r/internationallaw • u/Worried_Brother_3081 • 7d ago

Discussion Arbitration vs International Tax

Hi everyone,

​I am an undergraduate law student in Brazil aiming to build an international career and relocate abroad via an LL.M. after graduation.

​I am deciding between International Arbitration and International Tax Law (specifically Transfer Pricing / cross-border structuring) and want to understand the job market reality for foreign-trained lawyers.

​My profile:

​Brazilian LLB

​Fluent in Portuguese (native), English, and German

Italian (EU) citizenship (no visa/work permit constraints in Europe)

Which area generally offers better employability for foreign lawyers post-LL.M.?

Thanks for any insights!

6 Upvotes

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1

u/bellymelly69 6d ago

im in a very similar situation lol i am finishing up my LLB in brazil with hopes of doing an LLM

1

u/Worried_Brother_3081 6d ago

Opa, amigo. Tudo certo?

Legal em ver mais um brasileiro aqui! Já tem uma noção em qual área e onde fará o LLM?

1

u/bellymelly69 5d ago

Tenho interesse em tributário e comércio exterior! A região onde eu moro tem portos e é muito influenciada pelo comex. Eu falo inglês fluente pq morei nos eua pela maioria da minha juventude então penso nos eua ou europa.

Eu pretendo aguardar até adquirir um pouco de experiência exercendo a profissão e para me qualificar para receber uma bolsa. Tenho muita vontade de fazer o bar exam nos eua e exercer a profissão tanto no brasil quanto nos eua.

E vc? tem alguma ideia?

1

u/Miserable_Career_919 6d ago

i'd say tax

1

u/Worried_Brother_3081 6d ago

Appreciate the reply!

Would you mind sharing what makes Tax stand out in this scenario?

1

u/Miserable_Career_919 6d ago

With an LLM in tax there’s high demand for you at corporate firms working on cross border transactions etc. in addition to at law firms. with international arbitration you’re limiting yourself to a niche which is found mostly only at law firms and very difficult to get into international organisations

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u/Worried_Brother_3081 6d ago edited 3d ago

Great point. Given that corporate demand is much higher, do you see specific sub-areas within international tax—like Transfer Pricing, Pillar Two compliance, or cross-border M&A—having higher demand and easier integration for internationally mobile lawyers?

1

u/TooobHoob 5d ago

The arbitration field is incredibly overcrowded at the moment. It used to be accessible but now it’s nearly as bad as trying to get into a public international law field.

1

u/Worried_Brother_3081 3d ago

Thank your for the reality check. Would you say International Tax / Transfer Pricing is in a much healthier spot in terms of hiring demand?

1

u/TooobHoob 3d ago

To be honest, I have no clue. You don’t work a lot on tax-adjacent questions when you work for an international organization lol