6 networking tips for landing a job in international law

Want to practice in international law? It’s not easy to land a job, but here are the essential networking tips to help you reach that goal.

Every year, thousands of students enter law school with the hope of someday practicing international law. It’s one of the most popular practice areas among both U.S. students and foreign attorneys studying in the U.S.

And law schools do their best to meet the demand. Of the 199 law schools approved by the American Bar Association, 135 offer a J.D. concentration in international law and 99 offer graduate programs that cover some aspect of international law.

But truth be told, few attorneys land a job exclusively in international law, and even fewer — 1.3% — get work overseas right after graduation.

That doesn’t mean that thousands of students are headed down the wrong path. It just means that international law is complex.

“You may see jobs out there that don’t jump out to you as international law, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get to do it,” said Wes Rist, deputy executive director of the American Society of International Law. “It’s exceptionally rare that 100% of the job is solely international law.”

Rist knows what he’s talking about. His organization has 4,000 members around the globe, about 60% of them in the U.S. The nonprofit provides members with numerous opportunities to network and collaborate.

“Networking is critical,” he said.

The top reason people don’t end up with international law jobs is that they stop trying, Rist said.

“It is rare that the first job out of law school is an international law job,” he said. “Don’t be discouraged; make sure to still find ways to be involved in what you love.”

So how do you network in a field that is so spread out and diverse? Here are six tips for landing a job in international law.

1.Join LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great place to network. Every LL.M. student and graduate should have a LinkedIn account.

“I keep telling students to publish and push it on LinkedIn,” said Charles Kotuby Jr., a professor and executive director of the Center for International Legal Education at University of Pittsburgh School of Law. “That’s as effective as going to a cocktail party.”

“I keep telling students to publish and push it on LinkedIn. That’s as effective as going to a cocktail party.” — Charles Kotuby Jr., professor and executive director of the Center for International Legal Education, University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Make sure to use a compelling headline — not just “LL.M. Candidate at XYZ School of Law” or “Attorney” or “Lawyer.” Your LinkedIn headline is an opportunity to attract attention. Give your profile an individual touch that will draw in readers. That is the purpose of a headline.

Also, include a compelling summary. Many users only read the headline and skim the summary. If you haven’t hooked the reader by that point, they won’t bother reading the rest of your profile.

Your profile picture? Make it simple; make it professional.

LinkedIn reports that users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive job offers, new clients, new connections and more.

For your profile to be complete, it must include a professional profile picture, experience, skills, summary, industry, location, education and at least 50 connections.

2.Attend events and job fairs

Not every law school sponsors or participates in networking events and job fairs. If your law school is not participating in a job fair that focuses on your area of interest, ask about other career assistance opportunities for students.

Céline Schmid, a corporate mergers & acquisitions attorney with Schellenberg Wittmer in Switzerland, received her LL.M. from University of San Diego School of Law. The school hosted several networking events for students, but she said the most valuable one for her was the International Student Interview Program, which is hosted by New York University School of Law every year. This is where she met her new employer, for whom she will start work in November.

The International Student Interview Program is sponsored by 33 U.S. law schools. It has given more than 1,600 LL.M. candidates from more than 75 countries the opportunity to interview for internships and permanent positions in the U.S. and abroad. The program attracts more than 160 legal employers from around the world.

Most firms that participate in the program are recruiting for their offices abroad, so if you’re looking for a position outside the U.S., it could be an important resource for you.

UCLA School of Law’s LL.M. Interview Program is another option. It draws employers interested in hiring internationally trained lawyers who are currently enrolled in LL.M. programs. The fair is hosted by UCLA with 18 additional law schools participating.

3.Engage with alumni

Margareth Etienne, associate dean for graduate and international programs at University of Illinois College of Law, said prospective students should look at how old the school’s LL.M. program is.

“You really want alumni,” she said. “The real look is at the foreign alumni. I would ask how many international alumni a school has. It’s easy to underestimate the value of the alums in various places.”

Rist said students should not overdo it when it comes to networking.

“The biggest mistake I see is students try to network with everyone,” she said. “Be picky about your networking. Pick the person to create a professional relationship with.”

4.Stay connected through organizations

University of Pittsburg’s Kotuby said it’s easy to get lost in all the acronyms of international law.

“There are a lot of membership organizations that say they are the best,” he said. “ASIL is a good one. From there, it depends on the type of international law you want to practice.”

Schmid said the most important aspect is to stay connected with lawyers from other countries and participate in international communities, such as the International Association of Young Lawyers.

5.Get published and share

So, you don’t care for small talk and cocktail receptions? Writing is another great way to interact. And don’t forget to share it on LinkedIn.

Law journals are the most difficult means by which to get published. They are also very competitive. Consider publishing through bar and trade associations, both big and small. Bar associations are often happy to receive content from their members for their various publications.

Keep an eye on committee communications. (Hopefully you are a member of a committee somewhere.) Or better yet, let your committee know you would like to write something for its newsletter, said Desiree Jaeger-Fine, author of “A Short & Happy Guide to Networking.”

“Even if you do not have a topic yet, many committees are happy to brainstorm with you,” she said. “And yes, students can write and submit. You do not, and you should not, wait until after you graduate.”

There are also legal blogs, personal blogs and self-publishing options.

No matter what you write or where you publish, your topic should always be of interest to readers in the U.S., Fine said.

6.Participate in internships, externships and fellowships

Denise Chisveto is from Zimbabwe and an LL.M. student at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She started the school’s World Trade Law LL.M. program online in Spring 2021, then came to the U.S. to study a few months later. She is graduating this December and plans to work in the U.S. as an international trade lawyer.

What attracted her to the program was the professor’s expertise and knowledge, and the fact that it offers an externship with the World Trade Center.

“An education in the U.S. is recognized all over the world,” Chisveto said.

She said her professor has been instrumental in helping her learn how to network in the U.S.

“I’ve been doing a lot of networking through externships and pro bono work,” she said. “I know it can be intimidating at first. Coming from other parts of the world, we are not used to it. But networking is how things work. It gets easier.”

THE MORE YOU KNOW

WHO’S HIRING

Wes Rist, deputy executive director for the American Society of International Law, said most lawyers who work in international law actually specialize in other areas.

“You would need to be working at a highly specialized practice or boutique firm to just practice international law,” he said.

In your job search, do not assume that a job doesn’t have anything do to with international law if international law doesn’t appear in the title.

Rist advises students to start early, searching job descriptions for jobs they are interested in.

“Look at 40 job descriptions,” he said. “If 35 say ‘need litigation experience,’ then you should for sure get that experience in law school. The right choice for you can be told by your employers if you’re willing to put in the work.”

Energy regulation and cybersecurity are two areas of law that are experiencing huge growth on the international level. The need for lawyers to address these issues is significant, Rist said. And while firms used to hire outside council, they are now expecting in-house experts to do the work.

What makes a good candidate differs between the private side and the public side of international law.

Charles Kotuby Jr., a professor and executive director of the Center for International Legal Education at University of Pittsburgh School of Law, spent 20 years in private practice practicing international law before joining the Pitt Law faculty last year. He said the best way to look for a job in international law differs depending on your goal.

For a job in the private sector, he advises following global issues and identifying needs.

“International arbitration is where it’s at. It’s the most in demand and will continue to grow.” — Charles Kotuby Jr.

“International arbitration is where it’s at,” he said. “It’s the most in demand and will continue to grow.”

Landing a job may be a harder lift for those who want to practice in more public areas, such as human rights.

“The traditional employers are governments,” he said. “After that, it’s academia. And a S.J.D. (doctorate of juridical science) can be critical to the foreign student.”

This story originally ran in the Fall 2022 issue of The National Jurist magazine.