Top Law Schools

Hi there,

I am a foreign lawyer who recently passed NY Bar Exam. I am currently residing in Houston and have been looking for a job in Immigration law firm here. Reason for choosing immigration law is because I believe out-of-state Attorneys are not allowed to work in other fields except immigration law etc. and also I felt that I may be able to build clientele within my community who need immigration help (may be wrong).

I was practicing corporate law in my home country but I am not looking for a job in this field as I didn't enjoy it. I am not being over confident that I would get an associate position in a corporate firm and I really know that I stand minimal chances of getting one. But then I start to think, if I should apply to corporate law jobs as I would be broadening my job search instead of just applying to immigration law firms. Its been about 2 months now and I have not received any job offer. i have sent my resume to few firms directly and the rest through linkedin, indeed, monster and craigslist.

I am sure some of you might say that 2 months is nothing and you have to keep applying. I totally agree and I would continue applying but just need some help on few things:
1. Please recommend any other websites or recruitment agencies that list legal jobs in houston. Recently, I came across law-crossing and they charge a $30 monthly subscription fee (something around that). I am wondering, if its worth it. Also is the linkedin premium plan worth for job applications and it costs another $30 monthly?
2. Please clarify as to what areas of law an out-of-state attorney can practice in TX. Based on my research, it looks like an out-of-state attorney can practice immigration, bankruptcy and work as in-house counsel. If there are any more please let me know.

I have also started sending mails to some firms that I am ready to work as a volunteer. So thats been my story and I would be really grateful if any of you have answers to my questions. Thank you TLS because you have always been a great support to me since my bar prep time .

You should take the Texas bar. I don't practice in Texas, but I suspect a foreign attorney who is not admitted in Texas will be viewed as a pretty unattractive candidate.

Do you have immigration experience? If not, it will be pretty difficult to get your foot in the door. I currently practice in this field. The top employers are Fragomen, Berry Applemen, and Ogletree. In addition, you can also try for an in-house position, as many tech and consulting companies have immigration as part of their legal department. For example, PwC, E&Y, NTT Data, and Microsoft have in-house immigration counsel.

Although, do not practice immigration just because you do not want to take the Texas bar.

Thank you so much for the information. Unfortunately I am not eligible to take the TX bar as I am required to have 3 to 5 years of legal practice in the other state (NY).
It is very frustrating but what I don't understand is that someone has to give a chance to gain experience. It's like the chicken and egg story. Anyways, I am just going to give it some more time and then start applying in other States.

Random applications from craigslist or other websites are going to get you nowhere- total waste of your time. You need to meet people in the Houston legal community in your desired practice to get any traction. You need to find out who the players are in the practice and find out who might be hiring- not just who put up an ad.

As for areas of practice, that's really giving you legal advice which I don't think anyone here is prepared to do. You can look up state ethics opinions and see for yourself what you can and cannot practice. Most likely, you are going to face considerable difficulty without a Texas license since you are likely going to be treated as essentially an entry level candidate.

Nybar2015 wrote:Thank you so much for the information. Unfortunately I am not eligible to take the TX bar as I am required to have 3 to 5 years of legal practice in the other state (NY).

This cannot possibly be right. It sounds like you're talking about the amount of time before you can waive in (i.e. become a member of the TX bar without taking the exam).

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

Nybar2015 wrote:Thank you so much for the information. Unfortunately I am not eligible to take the TX bar as I am required to have 3 to 5 years of legal practice in the other state (NY).

This cannot possibly be right. It sounds like you're talking about the amount of time before you can waive in (i.e. become a member of the TX bar without taking the exam).

I am sorry if I was not clear earlier. I completed my JD in India and my LLM in USA. Hence as a foreign attorney, I am not eligible to take the TX Bar exam immediately. The only States that allow attorneys from India to take the Bar exam are CA and NY and I chose NY. There are different rules for different country attorneys. Had I done a JD in USA I could have taken the Bar anywhere. Anyways will keep trying and see how things go.

Nybar2015 wrote:

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

Nybar2015 wrote:Thank you so much for the information. Unfortunately I am not eligible to take the TX bar as I am required to have 3 to 5 years of legal practice in the other state (NY).

This cannot possibly be right. It sounds like you're talking about the amount of time before you can waive in (i.e. become a member of the TX bar without taking the exam).

I am sorry if I was not clear earlier. I completed my JD in India and my LLM in USA. Hence as a foreign attorney, I am not eligible to take the TX Bar exam immediately. The only States that allow attorneys from India to take the Bar exam are CA and NY and I chose NY. There are different rules for different country attorneys. Had I done a JD in USA I could have taken the Bar anywhere. Anyways will keep trying and see how things go.

I see. I didn't realize LLMs were so limited. Best of luck.