Hiring criteria

The principal criteria for hiring in the Visiting Lawyers Program are personal excellence and the candidate’s potential to become a leading member of the bar in his or her home country. Most successful candidates demonstrate the following:

• fluency in written and spoken English
• completion of a law degree in their home country at or near the top of their class
• several years of home country practice

A number of our successful candidates have completed or are in the process of completing a one-year LL.M. or similar degree from a U.S. law school.

If the candidate has practiced for one or more years, recommendations from the previous employer are required. If the candidate is enrolled in a U.S. LL.M. or similar program, we generally wish to see the student’s first semester grades.

S&C encourages law firms around the world to propose candidates for the program, with the understanding that our ability to accept any particular candidate is constrained by the small size of the program. Candidates recommended by non-U.S. law firms should meet the criteria set forth above. We also will generally ask the non-U.S. firm to confirm that the lawyer is on a career path likely to result in a permanent affiliation with that firm. Because of their substantial numbers, we generally are unable to accept candidates for the program who are practicing in-house with a non-U.S. client. S&C generally does not hire visiting lawyers who do not have several years of home country practice or who do not expect to return to their home country following completion of the program.