How to Prepare for Practicing International Law

As the world becomes globalized, the number of international affairs and global trades keeps growing, which correspondently enlarges the amount of international legal issues. Therefore, international legal practice becomes one of the most prevalent fields in the legal sector. In addition, as an international legal attorney, it is very common to spend time traveling around nations and cooperating with local entities. Thus, the high demands of talents and the unique overseas working opportunities make international law seem riveting. However, a passion for international law is not the motivation in itself. Rather, the attraction to the opportunity to travel overseas, experience different cultures, and work with foreign entities and their own unique practices are the main reasons why prospective attorneys enter this field. As a matter of fact, a lot of international law litigators feel frustrated after several years practice because most of them, more or less, hold wrong expectations of international law. In order to avoid that, it is vital to have an overall understanding of what international law is and how to prepare for that.

How does one get started? At the very beginning, having a thorough knowledge of international law is highly recommended. Generally, international law is a broad subject that includes various sub-disciplines, such as human rights, international regulations and governance, intellectual property law, business and corporate law, international civil law, international criminal law, environmental law, etc. International law can also be classified into two categories: public and private law. Public international law is applied to deal with conflicts or disputes that always involve sovereign entities. In other words, public international law is often used between nations. Private law, however, is often applied to international corporations or individuals who are in different countries. Similar to the differences between macroeconomics and microeconomics, the sub-disciplines that contain a macro concept normally belong to public international law, such as human rights, international relations, international regulations and governance, etc.; the branches that need to be practiced in a micro level normally belong to private international law, like corporate law, business law, intellectual property law, etc. Because each sub-discipline has its own features that may have huge disparities with other branches, it is better to focus on one main concentration instead of learning all the international law branches.

After selecting one concentration, it is also necessary to spend time learning about it so that you will be well equipped and prepared before stepping into that field. This is also a way to test your choice and confirm if you really have a passion for that area. There are three ways to prepare for having an international law career: taking classes, consulting experts and taking internships. Picking appropriate courses is strategic. For example, in order to prepare for practicing international business and corporate law, it is better to choose the courses that are relevant with business trade or cooperation, such as negotiation, market interaction, antitrust law, etc. Choosing global health, clinical practice, and international humanitarian law will be helpful for those who want to work in the international human rights area; International litigation practitioners need to have a basic knowledge of global affairs, such as the global economy, international policies, the law of war, etc. Besides taking classes, asking experts is another way to grasp information. Both law school professors and practitioners who have international legal practice experience are good resources because they will provide you with some constructive feedback or enlightening thoughts. For example, an attorney, cited by Anna Ivey Consulting in the article “International Law: Believe the Hype?," alleged that many students in law school consider global environmental law as a way of promoting an eco-friendly planet; however, litigations are always needed to settle among the companies’ responsibility of paying for the environmental damages. Apart from taking classes and consulting experts, having internship or work experience in the specific international legal fields can deepen your understanding of this area as well. It is helpful for international relation litigators to work in governmental departments and international trade attorney to have experience in private firms. Human rights practitioners are encouraged to work in non-profit organizations.

There are several other factors that can enhance your probability of enrolling in international law. For example, international legal practice prefers individuals with international backgrounds or overseas experience. Law experts also encourage students to attend a school that offers an international law journal. It helps the employers determine whether the candidates are qualified for legal writing or not. Last but not least, multi-language ability is another attributor. Fluency in two or more languages is always a plus.

In short, international law is not a specific academic discipline but rather a comprehensive subject that includes almost every legal area, such as civil law, criminal law, corporate law, environmental law, etc. Internationally-practiced law includes the above-mentioned sub-disciplines. Because of this, international law legislators are expected to have a higher ability of understanding cultural differences and dealing with international cases. International litigations are various and complex, so make sure you have a passion for it and a desire in pursuing one concentration of international law. No matter what concentration you choose, diligent preparation and a knowledge of the field are crucial to a successful career.

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