising that US attorneys in Korea haven't gone back to the US yet (hence them being in Korea), but I would think that they would know of other lawyers who have returned to the US or that they themselves have plans for transitioning back to the US. That they aren't able to share details or articulate long-term plans for themselves might be a warning sign in and of itself. But if you really wanted to talk to lawyers who have made the transition, it might be a good idea to look at US offices and search for lawyers who have experience in Korea.

[m079]

I agree with what dead head said. I myself will be practicing at a big firm that has a Korea practice. But when I was interviewing for jobs, many large firms had a burgeoning Korea practice that they wanted to build on. I was able to speak with lawyers in these practices. Why don't you just ask those US-licensed lawyers in Korea their experience with fellow attorneys or their perception of exit options? I didn't mean to be rude either but I was just confused because you claim to have years of preparation for a legal career in Korea and that you've done plenty of research but you haven't asked all these attorneys you spoke with about exit options. Even if they haven't returned to the US, they should be able to speak on at least what they've observed about exiting attorneys.