In the legal sector, the main employers are law firms. There are also consulting firms that provide legal services, as well as Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs). Some examples:

In addition, many companies and organisations, such as NGOs, IGOs, and international organisations, offer legal roles. In the sections below you will find a summary of these companies.

Upon completing a law master’s programme, graduates have a broad range of career options. The most common career opportunities can broadly be grouped into two categories:

• Traditional Legal Roles: Lawyers and attorneys qualified to represent clients in legal proceedings. These roles generally require admission to the relevant bar association or professional body in the jurisdiction where the lawyer intends to practise. They advise individuals, businesses, and organisations on legal matters within the relevant jurisdiction. Career progression is often linked to expertise in a specific jurisdiction. They typically work in law firms, consulting firms or ALSPs that provide legal services. While these roles are often for a specific jurisdiction, lawyers may also work on cross-border matters (such as arbitration, M&A, and competition). However, employers generally expect candidates to be qualified as lawyers in at least one jurisdiction, even if the matter has an international focus.
• Legal Advisor and In-house Counsel: Many legal advisors and in-house counsel are qualified lawyers, although their role typically focuses on providing legal advice within the legal department of multinational companies, consulting firms or international institutions, providing advice on one or multiple areas of law. Depending on the organisation, they may work on domestic or cross-border matters, including commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, employment issues or corporate governance. These departments ensure that the company operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. These roles may offer greater international exposure within multinational organisations, where language skills, cross-border experience, and international networks are highly valued.

Law firms can be classified according to different criteria, including:

To help navigate the legal market, law firms are often grouped into broad categories based on their size, reputation, international presence, and areas of specialisation. The diagram below provides an overview of some of the most prominent types of firms:

For up-to-date information on law firms and understanding the legal market and identifying leading firms, the most reliable sources are professional legal rankings and directories, such as:

Law firms offer opportunities across a wide range of industries and legal practices. The specific areas and terminology used can vary from one firm to another.

In the two following links, you can find information about different practice areas and what skills required to succeed in each one:

• law.ac.uk
• lawcareers.net

There are consulting firms that provide legal services (like Big Four - Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG) and consulting firms that have strong legal departments, that ensure compliance and manage legal affairs.

For more information on the consulting sector, such as the main players, the main departments and internal functions of the consulting firms and their recruitment processes, check our Junior Consulting Guide and Senior Consulting Guide.

“ALSPs are companies that provide legal services apart from the conventional paradigm of legal services and systems. They ultimately use legal technology in order to provide more efficient services in a faster span of time and with a drastically cheaper price.” - Alternative Legal Service Provider on the rise: threat or opportunity? By Alejandro Esteve de Miguel Anglada

ALSPs are rapidly reshaping the legal industry through technology-driven, flexible, and cost-efficient legal services. Services they offer (disrupting traditional legal delivery):

• Legal Operations Support.
• Contract Management and
• Document drafting and review;
• AI-Powered Legal Services.
• Investigation support and legal research;
• Accounting and audit tasks;
• Intellectual Property (IP) or Data Protection management;
• Litigation support; etc.

What differentiates ALSPs, accelerating their market growth:

• Cost: Corporate clients seeking lower-cost, scalable legal solutions.
• Tech: Growing adoption of AI and legal technology across operations.
• Scale: Increasing pressure on efficiency and scalability of delivery.
• Model: Expansion of managed legal services models' enterprise-wide.

Some of the most important ALSPs:

Legal professionals are employed across every industry and sector. Most medium-sized and large organisations have in-house legal teams that support business operations, manage legal risk, ensure regulatory compliance, and advise on a wide range of legal matters. As a result, students interested in legal careers can find opportunities many types of employers.

For those interested in in-house legal careers, the following companies recruited students for legal roles during the 2024–2025 academic year:

There are different options to develop a legal career in the International Relations sector, such as being a legal advisor within an international organization or an NGO, ensuring corporate responsibility, environmental compliance, and ethical business practices or as a policy analyst in a regulatory agency or think tank focused on energy transition, climate change and sustainability, shaping public policy and regulatory frameworks for a greener economy.

For more information on this career paths, check our Global Impact Sector Guide.

You can access the annual Talent & Careers Industry Reports for the Legal Sector, as well as other sectors, here.

There are regions recognised as key locations within the global legal market, offering a broad range of opportunities across different practice areas, due to the concentration of leading law firms, international organisations, and cross-border legal work. Understanding the strengths of each location and the opportunities they provide can help you target your job search more effectively:

United Kingdom

• UK Market - Legal careers & preparation session - November 5th, 2024 - Recording to the session
• UK Market - Legal careers & preparation session - November 7th, 2023 - Recording to the session
• Useful document with the main information

United States

• US Market - Legal careers & preparation session - November 18th, 2025 - Recording to the session
• US Market - Legal careers & preparation session - November 19th, 2024 - Recording to the session
• Useful document with the main information

Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg

• BENELUX Market - Legal careers & preparation session - January 21st, 2025 - Recording to the session

Qualification is one of the main considerations when planning a legal career. The key question is whether you are professionally qualified to practice law in the jurisdiction where you want to work.

An LL.M. can enhance your legal knowledge, international exposure and employability, but in most jurisdictions it does not by itself grant the right to practise law or obtain bar admission.

The ideal scenario is to be qualified in the jurisdiction where you intend to practise. Practising in your home country, where you obtained your law degree and professional qualification, is often the most straightforward option. In that jurisdiction, you are generally a stronger candidate for employers because you are qualified, you know the local legal system, regulations, language and professional requirements.

If you would like to practice law in another country, you should bear in mind that there is no universal qualification that allows a lawyer to practice in every country. Each jurisdiction establishes its own admission requirements. Therefore, students should first identify where they would like to practice and then assess the qualification pathway available in that jurisdiction.

A) Following the official track required by the target country:

Check our guide on how to research local routes for qualification (master’s program, qualifying exam, etc.), language expectations and career planning in the target jurisdiction:

B) Obtaining recognition/equivalence of your foreign law degree or qualification in the target country, if possible:

In some countries, obtaining the recognition or equivalence of your foreign law degree or qualification may allow access to the local qualification process, while in others full recognition may not be available, and additional studies, examinations or a local law degree may be required (making the process significantly longer).

We suggest checking the information on how to obtain recognition or equivalence of your foreign qualification in the competent official source (ministry, professional regulatory body, or national association):

• Spain: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades + Consejo General de la Abogacía Española.
• France: Conseil National des Barreaux (CNB).
• Italy: Consiglio Nazionale Forense (CNF) / CIMEA.
• Portugal: Ordem dos Advogados.
• England & Wales: Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
• United States: State Board of Bar Examiners of the relevant state.

Students should always consult the official regulator of the jurisdiction where they intend to practise, as qualification and recognition requirements are subject to change and vary significantly between countries.

A) EU-qualified lawyers in certain EU countries:

Check out our guide to the process and requirements for the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, France, and Luxembourg.

B) Non-EU qualified lawyers in certain EU countries:

An example of a country that offers this option is Belgium.

The Brussels Bar is open to foreign lawyers, whether they are qualified in Europe or abroad. It allows foreign lawyers to register on two separate lists:

• Lawyers that belong to a European bar can register on the E list; and
• Other lawyers can register on the B list.

The existence of two lists is explained by the difference in powers to represent and defend clients before Belgian courts.

Holders of a foreign law degree can also choose to qualify as a Belgian lawyer, provided they meet certain conditions.

Examples may include paralegal positions, legal analyst roles, compliance, contract management and legal operations. These roles are often more flexible regarding local qualification requirements.

Key trends and requirements across different types of employers:

The ideal candidate combines a strong fit for the role with a strong motivation. Throughout the recruitment process, candidates should demonstrate a clear interest in the legal profession, the specific firm, and the position.

They must also show that they possess the skills and competencies needed to perform successfully in a legal role, which generally these are:

Demonstrate:

• A genuine commitment to pursuing a long-term career in the legal profession.
• Interest in the specific firm you are applying to. Clearly explain why you want to join that particular firm, considering both professional factors (such as its strengths in certain industries or practice areas, notable transactions, or market position) and personal factors (such as its culture, values, and working environment, and how well they align with your preferences and aspirations).
• Motivation towards the specific position and practice area they offer.

Preparation is the key to success! Research the company and be updated on recent news in the legal sector using all the resources mentioned in this guide and the following:

Use our CV templates in English and Spanish tailored to law:

• IE Law Master's Resume Template (in English)
• IE Law Master's Resume Template (in Spanish)

Here you have different kind of activities and events through which you can start gaining relevant experience from the beginning of your programme. We highly recommend getting involved in these activities to build an attractive profile for the firms.

Below are activities and events through which you can start gaining relevant experience from the beginning of your programme. We highly recommend getting involved to build an attractive profile for firms.

Opportunities & When to Apply

FULL-TIME LEGAL ROLES

INTERNSHIPS

LEGAL GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

Check out this document for the main information on Legal Graduate Programmes for LLM students exploring postgraduate opportunities.

REGIONAL HIRING INSIGHTS

How to Apply

CREATE YOUR TARGET LIST AND USE AN APPLICATION TRACKER

• How to prepare your target list or application
• Application Tracker.xlsx

SEARCH FOR OPPORTUNITIES

TIPS FOR SEARCHES

• Search by title, practice area or company.
  • Terminology of roles are not uniform, so use a variety of titles (“attorney”, “lawyer”, “in-house counsel”, “legal manager”, etc.).
  • If you want a very niche position, you can search by practice area (ex. “Intellectual property”, “compliance”).
  • You can also search by company.
• Determine a specific location for your search.
• Narrow down your search by using applicable filters.
• Use LinkedIn to check if you have a connection inside the company for a referral.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Although recruitment processes vary across employers, most firms follow a similar sequence of stages. Understanding each stage will help you prepare effectively.

Remember that in our T&C website you can find webinars and useful resources in order to get ready for each stage of the recruitment process.

For firm-specific information — hiring timelines, processes, and recommendations: Log into 12Twenty → Employers → Activities. You'll find curated, up-to-date information for each firm.

*As this section is focused on students pursuing the Master de Acceso a la Abogacía, and a native/bilingual level of Spanish is required, you will find information and resources in Spanish.

OPORTUNIDADES

Si eres alumno del Máster de Acceso a la Abogacía, tendrás que completar las prácticas de acceso a la abogacía:

CUANDO Y CÓMO APLICAR A OFERTA

PROCESOS DE SELECCIÓN

La información, recursos y preparación para los procesos de selección de las prácticas de acceso a la abogacía se distribuyen entre las siguientes fuentes:

• Career Accelerator: Los alumnos del máster de acceso a la abogacía tendrán sesiones específicas para preparar las distintas fases de los procesos de selección de los despachos de abogados.
• Para información específica sobre cada firma — periodos de contratación, procesos de selección y recomendaciones, entrad en 12Twenty → Employers → Activities. Encontraréis información actualizada de cada una.
• Además, preguntad siempre a vuestra Advisor por si tiene más información sobre el proceso de selección de cada despacho en concreto.

OPORTUNIDADES POSTERIORES A LAS PRÁCTICAS DE ACCESO

Los alumnos del Máster de Acceso a la Abogacía, después de las prácticas obligatorias, podrán firmar un segundo convenio de prácticas que deberán cumplir las siguientes características y plazos:

• SECTOR INSIGHTS AND MARKET UPDATE SESSIONS — Summary of past sessions.
• INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION — International Arbitration.
• ALSPS — ALTERNATIVE LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
  • The “ALSPs” (alternative legal service providers): catalysts for the change in business law.
  • ALSPs en España: una tendencia confirmada en los nuevos rankings de Chambers & Partners.
  • Chambers NewLaw Guide.
  • Legaltech jobs search engine.

Be updated about the legal sector. Choose one or two sources of information about the legal sector and check them daily/weekly. Some examples:

• Thelawyer.com
• Law.com
• Legal500
• Chambers & Partners
• ICAM — Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid
• Consejo General de la Abogacía Española
• Expansión Jurídico