Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
I've heard from my friends and peers in several FLAs that FLAs are all East and West Berlin structures. There is no exception in this industry (correct me if I'm wrong with what little and uninformed knowledge I have). You are and will always be a second class citizen compared to international peers in the same firm.
Most of the time the international side seems to give work to the domestic side for cheaper cost and labour, but even if you do 20-50% international and 20-50% domestic, it doesn't magically transform you to a true international lawyer from the MC or SC or White Shoe side, where the work is 100% international. Your last drawn will still reflect that you were a second class citizen.
Simply put, unless your pay reflects it, the cost saving measure of having a lower paid employee do higher paid work doesn't make any real difference to your status as a second class citizen. If you were truly worth tour name, they'd be paying you international rates and not local rates.
Source: I mean, this is what I hear from my friends so idk. I'm in a mid sized SG non-FLA. I don't think (and I'm sure the majority would agree) it makes any real or substantial difference in prestige, prospects etc. The real prospects are when you are paid international pay. If not, forget it.
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Basically, what I also heard is if you are SG side, you will always be the SG side and not some excellent hire they picked up from elsewhere (international and/or reputable domestic firms that actually produce good hires). If they can get cheap labour from the SG side to do some menial international tasks, they don't have an impetus to pay you international rates. Doesn't magically convert a spade into a heart or club.
To go to an international and get paid to do truly international work, you'd have to be from another international firm or a reputable domestic firm. The PQE or salary cut you can negotiate later, even if it is at a small intl firm. What I've also heard is that large international outfits will negotiate a lesser PQE if you trained at or were working in a small international outfit. The same practice seems to exist throughout the industry.
Basically 1 PQE at X firm with 9-5 is not 1 PQE at a MC firm with 9-3, as the PQE at MC firm is worth 2x the PQE at X.
The work that you do doesn't matter tbh - international or domestic, clients are clients. You got an opportunity to work on a big domestic file, great, that says nothing about you and more about what the firm caught in the net while you were there. What really truly matters is whether the firm recognises your legitimacy as an international lawyer by paying international rates.