While it might seem easier to have a clear career path, that simply isn’t realistic. A small example:
When I worked in Jakarta, I ended up doing all sorts of different work including
some oil and gas
law. This wasn’t something I had planned for but I was able to use this experience to get a job with
the UN mission in East Timor negotiating a treaty involving offshore petroleum rights and maritime
boundaries. My Indonesian law and oil and gas experience were critical in getting this job. This
wasn’t part of any plan but had a huge and very positive impact on my career.
It’s also important to be willing to take risks. There are some really great international jobs out there
but many of them are off the beaten path. While most of these won’t give you
the security of a job at
a firm (assuming that still exists!) or the long-term prospect of a government pension, you may just
find them more interesting and more fulfilling.
If you’re starting out in your career, you will need to figure out what to do about articling.
Many law
graduates have the mistaken idea that you should first article with a firm and then figure out what
you want to do. While this is clearly an option, there are downsides to this approach – particularly if
you have no intention of staying. Also, there are other options. You can create your own articling
position. I’ve met a number of enterprising graduates that approached lawyers working at
organizations that they liked and successfully pitched the idea of articling for them.
The good news is that law societies are becoming much more flexible when it comes to “alternative
articles” You could also get called in another jurisdiction that doesn’t require articling. For example,
you could get called to the New York Bar and then go abroad (this is what I did when I graduated).
You can also delay getting your call. I know one law graduate who found
a really interesting job in
Afghanistan that included law reform work and did this for a few years before coming back to
Canada to article. My point is simply that you should consider all of the available options and then
figure out what makes sense for you.
In terms of looking
at the road less traveled, you should also consider jobs they don’t have the words
‘legal’ or ‘counsel’ in their titles. For example, organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, the
Asia Foundation, and the National Democratic Institute all have rule of law and
governance
programs. Many of these jobs aren’t classified as “law” jobs, but would give you great experience
and would be an entry point into the world of international organizations. Also, look at jobs with
think-tanks and with smaller non-governmental organizations.
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