How to change careers from law to business and flee Russia?
Hey everyone,
I am 27 currently working as a junior associate in Moscow at a top-tier consulting law firm (ex team of Moscow office of an international law firm that left the Russian market in 2022).
I mostly work in finance transactions (although now we have very little interesting work or almost no work at all) as well as regulatory matters (honestly do not enjoy). At this point, I basically have to do whatever work is available and not complain, given the current economic and political situation. The problem is that I’ve gradually stopped liking my work altogether. We have very few international clients, almost no interesting cross-border finance deals, and the atmosphere is often tense. I also feel that my knowledge is becoming less relevant to the international market, and that I’m gradually becoming non-competitive.
I speak fluent English (including legal English), have advanced level of French (currently working toward DALF C1) and I am starting to learn Italian. I have LLB and LLM from a top Russian university and a LLM from a French university obtained in 2021. Getting another master’s degree in the EU or the US is unfortunately not an option for me financially right now. Living in Moscow itself has become challenging enough. Over the years, I applied to several LLM programs and even received offers from top law schools, but I was rejected for scholarships every time.
I would really like to work in the EU, but given my Russian background and ties to Russian law, I understand that this is extremely difficult. I’m also interested in finance, but without a relevant degree it feels like many doors are closed.
I’ve been thinking about pivoting from law into business-oriented roles such as project management, brand management, or business analytics (something more universal and transferable across countries, especially if you speak English and the local language).
What realistic steps could I take to make my background and skill set more relevant internationally? Is it realistically possible to pivot without an MBA or another degree? And if not the EU, which countries would you recommend considering as a starting point?
Thanks for your advice, I'm desperate.