r/eulaw • u/Naive_Future_6530 • Jul 29 '25
Becoming a lawyer with a LLB in international/european law?
I want to be a lawyer in the EU/potentially somewhere else like UK or maybe even US in the far future.
I don’t want to study in my home country (spain), for personal reasons. I have been advised to study a LLB in international/European law in the netherlands (Uni Groningen, Uni Maastricht). Anyone who has done these programmes or could help me to understand webether or not I could become a lawyer in any european/another country in the future, if it’s possible with a LLB in this topic?
Ofc i’m aware that I need to do further education, like LLM’s and passing bar exams, but I was just wondering if a LLB in international law could get me to a place where I could do this and practice as a lawyer in one of these countries. Thanks! :)
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u/Feredis Jul 30 '25
Seconding everything the other commenter said. Also, as someone who did the international LLB/LLM route, being employed in law firms on national level anywhere is really a game of luck and networking without a national degree/qualification. EU/international matters are quite specialised, and in my experience (few years back now, might not be the exact same anymore) its easier for the law firms to hire someone who can also deal with national law, as that is usually where their major income comes from. Of course, there are exceptions with big multinational firms, but there's also really heavy competition for those spots, so prepare accordingly.
So, I'm not saying don't do it, but I'm saying think it through. I dont regret what I did, but I'd be lying if I said figuring out my career and finding jobs were easy, and I had way less fallback plans than my peers who were also qualified in national law - for reference I work as a legal officer in the institutions and never qualified as an attorney (I'd need some serious extra studies to get my diploma recognised as equivalent to national one in order to access the bar exams, and for now its not needed so I'm not doing it).
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u/Naive_Future_6530 Jul 30 '25
Ahh okay, thanks so much for ur in depth answer. So I’m assuming it’s a lot harder to become a qualified lawyer in any country with a LLB in international/european law to begin with?
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u/Feredis Jul 30 '25
Depends on the jurisdiction, but I can almost certainly say yes, it's much harder.
I dont know what the requirements are in US or UK for example, but in Finland where I'm from in order to sit the bar exam you needed a Finnish master of laws degree (OTM), which I dont have. I could request our ministry of education to issue a decision of equivalence between my LLM and the OTM, but since I have no national law studies behind me, in reality they'd either refuse or tell me to complete X amount of courses/credits in Finnish law and come back. It can be up to 100 ECT, so bacially almost 2 extra years of full-time studying.
It's also worth considering that in some countries the bar exam is exclusively national law, which will make studying for it more difficult if you've only done international/EU law, since the logic isn't always the same (civil vs nordic vs common law systems etc) and neither EU or international law cover certain topics, or cover them on a very high level due to competencies (family, inheritance, criminal law etc).
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u/tunahancalkan 11d ago
Hi, I am a Turkish M&A lawyer in Turkish big law(former white&case) and I am planning to study European business law in Netherlands, I wonder that whether my previous M&A experience is useful pr somewhat benefits me to land a job in Brussels or NL? I know that I can register Belgium bar without any other requirement since I have qualified in Turkey.
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u/Naive_Future_6530 Jul 30 '25
Hey all! Do you recommend instead I get a LLB in national law in some country (say for example ireland at dublin, or another country in the EU) and then from there get a LLM in another country and qualify as a lawyer there? would that work? I just don’t want to be tied to the country where i’ve studied undergraduate my entire life.
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u/bskate123 Jul 30 '25
It depends very much on how each member state/country regulates its conditions for law practice (i mean full law practice including advice on national law and representing in court). In some jurisdictions you're allowed with an LLB and a qualification in another jurisdiction to "practice" as a foreign lawyer (separate treament in the national bar) but you're likely not allowed to advise on the national law of the host jurisdiction and can't go to its national courts.
In your example, if you do an LLB in Ireland, you will obviously be up to sit the bar exam and practice there. If you qualify there, you will likely be able to practice in other EUMSs but only on EU and international law and as the other redditor correctly said, you will be at a clear disadvantage. To fully practice in the other EUMS, it's all up to the national law that regulates law practice. In most cases it will mean something along the lines of taking up some form of additonal courses in national law and sit an exam in national law in that language.
If you do an LLB in Ireland and want to move to the UK to practice, it may be easier to qualify to full practice in the UK, but will still need additional courses and SQE. The disadvantage compared to UK LLB grads remains.
If you do LLB in one MS and want to qualify in another MS, some jurisdictions recognise the LLBs of other MSs right away, others require you to supplement with national courses if you want to sit the bar in a country other than the one you did the LLB in, it's not all clear.
You need may need to decide way beforehand which jurisdiction(s) you want to practice in and check the national rules for qualification. In all honesty, in our field, you're likely tied to the jurisdiction you first qualify in.
Obviously this is just when it comes to being a lawyer. You can still find jobs at international organisations, EU institutions etc and you don't need to qualify for those.
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u/Naive_Future_6530 Jul 30 '25
Hey! Thank you so much for your answer. Yeah, being disadvantaged would suck, but it is good news to hear that qualifying in ireland (which would take how many years btw? do i need a LLM as wel to sit for the bar?) will open doors to practice in other EUMS. I have no problem with taking additional courses in the UK or US or any EUMS to practice there, I do wonder how many years it would take though? I’m starting to see that I’m not a person fit to study law, since I really wouldn’t want to be tied to a single country for more than 11+ years living there.
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u/bskate123 Jul 30 '25
Not sure exactly how many years it would take but 5-6 years sounds reasonable to me. Can't say with certainty but i think the LLB is enough to allow you to sit the bar and qualify in Ireland.
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u/Naive_Future_6530 Jul 30 '25
As for the jurisdictions that immediately recognise the foreign LLB, is there a group of MS that do so? I’ve heard about origins of law coming from for example countries practicing Commonlaw, would it make it easier to move around then? I was very privileged to have learnt english and gone to a international school in my family and my parents want me to use this and live/study somewhere where I can do so (US, Canada, UK, etc;) The only problem is we can only afford my undergraduate to be in the EU (as EU fees apply). But I still want to become a lawyer in one of these countries in the future.
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u/bskate123 Jul 30 '25
No idea about the group of MSs which do. Eastern european countries will likely be more open to recognising foreign LLBs more easily, but each country has a minimum number of ECTS (usually 240/four years of study). But good luck studying national law in eastern european languages. Maybe ask chatgpt?
The problem with common law countries is that tuition fees for LLMs (which can open the way to qualification in some cases) are very high. So for US, Canada, even Australia and NZ you'll need scholarships.
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u/bskate123 Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
Here's my take. I did my LLB at an RG uni in the UK and my LLM in the Netherlands. Didn't get to practice in the UK but i'll say what i understand from experience/colleagues/peers.
First, US is pretty much out of the question if you're thinking about biglaw. US firms look obv at top US unis and maybe top UK unis. You could do an LLM at a top US uni and sit the bar exam in one of the easier states (i heard NY is not impossible). Costs are very high for such an LLM so you will need a scholarship (or have a very rich family).
Second, UK law firms also look at top RG unis. I've heard about several rejections from Dutch LLB grads at london firms, didn't really hear about offers. UK job market is highly highly competitive and a degree from a good Dutch university isn't necessarily an advantage since good students from oxbridge lse ucl kcl are also struggling to get jobs. An LLM from one of these unis may give you a few points but you will still need very strong grades and extra curriculars.
Third, if you're keen on having a degree from a good Dutch uni, LLBs taught in english are a decent gateway to big law firms in Brussels. The job market in Brussels is also very competitive, so you will need very strong grades, extra curriculars and some networking. All in all, Brussels is the most realistic with a Dutch LLB in eu/international law. Apart from the universities you mentioned, Coleurope and EUI are very well regarded for any type of EU law practice (public and private). You will still need to pass the bar exam and qualify under belgian law if you want to get into a law firm.
You're likely equally on the path to work in Brussels if you do a good LLB in Spain (may be easier to pass a Spanish bar), then do a strong LLM abroad (dutch/belgian/german top uni) and seek jobs in Brussels.
Best of luck!
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u/SuspiciousOnion2137 Aug 01 '25
I live in the US, and while the LLM does technically qualify you to sit the bar in NY, DC, and California this is not a widely known qualification path here. I have met a few people who have done this route who have some buyer’s remorse because they have found it difficult to get jobs afterward. Anyone with a foreign qualification who is interested in practicing law here is better off applying for an accelerated JD programme specifically for people with foreign law qualifications. These degrees are in two years instead of three, you can sit the bar in all states and territories, and your qualification will say JD which is the same as American lawyers have so everyone will understand it.
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u/bskate123 Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
Also, i think the trick is to qualify in at least one EU jurisdiction in order to practice anywhere else in the EU. I'm not sure how bar qualification is now recognised in the UK after brexit. I think you still need to do some form of law course (GDL or equivalent) and you will definitely need to sit the SQE which i've heard is a tough exam. As for US - LLM at US uni and bar exam to qualify.
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u/Detig Jul 30 '25
That is only partially true. You cannot practice the law of a jurisdiction you’re not qualified in.
You’re always at a disadvantage against local candidates who can do what you can plus the national law which is the bread and butter of any law firm. It’s a numbers game and your potential to bill hours upon recruitment is lower than a local candidate.
If you’re going down a niche route your options will be niche as well. How do I know this? Because I took the niche route.
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u/Naive_Future_6530 Jul 30 '25
Thank you both so much for your answers, i really appreciate it, and i’ll look into it! Yeah, that makes sense, may I ask what your niche route was?
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u/Detig Jul 30 '25
I qualified in one MS, worked in another as an European lawyer, did my PhD at a third, worked there in academia and am now doing the same on a fourth one.
At multiple stages in my career the “roads not travelled” were plenty, namely international organisations and more recently lobbying.
But moving around purely as a lawyer is difficult for the reasons I mentioned. You can always dual qualify but that means you’re at least a couple of years behind everyone else at your adopted country.
At larger law firms it may be possible to be posted at foreign offices but that is usually a temporary placement and more of a fringe benefit so to speak.
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u/Naive_Future_6530 Jul 30 '25
That’s so interesting! Can i ask what you mean by MS? So you got a national degree in law in a country, and then qualified in another country? Can i ask how this was for u and how hard the journey was
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u/Detig Jul 30 '25
Member State. No, I did my law degree and qualified in the same Member State. Moved abroad only after qualifiying as a lawyer.
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u/Naive_Future_6530 Jul 30 '25
Ahh, okay. Can I ask, how long it took you to get qualified in that country, and how hard it was for u to get qualified in another country?
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u/Detig Jul 30 '25
I didn’t qualify in a second country. I worked as an European lawyer in my second country, that is relying in the qualification as a lawyer in my original Member State (aka home title).
Qualification is left to the national or regional bars so you need to check what each requires for you to be fully qualified there.
What doesn’t exist is a formal full recognition of qualification across the EU allowing to practice law unimpended anywhere.
Another alternative I have not mentioned is working as in house lawyer/GC. In that context and in the right company you may find it easier to work even while not being qualified in that member State. But everyone I know that went down that route started working in their home member state first.
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u/tunahancalkan 11d ago
Hi, I am a Turkish M&A lawyer in Turkish big law(former white&case) and I am planning to study European business law in Netherlands, I wonder that whether my previous M&A experience is useful pr somewhat benefits me to land a job in Brussels or NL? I know that I can register Belgium bar without any other requirement since I have qualified in Turkey.
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u/KuiperNomad Jul 30 '25
Two quick points.
If you want international law language skills are likely to be a major differentiator. English and Spanish is a start but something like Chinese, Arabic or Japanese is likely to be wanted.
Are you aware that in the UK, passing the bar is not necessary- you could qualify as a solicitor instead. They aren’t just family law - I have known some VERY capable solicitors.