Scope for Indian lawyers in Europe

October 9, 2020

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This article has been written by Diya Banerjee, from Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA. This article explores the scope Indian lawyers have for practising in Europe and the areas of interest they would find open for such opportunities and their top recruiters.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Every law aspirant and lawyer have had one common interest during their age of learning and working; wanting to practice law abroad, most of them desiring to practice in Europe, with the abundance of opportunities it presents as that place which gave birth to two of the biggest empires of Rome and Britain, both responsible for the development of the two dominant legal systems of the civil and common law.

In recent years, the boom in the global industrial sector and services sector have created a wave of awareness of the importance of legal intervention in the commercial/industrial world to contain the skyrocketing chain of supply and demand. How is law and economy-related you may ask? There are policies on international trade and relations, but if you think harder, you will see that to prevent financial problems like credit defaults, scandals, fraud, etc. application of appropriate law is of importance. More so, when these problems are between two nations, legal experts from both sides have to work with each other to settle the matter with no further losses.

In simpler words, liberalization, privatization and globalization have enhanced the need for involvement of international experts in the field of law and policies, opening a myriad of career scope in foreign countries.

Areas of practice

As an Indian lawyer trying for Europe, the most common point of interest would be to consult companies and individuals on Indian law and how beneficial it is for them to settle for India as a potential site of investment. But be aware, the local titles of legal professionals might mean a different area of practice. For example, in Europe, on a general basis, ‘jurist’ is a person who studies law topics; no need for getting a degree from a law college and getting the official papers to call yourself a jurist. This is only tolerated until the legal advice you give individuals is not as a lawyer representing a client. However, in the United Kingdom, a ‘jurist’ is someone who although a non-lawyer but by helping to support a lawyer’s case, qualifies as a ‘paralegal’. Thus, it is advised to do thorough research on the local legal titles and then choose your title and area of practice.

This is the time where all the countries are focusing on developing their technology, business and economy. All these demand improvisations of the legal policies as well. Fortunately, it has widened the scope of Indian lawyers who can now go on to specialise in certain fields of both the Indian law as well as laws relative to the foreign country.

Merger & acquisition: in recent years, plenty of mergers between domestic and international ventures has brought this area to the light.
Financial and Banking laws and taxation: income and the tax to be deducted from it and the cases of frauds is high in this area. If one wants to experience legal proceedings of typical nature, this is a recommended field of interest.
Public and Administrative laws: this is that one field of law that would never go out of fashion as a subject of specialization.
Construction and Real Estate laws: in India, Real Estate laws are yet to come out the infant stage but it is already one of the most colourful fields in Europe.
Technology laws: this would become a hot area of practice once Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes a dominant market factor.
Arbitration and Dispute Resolution: resolution through arbitration and ADR will always be one of the most favoured ways to go for commercial disputes
Employment laws: one does not need any explanation why this is considered as the up and coming fields of expansion of legal jurisdiction.
Company and Corporate laws: most of the lawyers who are practising outside their home country take up Company and Corporate law because of its huge scope of indulging in cross-border laws if the deal is with a corporate entity outside the present residence of the lawyer.
Insolvency and liquidation laws: this field is more or less all about the procedure of winding up of a company and the problem of bankruptcy and insolvency which always seems to delay the procedure.
Intellectual Property Rights: patents, copyright and goodwill disputes have always been an interesting subject especially in regards to purchase agreements involving foreign elements.

Most of these areas of practice are interrelated and available for practice under the one roof of a law firm. Probably the most areas which are going to attract more job opportunities are the ones dealing with Corporate, Finance, IPR and Employment. This is because not only are they the need of the hour, there will come a time when privatisation would turn the entire economic picture around. That would lead to a much more competitive market but a lesser guarantee of job security. It would be a relief if either you have already thought about where and what you want to do or you are already specializing in these fields. If not, plan it beforehand to prevent last-minute panic.

Required criteria and expertise

We all know about Brexit, right? With the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the movement of lawyers even with full qualifications might restrain their free movement from the UK to other European countries. But don’t lose hope, it is not impossible for Indian lawyers to practice in European countries. The guidelines of the European Union states that if the trade relations between the non-EU national’s home country and the EU are good and friendly, they will be allowed some freedom of movement, with few limitations which are solely meant to protect the benefits and interests of EU nationals.

India is a country which follows the common law system. Therefore, it is advised that for Indians who completed their education in law in India, they should apply for a career in the countries which follow the Bologna System of education, that recognizes the educational qualifications one has acquired in India and can apply for jobs through their merit. The countries which follow this Bachelor-Master system are the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Norway, Cyprus, Sweden and Denmark, along with a few others.

There are still countries which follow their Classic System of education, like in Germany. If you have decided to pursue your legal career there, you would have to go study in the universities there, again if you have already completed your education in India.

After researching this question of working as a legal professional in Europe, I have realized that there are some countries you might want to avoid and some countries which are perfect for you if you have already completed your education in India.

Other than that, it is always better to get your employer to sponsor your career jump-start if you do get into countries where the market is competitive; but make sure that you meet the conditions- that you must hold a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree with a minimum of five years of work experience.

Top recruiters

Have you ever thought why even after so many years and the falling economy of the United Kingdom, London still remains the favourite city for people seeking jobs, especially in the fields of medicine and law? The answer is really simple; London not only has some of the best schools and universities in these two fields, but it also continues to provide equally lucrative employment opportunities. Take a look at the enlisted cities below, and you will see that the top recruiters of Indian lawyers are mostly from London alone.

London: the first five law firms listed below are collectively called the Magic Circle firms, renowned for handling not only high profile cases but also for their fat paychecks, already attracting law students for internships and lawyers with such winning incentives. The last firm is included in the list because it has been incorporated by Indian lawyers residing and practising in London.

Below are the international law firms which recruit Indian lawyers from outside London and explore more into the rest of the European countries.

SANDS: Norway has shown some of the greatest improvement in its jurisdictional powers and employment opportunities, making SANDS one of the best law firms to go for. Also, it is possible for Indian lawyers to work there as a permanent lawyer or a ‘guest lawyer’ although being from outside the European Economic Area, you would not be allowed to practice Norwegian law.
Loyens & Loeff: the Netherlands has one of the most well-paid law firms, one of them being Loyens & Loeff with their offices placed in Russia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy and most of Central and Eastern Europe. The United Kingdom is no exception.
Hengeler Mueller: This law firm is mainly known for its highly specialised practice areas, most being variants of Corporate and Company law alone. Its main office is in Frankfurt, others being in the cities of Munich, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Brussels and London. You would have a higher chance of getting in Hengeler Mueller if you get your degree in Germany, most of its firm’s branches being in Germany alone.
Mapp Law Chambers: it has its offices only in three cities in Spain- Barcelona, Madrid and Bilbao. It is also the first Indian law firm in Spain.
Bird & Bird: not only does it provide help to Indian Companies for cross-border legal issues, but Bird & Bird has also its office sprawled across Europe, securing a position in almost all the popular countries of Europe although it’s headquarters are in London.
Garrigues: It has its law offices in Spain, Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom and appears in the list of top ten international law firms in Europe with a high revenue record.

Payscale

If we go with the world rankings, to date, Japan holds the first rank when it comes to the highest average pay for lawyers in Japan from all kinds of legal fields of specialization with the figure being USD 145,000 equivalent to INR 1,09,77,594. However, in the same list out of 10 countries, 6 countries are European, which are listed below alphabetically with their average pay figures.

Denmark: In Denmark, the average pay of a lawyer is USD 112,832, equivalent to an estimate of INR 85,42,235.
Germany: In Germany, the average pay scale of lawyers in Munich is nearly USD 105,000, equivalent to INR 79,49,292.
Ireland: In Ireland, the newly qualified solicitors have an average pay according to the Indian Rupee varying from INR 36,85,000 to INR 53,23,000, if they are based in Dublin. Those with an experience of 5 years will be paid nearly an average of INR 65,51,000 and those with experience of 7 years and above, will be paid an average and above of INR 81,89,000.
Netherlands: An associate in a Dutch firm starts from around INR 32,75,500 and those with experience of 7 years and above get an average of INR 1,14,64,364. The average has been calculated as INR 77,79,000.
Norway: In Norway, one’s average pay would be somewhere around INR 73,90,000 to INR 87,82,000.
Switzerland: Switzerland has an average of USD 120,000 equalling to INR 90,85,000.
United Kingdom: In London, a trainee in the top five law firms of the city gets nearly INR 41,15,592 whereas, outside the city, it would be an average of INR 28,00,000. A qualified lawyer in the top five firms with an experience of fewer than 10 years would get an average ranging from INR 67,35,000 to INR 79,50,000. The ones with experience between 10 to 15 years have an average of nearly INR 93,54,000 and for ones more than that, the pay is around INR 1,68,36,000.

Please make a note that the countries named above are one of the highest paying countries in Europe. There are many others like them, for example, Finland, France, Italy, Sweden, etc. where the average pay has been given a pay scale grade from good to high.

Conclusion

The market for legal professionals, especially in the international market, is as demanding as it is competitive. A mere interest or desire to pursue a career abroad will never come true in reality if one is not fully prepared to work extra hard to build up one’s merit, along with the ability to impress the possible recruiting companies with one’s experience in the practical sense of working. Also, another skill that distinguishes a person from the crowd of candidates is the ability to engage in and hold a conversation with ease. It has been noticed among many Indian students who wish to pursue their careers in Europe are not well-versed with the English language.

Do not forget that in a market where every single person wants to get to the same job, only those successfully conquer the seat who do not give the potential employers any reason to eliminate them. Therefore, just as much knowledge of the law and legal matters is important, so is the command over the language, because it is of no use if one is a genius in law but cannot put his arguments coherently to prove his ingeniousness.