boniobonio

Hey there,

My husband has just been offered an intra-company transfer to live and work in California. He'd be on an L-1 visa, so I'd consequently have an L-2 visa.

At present I work as a senior employment lawyer for one of the big banks in London, i'm 7 years qualified and enjoy a decent salary and benefits. I, of course, understand that I would have to pass the Californian bar in order to practice law there. My main concern is that my relatively specific UK employment law experience would not be valued by a US firm regardless of the close similarities.

Was wondering if anyone had any insight or experience here? Or could offer advice on any firms that might have a use for somebody with transatlantic employment/labor law experience?

All comments much appreciated.
Thanks!
T

Bob

Have a search, there's been a few threads over the years from lawyers moving countries, mostly CA/NY.

Don't know if CA is one of the states that'll let you just take the bar exam or not though, didn't think it was.

Good luck though!

Speedwell

boniobonio, I live in Houston, and there are lots of people here from the UK who came over as expats on visas or through work, and there are always UK citizens here who are on temporary work visas of one sort or another. There are also a good many people like me who are US citizens trying to find a job in the UK for various reasons (in my case, I married a UK citizen and he is now here, but we want to go back eventually because we have no family here and we badly miss his family there). I'm sure there is a need for you here and you may want to talk to some of the larger Houston firms, especially ones that handle immigrant cases.

Ozzidoc

However the OP would need a license to practice in the US (ie one or more US states) before she could legally undertake such work.

I think the issue is not so much if she could obtain employment, but the steps required to do so.

mikec81

I had almost the same experience as you. My wife was offered a job in California, and I was a qualified solicitor in the UK at the time. Long story short, we moved here in 2007 with a plan to return in a year or so. After three years and a realization we were going to stay for good, I took the bar exam, passed and got a job with a firm here.

That said, the whole process is not easy. You have to get a certificate of good standing from the Law Society, submit your application to take the bar exam, and then actually take the exam. The only realistic way to think about passing the exam is by taking a bar review course, which costs around $5000 and is a big time commitment. For me it has definitely been worth it, but the whole qualification process is quite intense.

In terms of finding a job, it will depend on your expectations and where you will be located. I have found there is a willingness to consider your UK experience, although you will not be compensated accordingly, i.e. you will likely be considered a "first year associate". The employment law market is actually pretty good in most CA cities right now, so that is in your favor.

If you have any specific questions, let me know.