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Hi all,

Mid-level IP associate at a V100 NYC firm here. I recently got married and, now that we're starting to think about a family, my wife and I are considering moving to Lisbon, Portugal.

Lisbon offers affordable real estate, universal healthcare, temperate Mediterranean weather, good public education, and I think Europe offers a better quality of life (less focus on work, more focus on enjoying life, more vacation, etc). It also has a high percent of English speaking folks, and my wife and I speak some Spanish so we could learn Portuguese.

Do any folks know how difficult or easy it is to transition working from the US to Europe, and Lisbon/Portugal specifically? I've read there are opportunities to practice US law in Europe. How plentiful are those opportunities and would I be able to get licensed locally?

Any feedback would be appreciated!

I'm not sure you're specifically going to be able to find something in Lisbon, especially if you don't already have language skills, connections within the country, and some understanding of Portuguese law. I'd look instead for opportunities to teach courses on American law in European universities. I know that Martin Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg in Germany is looking for a Lecturer and Senior Researcher in International Law. It seems like this is aimed at recent graduates, so you may be competitive even without a publishing record. If you're interested, pm me and I'll send you the details of the posting. Applications due by September 30 with a preferred start date of February 1, 2018.

Moving to Lisbon and practicing would be much harder than say London, Milan or Paris (cities that already have a large number of US firms based there). If you moved to London and worked for an American firm, for example, you wouldn't need to qualify in the UK or take a foreign bar exam.

I should add that working in a US law firm in Europe is unlikely to offer the relaxed environment you're looking for. I met some local attorneys working for US law firms in Budapest, and they put in very long hours there, too.

If you're thinking of working for a Portuguese firm, you'd need to first learn Portuguese, then go to law school in Portugal, and then get into a firm there. It'd probably take you at least a year or two to learn Portuguese at the level you'd need to attend law school in it - especially since you'd be living with your wife instead of a native speaker - and that's assuming hours of intensive language training every day. Unless you have some really deep personal connection to Portugal (say, 30 years of involvement in Portuguese culture, tons of friends in the country, etc.), you should consider casting a wider net.

Have you thought of applying to attorney jobs on US military bases in Europe? My cousin's husband is currently working on a base in Germany, and he loves it. They're going to be there for at least several years.

Anonymous User wrote:Moving to Lisbon and practicing would be much harder than say London, Milan or Paris (cities that already have a large number of US firms based there). If you moved to London and worked for an American firm, for example, you wouldn't need to qualify in the UK or take a foreign bar exam.

This wouldn't for OP though, since he's in IP. I don't know anything about American lawyers working at US biglaw firms in Milan or Paris, but London is almost exclusively securities transactional work... Basically doing the same thing a US based associate would be doing but in London. Cost of living in London sucks, as does the weather, and the work hours at those firms practicing in the US securities group isn't going to be any better than being based in the US, so basically everything OP's looking for won't be there. I think OP's best bet is either to find a law job in the US that's a closer fit to the things he's looking for (there's not many of them, and would be a massive paycut relative what he's making now, but a few of these jobs do exist in law). Alternatively, he could move but might as well just switch professions altogether in that situation (going through the process to be able to practice law in Portugal at a Portugese law firm would take some serious dedication for someone who's already a US lawyer).

This is such a terrible thread that have a hard time believing it was done by an actual law school graduate. Anyone with any knowledge of legal market would know this is a total pipe dream

Great thread. You could probably move to Portugal and get a random job. That might be fun. Unlikely you are going to work as an attorney. Portugal also doesn't have a very advanced economy, relative to France, Germany, or the UK.

Another damn migrant trying to take European jerbs away

OP PM me please! Would love to chat about this...