u/Helpful_Leather4617

Hey everyone, curious if anyone here has made the jump from sanctions/export controls or international trade compliance work into private practice.

I’m particularly interested in areas like:

• sanctions and export controls
• OFAC / EAR / ITAR work
• international trade and national security related regulatory work

For those who made the transition, how difficult was it? How did you do it?

Did firms generally value compliance experience, or was the lack of traditional law firm experience a challenge? And overall, was the move worth it?

Would love to hear any experiences or advice. Thank you 🙏

I passed the NY bar but my ultimate goal is to work in DC. As some of you know only NY and CA allow LLM graduates to take their bar, this is why I took it there.

I’ve asked the DC bar and they told me “wait until you have been admitted and in good standing in New York for at least 3 years and then apply by the Motion by 3 Year Provision.”

What does it mean exactly? Do I have to practice or just admitted in NY? Has anyone done that?

Thank you 🙏

Hey everyone, quick question about the NY bar admission process in the Third Department.

I passed the bar and MPRE, received my Notice of Certification from BOLE, and recently submitted my full admission packet. I got the acknowledgment of receipt from the Third Department, but nothing else yet.

For people who went through this recently: How long was the full process for you from the acknowledgment email to approval/swearing in, and did you receive any intermediate updates or was it mostly silence until approval?

Trying to get a realistic sense of timeline variability. Thanks!

I recently passed the bar 10y out of Law school and I’m exploring a pivot into sanctions and trade compliance, which is an area I have become genuinely fascinated by.

My background is a bit nontraditional. I have spent the past 10 years in startup operations and strategy roles, including work involving regulatory and geopolitical issues, but I do not come from a classic customs, trade, or compliance background.

For those already in the field, how do people actually break in? If you were making the move today, where would you start?

Would you target law firms, banks, freight forwarders, consultancies, government agencies, or in house compliance teams first?

Are there certifications worth doing, or is experience the only thing that really matters?

And for someone with a legal background plus operational experience, is there a plausible entry point, or is this one of those fields where you more or less have to start from scratch?

Would appreciate any honest advice

I’ve just got certified to apply in NY and sent everything today.

BUT my law school sent my “Law School Certificate” weeks ago, before my certification, has anyone done that? Would it be an issue? Like could NY bar ask my university to send it again?

Thank you 🙏

I recently passed the bar 10y out of Law school and I’m exploring a pivot into sanctions and trade compliance, which is an area I have become genuinely fascinated by.

My background is a bit nontraditional. I have spent the past 10 years in startup operations and strategy roles, including work involving regulatory and geopolitical issues, but I do not come from a classic customs, trade, or compliance background.

For those already in the field, how do people actually break in? If you were making the move today, where would you start?

Would you target law firms, banks, freight forwarders, consultancies, government agencies, or in house compliance teams first?

Are there certifications worth doing, or is experience the only thing that really matters?

And for someone with a legal background plus operational experience, is there a plausible entry point, or is this one of those fields where you more or less have to start from scratch?

Would appreciate any honest advice