The career paths available to an international lawyer can be broken down into law firms, federal government, corporate counsel, international organizations, and non-profit organizations. Private law firms handle most international business transactions, although the degree varies depending on the specialty of the firm. Sorry, but the page you requested could not be found. If you typed the address, make sure you entered it correctly.
International law degrees can prepare you to work as a public official. Government officials have the capacity to make widespread change at the local, state, or national level. In addition to serving voters, government officials also perform management and administration tasks. International law degrees that emphasize international relations, diplomacy and governance will better prepare you to work as a government official.
International law degrees can prepare you to work as a court officer or judge. You may find yourself presiding over trials in international tribunals and then researching arguments to make informed decisions on cases. Normally, judges are appointed by government officials or are elected to their positions. To prepare for a career as a court officer, consider international law degree programs with specialties in criminal justice.
Explore international law degree programs and areas of study. Learn about prerequisites and undergraduate courses, as well as job perspectives and salary data for lawyers. Most bachelor's degree programs that address international law issues award a Bachelor of Arts (B, A). If you enter the workforce immediately after earning your 4-year degree, you can apply your education in areas such as diplomacy, international trade, or non-governmental organizations.
International studies or international relations programs provide an interdisciplinary education in the liberal arts and humanities. You can expect to take courses that address political science, foreign languages, and sociology. Other courses may cover geography, world history and geopolitics. Specific law courses may include Western and American legal traditions or international business law.
Programs focusing on international business and economics will cover trade, international investment and dispute resolution. If you are enrolled in one of these programs, you can also expect to learn about intellectual property and securities law. You'll need a high school diploma or GED before applying for a 4-year program. You will need to earn a 4-year degree before enrolling in a dual degree program; however, some of these programs give priority to applicants who have international experience or knowledge of foreign languages.
You'll need to have a J, D. From an institution approved by the United States Bar Association, if you are applying for a program that only awards a Master of Laws degree. The programs also seek experience in the practice of law, but others are only open to students who have earned a law degree outside the United States. Regardless of the type of LL, M.
The program you are considering, most are highly selective and have limited enrollment. Your browser does not support JavaScript Because the type of work varies from agency and country to country, highlighted below and in the narratives section, there are some examples of the breadth and uniqueness of international work. The work of international government can involve everything from promoting a particular policy to drafting and negotiating public international agreements, to representing the U.S. UU.
The government or its agencies around the world before intergovernmental bodies such as the WTO or the WHO. It also involves interpreting the standards and requirements of various laws and regulations, granting trade preferences, actively promoting the U.S. Foreign Policy Interests, and Ensuring U.S. Development assistance is carried out in accordance with the U.S.
Karen Doswell, USAID Foreign Service Advisor, advised selected government officials in Uganda and Rwanda in support of USAID's commitment to transparency in government service. In support of its anti-corruption campaign, the Ugandan government created a new ministry called the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity. The newly appointed minister asked for help from the U.S. Government in developing, among other things, a code of ethics and standards of conduct for its government employees.
Sarah Miller (HLS '0) also had a unique international experience with a. He spent his 1L summer in the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Financial Assets Control (OFAC) in the compliance division. The division, often focused on crisis management, handles everything from daily bank inquiries about possible matches with the OFAC list of banned entities to resolving contentious policy issues arising from highly complex financial transactions.
The briefings have included topics such as how intelligence reform legislation will involve the division on hot topics such as the conflict between the U.S. And Cuban sanctions and European Union (EU) blockade legislation. Sarah explained that what made her experience so exciting was its incredible combination of abstract foreign policy issues and very practical legal issues. Such varied experiences are valuable to understand if you end up in government or private practice.
The legislature offers several opportunities to work with issues of international public interest. Some committees, such as the Armed Forces, Intelligence Services, and the Judiciary, cover community-related issues. However, the two committees focused on international relations are the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (SCFR) and the House of Representatives Committee on International Relations (HCIR), each with a full committee and seven subcommittees. Despite the different names, both do essentially the same job.
Each has a minority and majority staff with one or more attorney positions for each plenary and subcommittee. You will work on a wide range of topics related to law and international affairs, some legal, others not. The committee's lawyers are influential in the political decisions of the members, however, the votes are made by the members, not the staff. Those who want to push their own agendas rather than those of a member may consider working with an NGO or a private company.
Those seeking more information should consult the Congressional Yellow Book and the Congress Board of Directors. Online information is also available about the work of the U.S. Congress, or you can contact representatives and senators. Working for a legislative or administrative body abroad is not ruled out and several HLS students have traveled abroad to work for foreign governments, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Government of the State of Koror for the Republic of Palau.
Many African countries desperately need good legislative and regulatory drafters who can help in their efforts towards regulatory reform. From one administration to the next, reflecting presidential management style, changing requirements and personal relationships. Although these positions tend to be highly competitive, it's worth running if your heart is determined to have policy experience at the highest levels of our national government. A Legal Career in the U.S.
Department of State can take many forms, including foreign service officer, foreign service specialist, civil service, local employment in the U.S. Department of State provides unique services in support of foreign policy in nearly 265 locations worldwide. Citizens interested in working in a foreign position who are not nationals of the host country must be legally eligible to work in the hiring country. In most cases, work and residence permits must be obtained before the application can be considered.
The most popular law firm is the Office of Legal Counsel, where approximately 175 permanent lawyers negotiate, draft and interpret international agreements and resolve international issues related to human rights, political and military affairs, foreign law and assistance, international disputes, trade, peace and security. The Office is organized into sections that roughly correspond to the various regional offices and offices of the Department of State and is divided into 23 sections, including the offices in The Hague and Geneva. Usually only 2 L is accepted for summer interns and only U, S. Citizens can be considered lawyer-advisors.
Approximately 12 interns are hired each summer. Learn more about the Office of General Counsel, including application deadlines, Summer Internship Program, Work Study Program (External), and Full-Time Employment. Due to the limited number of attorney positions available for summer internships and full-time positions in the Office of General Counsel, excellent opportunities can also be found in many other State Department offices and offices. As an example, last summer two HLS students worked in Riga, Latvia and Quito, Ecuador with the U.S.
Offices and offices with interesting legal work include the Office of Civil Rights, the Office of the Inspector General, Foreign Legislation and Assistance, Law Enforcement and Intelligence, Human Rights and Refugees, Counter-Terrorism and War Crimes Affairs, and the Office of Treaty Affairs. For example, the Office of War Crimes Affairs advises the Secretary of State directly in the U.S. Efforts to address serious violations of international humanitarian law committed anywhere in the world. Support for the creation of tribunals and other judicial mechanisms to bring to justice authors of international law.
The Office of Treaty Affairs advises on the law and procedure of treaties, including the drafting, negotiation, application, interpretation and publication of treaties and other international agreements of the United States,. Constitutional issues are also addressed, including the powers of the President and Congress. Interesting and challenging legal work can also be found in the various regional offices under the Assistant Secretary for Political Affairs or the Assistant Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs. For example, the Office of European and Eurasian Affairs promotes foreign policy and the United States,.
Interests in the region on issues such as national security, NATO expansion, coordination with the EU and support for democracy, human rights, economic prosperity, the war on terror and non-proliferation. For those who want to stay close to home during the summer and stay involved in international work, there are a surprising number of opportunities. One of the most common areas in which states participate internationally is international trade and foreign direct investment. Nearly all states, particularly those with substantial foreign direct investment and large multinational corporations, have a state agency that oversees international trade or international economic development, or can be managed by the state's Port Authority, which is often an agency independent who contracts directly with the airline industry.
The state agency may be funded in part by the federal government or serve as a sister agency to a larger federal agency. Most states have a government website that provides a list of international opportunities and organizations. State agencies with international investment and business development programs exist in many major cities, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. For example, in Massachusetts, the principal offices with responsibility for international trade and foreign direct investment are the Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI) and the Massachusetts Export Center within the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and the Port of Massachusetts Authority ( Massport).
The Massachusetts Export Center is used by small and large companies that are considering exporting to other countries. The Center offers many courses and programs relevant to international business, including offers on legal requirements for import and export. Massachusetts maintains representative offices in Brazil, China, Mexico and Berlin and has signed 15 trade and investment agreements with 15 countries. Other international state offices include the California Centers for International Trade Development; and Florida; the Empire State Development Corporation of New York; and the Ohio Department of Development.
State agencies also often have sister states or offices abroad where opportunities for international legal work may exist. Since September 11, in addition to trade and investment, there has been a proliferation of state Homeland Security offices involved in protecting lives from acts of terrorism. Alabama was the first state in the nation to create its own Department of Homeland Security legislatively enacted at the cabinet level. The department is staffed to reflect the U.S.
UU. and works closely with federal, state and local partners. A director and five deputy directors lead the department, each of whom manages a designated area of responsibility for national security, including borders, ports and transportation; science and technology; intelligence analysis and infrastructure protection; information management and budget; and emergency preparedness and response. To combat terrorism, New Jersey created the Office of Counter-Terrorism in 2002, led by a career professional in police intelligence and national security.
The office is a separate unit within the Department of Law and Public Safety and has all the powers conferred by the Criminal Justice Act. Works closely with law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, county and municipal levels and liaises with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Federal Yellow Book, available at most law school libraries and professional centers, also provides a comprehensive list of who's who in federal departments and agencies and is published quarterly. If both spouses are members of the Foreign Service, they will generally be jointly assigned to the same Ministry of Foreign Affairs or embassy throughout their careers, although such an agreement cannot always be guaranteed.
For those officials whose spouses are not members of the Foreign Service, life can be very stressful for their families and, according to a Foreign Service official, it is one of the main reasons officers resign from service. However, the Foreign Service provides many resources for families, including a family liaison office in D, C. And in positions all over the world. The Foreign Service community is quite large and it's easy to forge friendships with families in similar circumstances.
Barbara Finamore (HLS '80), who presented a narrative about working at an NGO, provides an excellent example of how a spouse made her husband's career in the Foreign Service work in his favor. The Department of State website includes frequently asked questions related to non-U.S. spouses. Embassies abroad, in contrast to the mission of foreign embassies and consulates in the Guide, include diplomacy and advancing foreign relations, as well as providing services for the millions of U.S.
Embassies and consulates located in six different regions of the world carry out this work in more than 251 countries. Although the role of a lawyer may vary from embassy to embassy, the overall mission remains the same. Adam Smith was fortunate to spend his summer of 1L working with U.S. Embassy in The Hague, which covers the city's public international legal institutions, such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
Typical citizen services provided by embassies include visa and immigration assistance, safety and security information, taxpayer assistance, U.S. Passports and voter registration by absentee ballot. All of these services, of course, raise legal issues and require an understanding of several international laws and procedures. Regardless of the type of work involved, the experience of living abroad and sharing in the important diplomatic mission established by the U.S.
The Department of State makes this an extremely exciting and challenging opportunity for a summer internship or graduate job. See Career Opportunities in the U.S. These programs can provide an information base on international topics that can be beneficial when studying international law in law school. International law is an interdisciplinary academic field for students who are interested in cross-border topics, such as international business and human rights.
There are a good number of lawyers in the Foreign Service, although most of the incoming officers seem to have experience in international affairs. The field of the international law career is not systematic at best and preparing to meet its demands is a challenge because there is no international law career to climb or a path to follow. In addition, being an international lawyer can give you the flexibility to seek full-time employment or more flexible contract work. Participating in the Jessup Moot Court competition, working for an international law journal and getting a summer position at an international law firm are other ways to expand credentials.
International government work can involve everything from advocating for a particular policy, to drafting and negotiating public international agreements, to representing the U. Often, these employers expect lawyers to practice other fields of law besides international law. As a general rule, a lawyer will acquire experience exclusively in domestic law until a client involved in an international project requires his or her domestic experience. M, should complement your legal education by providing a vision of the international legal world and exposing it to international work.
Degrees in international tax law or international economic law will better prepare you for careers in corporate law firms. . .
