uklawyer

Hello All

I have a specific question about legal recruitment in New York. For background, I will be moving to New York as a spouse of a Lawful Permanent Resident, I am several years qualified in the UK and I will have (in theory) passed the NY Bar by the time I move out there.

I have been informed that whereas in the UK legal recruitment agenies are large companies with contacts at every firm, in the US the recruitment consultants are generally 1 or 2 people with specific contacts. I have been advised that I would be better to approach firms directly. Does anyone have any experience/opinions on this?

I would particularly be interested in hearing from anyone who has done this (transferred as a UK qualified lawyer to NY as a US lawyer) or anyone involved in recruitment in NY. However all opinions/experiences are welcome.

Many thanks. You do seem like a helpful bunch from my detailed reading of almost every post with the words "new york" and "law" in them!

UKL

BritishGuy36

Well the term is LEGAL permanent resident, and as you didn't know that I'm guessing that you haven't looked into the visa side of things.

You cannot just move here - you need a visa to live and work in the US. You may have this, but as you don't say, we don't know. You appear to be looking to find a company to sponsor you. In such circumstances, to say you 'will be moving to New York' is very presumptuous at this point.

This requirement must be satisfied first, otherwise everything else is moot.

uklawyer

I will forgive your chippiness as exasperation at those who have not actually done proper research if you forgive my lawful/legal typo.

I have looked into the visa side of things and it is not an issue. My partner is moving over with his company and has one of the visas which entitles your spouse to move with you and work over there. I won't dare write down the visa number I think it is from memory for fear of more vitriolic recimination.

BritishGuy36, thank you for taking the time to write, but if you don't have anything helpful to add, please add nothing. (Now who's chippy, eh?!)

chartreuse

You see, this is why pedantry is often a bad idea. The term actually is Lawful Permanent Resident.

Don't feel bad. We've all done it.

uklawyer

Thank you Chartreuse for your more understanding reply!

penguinsix

Hi

Folks here are pretty specific and exacting when it comes to the visa requirements because they have been through the painful and time consuming process with USICS themselves and know that it's not something easily glossed over. We also get all sorts of sods come on the site and say 'I'm a stay at home mom and my husband is a hair dresser, what visa will let us live in Florida" which gets a bit annoying day after day. That your spouse is an LPR is great, and should make things easier, but by the same token, don't expect it to be as simple as just showing up in the airport. It's quite a pain and is not a guarantee of admission into the US to live and work.

Now, as for the core of your question, you've picked probably the worst time in the last decade to come to New York as an attorney, sorry to say. Law firms, even more so than the financial industry, have really taken it on the chin with a massive purge of attorneys in February, and a Summer of reduced salaries and elimination of new intakes next year out of law school. It's really quite rough.

Headhunters in NY are not really shopping you around as much as they are shopping for the firms they have contacts with. There are some larger placement groups, like BCG that have relationships with many firms, but you don't necessarily get the same one-on-one connection as the small placement shops might have with a friend who works at a firm. My advice would actually be to hit any possible option you can--large placement shop, small boutique firm, or directly with the firm itself. However, if you do find a specific job advertised on the firm's website AND with a headhunter, you might pause and consider who would be better to use. Apply direct to the firm and save the firm $50,000 in placement fees, or apply through the headhunter and get someone to advocate your application. In this time of economic uncertainty my advice would be to go through the firm, but your mileage may vary.

Foreign trained lawyers are quite common in NY given the bar requirements that allow for non-JD educated attorneys to sit for the bar, but in some firms they are still looked at a bit sideways. "Break glass in case of deal involving country X" should be put on the doors to their offices, some of them would say as they often do not get asked to be involved with domestic US cases but are used only when there is something related to their home country. The partnership track for foreign lawyers is a rough one.

Check out theladders.com and lawjobs.com for more listings. Goinhouse.com is good for inhouse legal jobs, jobs.acca.com as that will find you some other inhouse opportunities.

Is there a particular practice area you specialize in? IP is always hiring, but corporate/finance/business is going to be really rough right now.

Good luck.

uklawyer

Penguin, that is really useful information, thanks. I have had a brief look at the websites and they look helpful. I will investigate in more detail tonight.

In answer to your question, my field of specialisation is (depressingly) finance. Taking a step down at this early stage in my career is not going to bother me, nor is a salary cut if either or both will help my move.

I think you're probably exactly right in that I will just have to pursue every avenue. You've given me a bit of clarity as to the recruitment industry in NY, which is also useful.

Thanks again.
UKL

PS totally appreciate people here must get exasperated by the I'm-a-hairdresser-in-Essex-what-do-I-need-to-move-to-Florida? threads! Apologies if I came off like that but I am in fact very serious. I know there are hoops I am going to have to jump through (for want of better terminology and a massive understatement, I know) before I come but I will have help from OH's company.

Duncan Roberts

In your situation you would have better luck finding a job as a hairdresser than you will as a lawyer who specializes in finance. Maybe somebody can correct me but I was under the impression that petitioning a spouse of a lawful permanent resident takes around 5 years to process.

uklawyer

Duncan Roberts - I have probably got the terminology etc wrong again. I am in the early stages of it.

Please, everybody, stop being so pedantic. I have come on here for genuine advice on a specific question. I have assistance regarding visas etc already and that is not the purpose of my post. There have been some genuinely helpful replies so thank you to those people.

Duncan Roberts

If you are married and your spouse is a lawful permanent resident then I believe that puts you in category 2A for visa processing which takes about 5 years. It's not being pedantic because if it really will take you about 5 years to get the right paperwork to move here then the answer to your question will be very different compared to moving here in the next few months.

Noorah101

Forgive me for questioning the visa issue right after you said not to....but...

The two above quotes are totally different visas. The first one is an Immigrant Visa (as the spouse of an LPR, which you say your husband is), which allows you to become a PR right away upon entry to the USA, with permission to work in the USA from Day 1. Since you did your research, you know that the wife of an LPR does not have a visa number immediately available to you, but perhaps he's filed the I-130 for you years ago and now your case is current.

The second one is the dependent spouse of an L visa, which means your husband is not an LPR and has not filed for an Immigrant Visa for you, as you describe in your first quote. With an L-2 visa, which you'll have, you'll need to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) before you'll be eligible to work in the USA.

Rene

uklawyer

Rene

Thank you for taking the time to post.

I think it's going to be a L2 + EAD visa. I have read so much about this over the last couple of days I am getting them all confused.

Like I said, early stages, and I have plenty of help from OH's company.

My post is regarding legal recruitment and how it works over there, not visa issues.

Any helpful insights are welcome. Anything relating to visas now, is not. Thank you for good intentions though.

meauxna

I appreciate the declaration, and now that you've stated it's an L visa that should be settled. However, people aren't going to post back lengthy descriptions just the way you want until they know you have a legitimate route in. That's just the way of this board.

Welcome to BE!

BritishGuy36

I wouldn't have given the response I did if you had provided what should have been the first information in your post, in said post.

99% of folks who want to immigrate don't even have a shot, as they will never get a visa. That you already have that sorted is extremely relevant information which you could/should have provided up front.

Those of us who frequent the forums regularly get tired sometimes due to people thinking it's a snap to move to the USA, hence the sometimes less than helpful initial posts. Had you provided the above info, then my response would have been different. As Meauxna says, why bother with responses to your question, if it's moot. We didn't know that it wasn't moot. Do you see now?

However, I will now leave the thread and make way for responses from less 'chippy' individuals.

Jerseygirl

The OP confused us in the opening post by saying 'I will be moving to New York as a spouse of a Lawful Permanent Resident'...when he isn't a LPR. Oh well we now know he's applying for a L1 visa.