If you obtained a qualification abroad, you can be recognised for all qualifications, including as a lawyer. You may need to make a decision on the recognition of your qualification after an assessment of the skills and abilities provided by your foreign qualification. In particular, if you wish to practise as a lawyer in Finland, you will need a decision on the recognition of your qualification by the Finnish National Agency for Education or another competent authority. Apart from the significant language barriers, Finland is an excellent choice for legal expats. As you may have noticed, the Bologna Process is similar to the common law system. The comparison of the value of degrees has been possible since the introduction of an egalitarian academic system. This is no coincidence. The idea behind the introduction of the Bologna Process is, in fact, to facilitate the recognition of other European diplomas in order to facilitate travel between countries and work in another European country as a European citizen. The pleasant side effect of this development is that the “Bologna circles” have been able to establish or relax the procedures for the recognition of foreign diplomas. This means that recognition of an Indian academic degree is possible in countries that have adopted the Bachelor-Master structure. The European countries that have partially or fully adopted the Bachelor-Master structure for legal degrees are Finland, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Cyprus, Italy, Switzerland and Spain.
Lawyers are no exception. They, too, would not think twice if they were given the opportunity to live and work in a European country, at least for a while. For lawyers, however, expat life seems to be harder to maintain than for people in other professions. At least, that`s what is initially assumed. Brexit has not made things any easier. England was a rather stress-free entry into Europe for Indian lawyers, thanks to a similar legal system. However, with Brexit, English recognition of your academic certifications will likely keep you in England and deprive you of the same freedom of movement in Europe as before. However, living in other European countries is not impossible. On the contrary, it might even be easier than you thought.
If you are able to tick all the administrative boxes and learn a lot about the local culture and language, your European employment rate will skyrocket. What for? In Europe, there is a high demand for Indian lawyers due to the increase in financial market activity in India. Working abroad is a dream of many people for obvious reasons. Expat life offers a variety of benefits that you will cherish for the rest of your life. As an Indian lawyer advocating for Europe, it would most often be interesting to advise companies and individuals on Indian law and the interest for them to choose India as a potential investment location. But be aware that local titles of lawyers may signify a different field of activity. For example, in Europe, “lawyer” is usually a person who studies legal subjects; You don`t have to graduate from law school and get the official papers to call yourself a lawyer. This will only be tolerated until the legal advice you give to individuals does not represent a client as a lawyer. In the United Kingdom, however, a “lawyer” is someone who, although not a lawyer, helps support a lawyer`s cause, calls himself a “paralegal”.
Therefore, it is advisable to thoroughly research local legal titles and then choose your title and field of activity. In recent years, the rise of the global industrial and service sector has created a wave of awareness of the importance of legal intervention in the commercial/industrial world to stem the explosion of the supply and demand chain. How do law and economics relate to, you might ask? There are guidelines for trade and international relations, but if you think more closely, you will find that the application of appropriate laws is important to prevent financial problems such as credit defaults, scandals, fraud, etc. Moreover, if these problems exist between two nations, legal experts from both sides must work together to resolve the issue without further losses. Now that you have the degrees, knowledge, and confidence to show them what you`re worth, it`s time to start working. It is best to apply for a legal position in a large law firm or a consulting firm with an Indian office. Think of Ernst & Youngs or Deloitte in this world with offices all over Europe. Another option would be to work for a local boutique company specializing in Indian trade.
Working in internal roles is a bit more difficult. Companies heavily involved in the Indian market often already have Indian subsidiaries with local Indian consultants. Companies that are not present in India hire law firms with an India Desk, which guarantees the expertise of their lawyer. Although it makes it harder to become an India-oriented lawyer in a European company, it`s worth a try. Legal freelancing is almost certainly off the board due to visa issues. Therefore, it is better to start writing applications. Before you do this, I encourage you to educate yourself about the do`s and don`ts when applying for a job in the country of your choice due to cultural differences within Europe. For example, while some countries are supposed to post a photo of yourself on your resume, in others it`s frowned upon. All law candidates and lawyers had a common interest during his age of apprenticeship and work; Most of them wanted to practice in Europe, with the wealth of opportunities it offers as a place that produced two of the greatest empires of Rome and Britain, both responsible for the development of the two dominant legal systems of civil and customary law. There are still countries that follow their classical education system, such as Germany. If you have decided to pursue your legal career there, you will need to study at the universities there if you have already completed your studies in India.
Remember that in a market where every person wants to get the same job, only those who don`t give potential employers a reason to eliminate them succeed in conquering the seat.