We explore the rise of dual-qualified lawyers and look at some of the core challenges they are facing, along with some of the benefits that accompany dual-qualification.
Dual-qualified lawyers are a relatively new phenomenon. Law schools have typically taught localised legal knowledge, focussing on specialisms and an in-depth understanding of single jurisdictions. But the legal sector, following changes in the wider economy, has drastically shifted in the past few decades. It has grown more interconnected, interdependent, more reliant on cross-border activities.
So lawyers are increasingly looking at the benefits of . And the benefits are many. Dual-qualification offers a competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive and increasingly global sector, gives lawyers a wider pool of knowledge to aid decision-making and legal analysis, affords them broader career opportunities with the ability to practice in more countries, and so on.
But dual-qualification brings challenges. Lawyers need to keep up with evolutions and interpretations of law in multiple jurisdictions, expend time and resources gaining multiple qualifications, overcome the confusion and complexity created by the conflict of laws, and much more. In short, dual-qualification can prove tough, so lawyers need to ensure the benefits outweigh the challenges.
The first and perhaps most obvious challenge is difficulty. Gaining a is by no means easy. It requires the investment of time, money, and energy. That can prove demanding, especially when completing the second qualification while practicing law in the first jurisdiction.
The additional work does not stop once qualified. In fact, dual-qualification is a perpetual challenge. Dual-qualified lawyers may feel an , as the job demands that they keep up with changes to individual systems, tracking key cases, shifts to regulation, as well as the interpretation and analysis of all the above. And that can cause confusion. Jurisdictions have conflicting laws and conflicting interpretations of law. So the dual-qualified lawyer needs to differentiate between systems, down to the smallest detail, which can prove especially difficult.
There are solutions to overcome such challenges. Lawyers can make use of legal research platforms. Lexis+® UK, for example, allows you to access cross-border laws and laws from different jurisdictions, often with accompanying interpretation and analysis. The ability to filter through information helps lawyers to overcome conflicts of law and navigate the additional complexities of two jurisdictions.
Another option is the Lexis®PSL International Comparator Tool, which enables speedy comparisons of laws and regulations between jurisdictions. The tool also allows lawyers to create and download a comparative report of cross-jurisdictional practices, identifying issues in just a few seconds.
A final challenge worth noting is the difficulty of actually working in different jurisdictions. Dual-qualified lawyers will not only require legal proficiency, but will need to work in multiple languages, understand cultural nuances, and learn to effectively communicate and navigate legal matters in a different country. Language barriers and cultural differences can pose serious challenges, especially when it comes to the accurate understanding and interpretation of novel legal concepts.
The first and most obvious benefit is the additional knowledge that the dual-qualified lawyer will gain, which can prove helpful in any jurisdiction. The dual-qualified lawyers will possess a deeper in general due to their increased knowledge of multiple systems and their more global outlook. And they can use that increased knowledge to elevate their broad application of law, allowing them to compare and contrast legal concepts across jurisdictions, identify innovative solutions, and provide essential advice to clients across various jurisdictions.
That is a benefit in itself, but it brings myriad consequent benefits, not least . Dual-qualification sets the lawyer apart from the competition. The extra qualifications and the understanding of multiple jurisdictions will ultimately give the lawyer an edge over competitors. And that competitive advantage only stands to grow in the future, as international clients require more legal services, cross-border transactions surge, and business generally becomes more globalised.
That’s particularly important for lawyers in the UK. That’s because of law for cross-border commerce, maritime law, and dispute resolution, as well as various other areas of law. So possessing a wider understanding of law beyond your jurisdiction – while still specialising in English Law – may prove a substantial benefit for many years to come. And, on top of that, dual-qualification generally improves the ability to navigate the complexities of international law.
Dual-qualification broadens the opportunities available to a lawyer, as they can practice in multiple jurisdictions. It also broadens the pool of clients with which the lawyer can work. That, in turn, leads to an increase in the lawyer’s revenue potential, which further cements the competitive advantage.
Dual-qualified lawyers need to understand cultural nuances and overcome the language barrier, as mentioned above. But overcoming that challenge provides an exceptional benefit, giving the lawyer a greater cultural awareness and sensitivity, language skills that will inevitably prove useful in the future, and the chance to travel and see the world.
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