Reintegration to the U.S. strategy Forum

Anonymous User · Post by **Anonymous User** » Wed Jul 24, 2019 3:16 pm

Anon because my situation is somewhat unique and identifiable.

After graduating law school in the U.S. last year I had to move back abroad to Europe for personal, family reasons. I have dual US/European citizenship. Before moving to Europe, I took the UBE and got a passing score that I can transfer to any jurisdiction.

Since I'm not qualified to be an "attorney" in the country where I'm currently living, I've been working as a "legal executive" (paralegal basically) for a well-known, top corporate firm in Europe.

I came to terms with this and accepted that it could (or will) be a career setback when I decided to move back to the U.S., or possibly even prevent me from getting a job as an attorney at a firm.

So now, I'm coming back to the U.S. in a few months, and I'm curious as to what you think my strategy should be when I arrive back in my home state (Minnesota). Since I took the UBE in Minnesota, I'm currently admitted to the Bar (inactive), but I don't necessarily want to practice law in Minnesota.

Should I transfer my Bar to a few jurisdictions where I'm interested in working? Primarily, Chicago (Illinois) and New York?

I'm somewhat torn between pursuing entry-level attorney positions, or targeting more JD-preferred/compliance/regulatory positions, or something in a different direction entirely. I'm happy enough with the prospect of what you would consider "shitlaw," or lower-paid government positions, etc. I'm also comfortable with the idea of never being a "lawyer," as there are certain things about the profession that don't sit well with me.

While it's nothing major (i.e. not attorney work), I have gotten some substantive real estate/transactional experience at my law firm here.

Basically, I'm looking for an assessment of things I can do to improve my situation and increase my odds of finding success once I arrive back in the U.S. Fortunately, I have savings from my job here and can bunker down at my family's for a while to take the time to sort things out.