www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Since I finally posted a trip report, I don’t feel like such a leach in asking a question that has been nagging me for quite some time. Those of you who are serious mongers, can you give me any advice for tailoring my career to the hobby. I’ve working for a long time in technology, but that only entailed travel around the 1st world. Now, I’ve quit my technology job to go to a top-tier law school and I’m looking for advice on how to parlay a prestigious law degree into a job where I either live in or travel to central America regularly. Any words of wisdom?

Can you say "offshore" without blushing or cringing from the IRS? If you want to learn law, at least learn how to do more than chase ambulances. Perhaps being able to consult on legalities of international and individual sovereignty issues as it pertains to taxation, asset protection and yes, even technology security and patent laws on an international level. Now THAT could all take a couple decades of study. Good luck... I still say you have more of a future in technology if you are any good at it.

IMHO of course

technology + law sounds like in-house counsel for a technology firm. look for a job w/ generous vacation. stay away from litigation where vacation is virtually impossible. I have more insight into this so PM me for more info if you want...

The best job is to work for yourself, as a consultant. You can then choose when you want to go and where. You don't HAVE to have a job with Latin American ties. You do have to have a job that will allow you generous amounts of time off ...long weekends etc....and pay you enough to afford the habit. It does get to be costly at times. Especially when you take four chicas to the mall!

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ASTROGLIDE

Obviously, some aspect of international law would provide the greatest liklihood of opportunities for international legal travel. Of course most of those opportunities are going to end up being with our largest business and finance partners - in other words primarily first world countries or at least not places like tiny Costa Rica. Trade law may be one good choice. Can you say CAFTA?

Keep in mind that a degree from a prestigious law school is certainly a big advantage, but you are starting late in the game and will be competing against lawyers with many more years of experience in that specialty area. You can't do much about your lack of legal experience except be patient and pay your dues. But you might mitigate that by leveraging on you tech background, by going into some field of law that relates to your existing experience as TMan & Bombero suggested. That degree of specialization will still take many years to develop.

Whatever career path you pursue, some degree of fluency in Spanish would also greatly enhance the likelihod of your getting assignments in Spanish speaking countries. That may be something you already have or could learn, but I'm guessing you are not a native spanish speaker and there are plenty of bi-lingual Hispanics in the US, many with college degrees.

I don't mean to discourage you in your plans, but I don't think it is an easiest course that you have laid out. I agee with Bombero and Astro that finding a career that allows for generous vacation time is a much more likely prospect than finding one that enables you to work in CR (besides you don't want to go to CR to work anyway).

You already have expertise in the tech field. Are you sure there are no prospects in that area. Intel has a big plant in CR. I'm sure there may be other tech companies there. Or you could just hang out your own shingle as Astro suggested and work as a consultant. It doesn't have to be based in CR, but it could be, and your target clientele may or may not be in CR either. The big negative of consulting work is that it is not always steady, but that fits in perfectly with your goals as you could just use the time off for your trips to CR.