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I'm currently working in a firm which does international commercial arbitration work. Have a PQE of around 2+ years. While I really like my firm and my team, the pay isn't exactly great. My partner is a good guy and I think if I continue working and produce results, he could maybe up my pay. But I doubt any increase would be in the same league as what a bigger firm could potentially pay.
My question is this: how difficult or easy is it to get into international commercial arbitration teams of bigger (Indian) firms? What's the barrier of entry like vis-a-vis the number of people applying at my PQE? I'm from a decent NLU, if that has any bearing. Also, if I stick with the practice area, what are my odds of being able to jump to an international firm if I'm only India qualified?
I realize these questions are subjective, but I'm looking to understand experiences of people of who've been through the same career steps I'm currently going through.
Thank you for reading!
The foreign job market in IA is cutthroat, with competition from highly qualified foreign students and lawyers for a very small number of roles. The two primary routes to a job in IA abroad are a training contract and an LLM. The latter route would in all likelihood only lead to internships (and not permanent roles) at IA practices. You can then try to convert these internships into an Associate role.
It is quite unusual to see foreign firms hire IA associates directly from Indian firms- I cannot think of any recent examples.
In my experience, being qualified in a second jurisdiction will not (by itself) make a significant difference to your prospects of being hired, although it will definitely benefit your practice. There are a number of courses (equity and trusts, commercial remedies) that we did not study in law school in india that you may need to be familiar with as an IA lawyer, especially if you work in a common law jurisdiction. Qualifying in a second jurisdiction (like England and Wales) will help with that.
I suppose I can give time to my current firm, get a bit more experience before trying my luck at the Indian market. I personally don't have a particular interest in moving out of the country right away, but it's good to know that it will not be as easy as I thought it might be.
If competition is stiff for fewer positions in Indian firms, I suppose prior experience in a dedicated ICA firm will help my chances of making it, would you agree? Besides, the ICA sub-practise area I'm working in is extremely niche.
Thank you for taking the time to respond!