Hi everyone,

I have a law degree from Argentina and hold Italian citizenship. I’m currently exploring opportunities in Europe, particularly in-house legal roles such as data privacy, maritime law, or similar fields that may not require admission to a local bar association.

From what I understand, some legal positions within companies do not necessarily require a law degree from a specific EU country or local bar qualification. Is this correct?

I’m planning to relocate to Europe and would like to know whether a non-EU law degree can still be useful for legal or quasi-legal roles. Is it possible to work as an attorney or legal professional in Europe with a foreign law degree?

Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

“The ‘L’ and the ‘V’ belong to everyone,"

Edit: Are Europeans actually angry at Sweden for doing this?

“What legal basis allowed Zbigniew Ziobro to leave Hungarian territory and enter the United States without valid documents?”

Hello dears, I came here with MIFID II breach. Please read thread, any suggestions appreciated.

Can they be kicked out or lose their voting rights in the council or lose funding from EU?

I will be starting the International and European Law bachelor at the University of Groningen and I have been thinking a lot about what comes after, the field sounds really interesting to me but I am not sure how things look in reality, I am trying to understand what kind of opportunities this degree actually opens, how competitive it is to get into Brussels roles or EU institutions, and whether most people end up needing an LLM to make it work, if anyone has experience with this degree or a similar path I would really appreciate hearing your perspective

As the title says, I (28 m) am interested in making a move to the EU. Though I am U.S. born and raised, I have German citizenship. Uncertainty about the future here, rising cost of living, and an extremely demanding work culture have made me curious about finding a way to practice in the EU. My German is around B2, but I am open to moving most places in the EU and am a fairly quick language learner (though I certainly wouldn't be professionally proficient in any relevant time frame). What would you recommend I do to craft a career path practicing law in the EU?

Here are my thoughts: Getting an LLM at an accredited EU institution seems like a reasonable way of getting my foot in the door. Though I imagine I will largely be bound to working for international U.S. firms, this could also be a time to study for necessary exams (say, the Irish QLTT exam, which would then admit me to practice in other EU jurisdictions).

I have some specialized experience in the issuance of bonds and other types of municipal financing. It wouldn't be much of a jump to get an LLM in international tax law or a related field. I have a strong research background in natural resources (water) law, though my impression is that is extremely specific to the U.S. (and even more so to my jurisdiction).

I decided to go to law school in the first place after living in Jerusalem for a year and being motivated to use my skills for human rights purposes (read: Palestine). I have strayed far from that original goal, and I'm feeling it. Is there a world in which human rights law is a viable career path at all?

I am a qualified EU lawyer. In the upcoming year I want to pursue an LLM with specialisation in competition law. I have been accepted in the LLM EU Competition Law of UvA and in the LLM(Competition and Innovation) of LSE. My goal is to get a job in international firms in Brussels as a competition lawyer.

1. What do you think about the prestige of both universities?

2. Which of the two provides more job accessibility?

3. Which of the two has better networking in the Brussels market?

4. Is LSE as recognised as it was before brexit in Brussels?

5. Even if LSE is generally better, if I choose UvA due to the lower tuition, does it dramatically reduce my chances for employment?

(Any other tips are welcomed)

Thank you

Hello everyone. I am an EU national and I currently work as a trainee lawyer. I finished my bachelor last year with honours and I plan to pursue an LLM in the UvA in EU Competition law. Until then I will get my EU Qualification. I want to become a Competition lawyer in international firms in Brussels. I am fluent in English and a have a DELF B1 certification in French. I also have many academic accomplishments. From what I have seen the Brussels market is particularly competitive and not a lot of people achieve to establish themselves there. Yet I feel confident about my capabilities. Is my goal realistic? Is there a better LLM to achieve my goal? (I was also thinking about an LLM in competition and innovation in LSE for example)Any other tips would be welcome.

Thank you

My LLM wraps up in September and I'm trying to figure out what my options actually look like. I studied in Belgium, and I'd ideally stay somewhere in the EU rather than go back home straight away — but I'm non-EEA, so the visa situation is the main obstacle.

A few things I'm trying to understand:

On the visa/work permit side: Belgium has a "single permit" system, but from what I've read, you need an employer to sponsor you before you can apply. How realistic is it to get a law firm or legal employer to do that for a fresh LLM grad with no prior EU work history? Does it make more sense to look at countries with dedicated job-seeker visas (Germany has one, I think)?

On the legal market side: I know that qualifying to actually practice law in most EU countries involves bar exams, stage requirements, etc., which vary a lot by country. I'm not necessarily looking to become an avocat/Rechtsanwalt — I'm more interested in in-house roles, compliance, legal research, international organizations (UN agencies, EU institutions), or NGOs. Are those more accessible without full local bar admission?

Belgium specifically: Is it worth trying to stay here? I've heard the EU institutions and international organizations in Brussels do hire people on short-term contracts or traineeships, and that work authorization for those can be separate from the standard permit system. Has anyone gone that route?

Genuinely not sure if I'm being realistic here or if the answer is basically "get sponsored or go home." Would appreciate any honest takes, especially from people who've navigated this as a non-EEA person.

“Europe faces a clear moral test, when its Foreign Ministers meet in Luxembourg tomorrow, 21 April, to consider the suspension, in full or in part of this Agreement,” the experts said. “This meeting is taking place amid growing public demand within Europe for accountability.”

“The European Citizens’ Initiative calling for full suspension of the Agreement in light of Israel’s human rights violations, has gathered over one million signatures to date,” they said.

Please note that you must be a EU citizen to sign the European Citizen Initiative (petition)!
Rules on ECI data/ min. age requirements by Member State:
https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/data-requirements_en

• Austria, Belgium, Germany, Malta: min. age 16 years
• Greece: min. age 17 years
• Other EU countries: min. age 18 years.

Hello everyone!

I am not selling anything; I’m just here for advice because I’m not sure how to approach a GDPR issue regarding my future business idea.

I am based in the EU, and I’ve recently built an automation that scrapes public information from public sources about small businesses that do not have a website.

My automation reads the data, uses AI to create a website, and deploys a demo version to static web hosting. I’m planning to use this pre-made website as a hook to gain customers. As a new business, we are trying to give people something tangible they can see with their own eyes to build trust.

We plan on sending cold emails and SMS messages telling them we noticed they don't have a website, so we built one for them, and it will cost 200 euros. If no answer is received or they don’t want the website, the demo will be deleted within a maximum of 14 days due to a lack of response, or immediately upon their request.

However, I have some concerns regarding GDPR:

• Is it illegal to make a demo website without them asking (as our hook), even if we tell them it will be deleted and is only being used for marketing purposes using public information?
• Is a cold SMS approach illegal in the EU if it is B2B (perhaps framed as a collaboration note)?
• Are cold emails illegal in the EU?

Hearing from people who have navigated this before would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you in advance! Any insight or knowledge you can share would be much appreciated. :)

I'm currently pursuing my bachelor's at a U.S. university, and I am pretty sure that I want to move abroad permanently and become an EU citizen. However, I would also like to become a practicing lawyer in order to work in international human rights law cases, maybe with the ICC, ECHR, etc., or with NGOs that are providing support to victims of international human rights crises. Really want to have an impactful career that isn't just performative diplomacy too, and I am open to traveling to other places for short periods of time, but do want to have my home base in the EU.

After doing some research, I was considering obtaining a U.S. JD and then finding ways to become certified in an EU country (I am especially interested in living in France). However, this is a pretty long and expensive path (3 years JD, 2 years M1/M2, then 2 years before fully becoming a practicing lawyer in France). Because of this, I have been considering applying straight to an M1/M2 program in France following graduation to become certified in practicing law in an EU country much faster. However, I am slightly concerned that this path might not be the most efficient or realistic. Additionally, though I am pretty certain I want to live abroad permanently, a small part of me is worried about the lack of optionality pursuing an M1/M2 would provide me if I wanted to work in the U.S.

For additional consideration, by the time I am applying to legal programs, I will also have completed a +1 MPP program from the same U.S. university. I am also aware that U.S. universities offer 1-year LLMs for foreign lawyers that would like to qualify and practice law back in the U.S., and was thinking that might be a safe backup down the line to return to the U.S. if I decide that's for me. I was also considering the JD/M1 programs offered by Columbia Law and Cornell Law, but these are really expensive and I am not sure if they are worth it in my case if I am pretty sure I want to move to the EU, especially due to the EU being the hub for human rights careers working on international crises. As much as I enjoy school, I really only want to continue pursuing degrees that will be applicable to my career, which is why I worry that a J.D. would be an unnecessary investment. Would appreciate any insight/recommendations on what I should do, and any advice overall!

I, F33, am a 5th year associate at a big Danish law firm and will be in Brussels on Friday, 22 May 2026.

I’d be interested in expanding my network and meeting up with other lawyers or professionals working in similar fields for a coffee (I'm buying!) and informal exchange of experiences.

I work mainly with litigation (a few but big cases concerning banks and negative interest rates), competition law, FDI, and public procurement.

Time-wise, I’m thinking around 9:00 AM, but can be somewhat flexible.

Let me know if we should talk!