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Can anyone explain the process of how to move laterally to a foreign firm? If agencies can help, please give me a few names. If not, who should I contact?
Does an LLM help in finding a job abroad, specifically in Europe? I was looking at profiles of individuals with prestigious LLMs (eg: Harvard, Oxford, the MIDS LLM for disputes etc), and most either come back to India, or are still trainees or interns at foreign firms. Is there ANY university LLM that would help in finding a job abroad?
If you are interested in international arbitration, then I recommend studying in Europe as it is generally cheaper than the US or UK, tends to have more scholarship/aid, and allows you to intern with the firms there, which are generally more open to foreign lawyers, especially if you are skilled in English legal writing.
Speaking as someone who came back to India after doing an LLM, I would say dont do it if you intend to practice international arbitration. There is barely any work to go around and I cant say people are professionally treated. There is crazy oversupply and standards have fallen long and hard. It is probably the only practice area that attracts qualified and experienced lawyers who are coerced into accepting minimum wages internships/traineeships for (increasingly many) years. And thats only the beginning, prospects only dip lower as one ascends the law firm ladder, where "native" lawyers who can also litigate having a distinct edge over others. Even compared to other practice areas, it is well accepted that in international arbitration the hours are brutal, drafting is unskilled and unnecessarily prolix, and in general you get -- forgive me if I'm getting my metaphors twisted -- much more "bang" for the buck than your peers.
Europe was my main preference for disputes LLMs, but as you'd mentioned - I've also heard how it's tough to get a job afterwards, and how you have to complete multiple traineeships. So do you have any idea on what to do? And is it really that difficult once you get a job there to ascend the ladder? I also know a few seniors who're going up the ladder in Europe pretty fast (they're practicing investor-state arbitration and trade disputes though).