Defining your specialism before targeting a foreign employer
Contract law, compliance, data protection, employment law, intellectual property, corporate transactions: a foreign employer rarely hires a generalist lawyer with no focus. Identify the two or three areas where your experience is strongest and describe them in plain terms. A precise application is easier to read than a long list of legal skills.
For each area, prepare an example of a matter you handled: the nature of the dispute or transaction, the people involved, your role and the outcome. Name no client and cite no protected document. This shows that you can explain a complex legal situation without breaching professional privilege or your former employer’s confidentiality.
Jurisdictions practised: say what you truly know
A foreign recruiter reads your CV to find out under which law you have worked. Specify the legal systems you really practise: national law, European law, contracts governed by foreign law, international arbitration. General familiarity with a common law system gained at university should not be presented as practitioner experience.
This honesty protects your career too. International companies often leave local law to outside counsel and expect the in-house lawyer to ask the right questions, coordinate advice and turn a risk into a decision. Knowing where your competence ends is an asset, not an admission of weakness.
- The law governing the matters you handled
- Language of the contracts and correspondence
- Your exact role in negotiations
- Use of external counsel
Local qualifications and rules on practising: check role by role
Depending on the country, an in-house lawyer may practise without any particular registration or, on the contrary, may have to meet the rules of a regulated profession for certain tasks. The difference between in-house counsel and an attorney, the ability to sign legal opinions or to represent the company before a court, varies a great deal. Assume nothing.
Ask the employer whether the role requires a local title, a recognised equivalent degree or registration with a professional body. Then question the authority or bar association of the country concerned. Keep the answers in writing, especially if they confirm that your post is an internal advisory role and not work as an attorney.
What is handled in-house and what goes to local law firms
A useful interview question: which decisions are taken by the company’s legal team and which are passed to local firms? The answer describes the true scope of the job. In a subsidiary, the lawyer may handle routine contracts and pass sensitive matters up to head office; in a small group, they may be the executive’s only legal contact.
Also ask how outside advisers are chosen and managed, who approves budgets and how opinions are formalised. You will learn whether you would be a decision-maker, a coordinator or an executor. For a foreign candidate, this prevents accepting a post whose scope does not match what was described during recruitment.
Contract language, legal English and terminology
The language of the contract may differ from the language of the office. A lawyer often reads and negotiates in English, but some local documents, such as corporate records, leases or dealings with the authorities, are drafted in the country’s language. Ask how much of the work is done in the local language and whether translation support is available.
Prepare your legal English with concrete examples: limitation of liability clauses, confidentiality, warranties, dispute resolution. Watch out for false friends between your own language and legal English, which can mislead. If you have drafted clauses or taken part in negotiations in English, mention it with specific cases, without naming confidential contracts.
Making a legal risk clear to a sales manager
An in-house counsel interview often includes an oral case study. You may be asked how you would react if a sales director wants to sign a contract quickly despite a risk. A good answer starts by understanding what is at stake, sets out the risk in terms of impact and likelihood, offers alternatives, then states what you recommend.
Avoid jargon and purely negative answers. A company expects its lawyer to help it decide, not to block everything as a rule. Practise summarising a point of law in three sentences for someone with no legal training, then saying what needs to be checked before signing.
Types of employer: groups, firms and mid-sized companies
The legal departments of large groups have specialised teams and established procedures. Alternative legal service providers such as Axiom place lawyers on assignments with their clients. Specialist recruitment firms, including Hays, advertise legal roles in different markets. Industrial or consumer companies such as L’Oréal also hire for their subsidiaries.
Each type of employer offers a different setting: deep specialisation in a large group, versatility in a mid-sized business, variety of assignments at a provider. Compare what each model teaches you and what it asks of you in availability, travel and responsibility. Weigh your long-term plans before choosing.
Contract, residence and the first months: points to check
Before accepting, check which entity employs you, the place of work, the pay, the length of the probation period, the confidentiality clause and any non-compete obligations. Ask how your liability would be treated in the event of a mistake and whether the company covers its lawyers with appropriate insurance.
On residence, confirm your right to work for your nationality with the country’s authority, and ask what the employer will take on. Allow a realistic timetable for the formalities and the move, with a margin in case a degree recognition or professional registration forms part of the process.
Frequently asked questions
Can a lawyer qualified at home work as in-house counsel abroad without requalifying?
It depends on the country and the duties. In many companies an internal advisory role does not require attorney status, but some activities remain reserved. Ask the employer, then the local professional authority, and get in writing what your post allows.
Do I need good legal English for an international role?
Often yes, especially for cross-border contracts and exchanges with head office. Prepare specific examples of clauses or negotiations conducted in English. If the post is in a non-English-speaking country, also ask how much work is done in the local language.
Can I mention my former cases on my CV?
Describe the nature of the matters and your role without naming clients, amounts or confidential documents. Professional privilege and your former employer’s clauses still apply. If in doubt, stay general and explain verbally what you are permitted to say.
What questions should I ask a prospective legal employer?
Ask which matters are handled in-house, which go to outside counsel, who signs off your advice and how the team is organised. Also ask about the working language, the level of autonomy and management’s expectations. These answers reveal what the job is really like.