New York

Over 8,000,000 people from every corner of the globe live in New York, one of the largest and most sophisticated economies in the world. Home to the United Nations, numerous universities and internationally renowned museums and galleries, New York is a world leader in business, politics, finance, fashion, medicine, entertainment, media and culture.

Legal Market

Lawyers in New York represent the bluest of the world’s blue-chip companies, working on transactions of the highest level. The Big Apple is headquarters to many major US firms and also supports a growing number of regional US and major UK firms. New York is traditionally very competitive, but if you’re talented in corporate M&A, private equity, banking and finance, capital markets, derivatives or securitization, your skills will be in demand.

Remuneration

The salary for a newly qualified lawyer at a top firm in New York starts around US$160,0000 and goes up to more than US$280,000 for a senior associate, with generous bonuses being paid on top.

Visas

Unless you have a US passport or other official status, working in New York will require you to obtain a visa. This is usually applied for through the law firm and will last as long as your term of employment. Your spouse and family can join you, but their eligibility to work depends on the specifics of the visa.

Re-qualification

To practice law in New York, you will have to pass a Bar exam covering New York State specifically as well as the United States in general. It will involve both multiple choice and essay questions and cover both procedural and substantive law within a broad range of subject areas.

Lifestyle

With a much lower crime rate than other large American cities and citizens always willing to give advice or directions, New York is a sociable city. It attracts scholars, artists and business people of all kinds. Fans of art and culture have countless museums and galleries at their feet and innumerable brilliant minds to engage with at any given moment. New York has almost everything: parks and public squares, street markets each weekend, outdoor concerts, Buddhist temples in Chinatown, fashion in SoHo, community gardens in Alphabet City and bohemian hipsters in the East Village. With its vast range of unusual restaurants, pubs and night clubs, New York has something to offer day and night. JFK, La Guardia and Newark airports all offer many inexpensive flights anywhere you wish to go, or if you’re just looking for a little quiet time upstate, trains leave often and generally on-time from Penn or Grand Central.