What Is It?

The Interlex Lawyer Secondment Program gives lawyers at Interlex member firms the opportunity to travel to another firm, establish and foster strong relationships with lawyers at that firm, educate themselves on that jurisdiction, and then capitalize on those relationships with regular referrals and consultations.

The success of the program is dependent upon the involvement of member firms. Each member firm should take advantage of this tremendous opportunity. A successful program will continue to strengthen the quality of Interlex as a world-wide legal network.

What Does This Do For Me?

This lawyer exchange program provides three significant advantages to participating members:

1. INCREASE AWARENESS OF INTERLEX WITHIN MEMBER FIRMS
   This program provides lawyers with a particularly effective way of getting to know other Interlex firms and their lawyers. It gives the host firm and visiting lawyer knowledge of a different jurisdiction, different language skills and the opportunity to establish a strong relationship with each other’s Bar and expertise for future dealings.
2. PROVIDES RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUAL MEMBER FIRMS
   This program provides a strong marketing tool for firms when recruiting high-quality young lawyers. The opportunity for placement in a different country or jurisdiction may be a very appealing option when lawyers are deciding which firm to join.
3. MAINTAIN INTERLEX AS ONE OF THE ELITE LAW FIRM NETWORKS IN THE WORLD
   Programming plays a significant role in the rankings done by various legal ranking systems (notably Chambers & Partners). A strong lawyer exchange program will draw attention to the group, keep it highly-regarded, give its member firms credibility and attract strong, quality firms as future members.

Program Guidelines

HOST FIRM RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assigns a lawyer to serve as a “host” and main point of contact for visitor
• Works with Interlex to plan temporary housing for visitor
• Provides temporary office space for visitor
• Includes visitor in all firm activities, staff meetings and communications

SENDING FIRM RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Incur cost of travel and housing for lawyer
• Plan for lawyer’s home firm caseload to be handled so it is not a constant distraction to the lawyer from their caseload at the firm they are visiting or a conflict issue
• Depending upon the firm and country, visiting lawyer may have to cut off all email communication with home firm

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the placement last?

The length of placement can be 1, 2 or 3 months, depending upon what is mutually beneficial for the host and sending firms.

What costs are involved?

The host firm does not incur any cost. The sending firm incurs costs of travel and housing.

Will the visiting lawyer’s home firm have access to the visiting lawyer if necessary?

This is dependent upon the country and specific hosting firm. No matter what, the emphasis should be on the case(s) they are working on for the firm they are visiting so that they are adequately immersed in that firm and their culture.

If my firm chooses to host a visiting lawyer, does that mean we also have to send a lawyer firm to another firm, and vice versa?

Absolutely not. For some firms in certain jurisdictions, and direct exchange between two lawyers might be beneficial, but is not required. You can host a lawyer without sending a lawyer, or send a lawyer to another firm without having to host one.