Before 2020, office meant a small cubicle or probably a large partitioned area, where you sat in front of a computer and worked.
After 2020, your workspace could be literally anywhere – your living room, the corner cafe, or even perhaps your hotel room.
Welcome to the remote work revolution, which has dramatically changed our perception of the workplace.
Since November 2020, we at LawSikho have been helping young lawyers successfully secure work in the U.S. in domains such as IP, technology, corporate law and contracts. And our upcoming bootcamp on how to make it big with real estate law is a further step in that direction.
Why the U.S.?
The simplest answer is: the U.S. freelance market is growing in huge leaps, and you can be a part of it no matter where you are in the world. It is by far the highest-paying market in the world, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.
Moreover, the U.S. is set to become a majority freelance economy by 2027, and there are many reports like this one from Firstpost which suggest that the upcoming recession may actually increase the demand for remote workers as businesses look to cut costs and local talent becomes too expensive.
This is a game changer for less developed economies like India, because we have a massive cost advantage over the rest of the world. A legal professional from India can bring on board the same qualifications and skills at a fraction of the cost charged by a similar professional in the U.S.
The great thing is that getting an international visa or a licence is not necessary to get work remotely. Because you will be rendering this service as a paralegal, which means that wherever necessary, an international client can engage a lawyer from their own jurisdiction to review your work, and still save 90 percent of the cost of hiring fully local legal talent.
This also means you can continue your practice in India while serving clients abroad, earning in both dollars and rupees.
What kind of work will you be expected to do?
For Indian lawyers looking to expand their practice, learning about U.S. real estate law can open up a wide range of remote work opportunities.
The U.S. real estate market is expected to be worth USD 5.85 trillion by 2030, and recession or not, this amount of market activity will require plenty of legal intervention.
A random search on Upwork for ‘real estate agreement’ produced more than 140 results, most of them for remote jobs related to real estate law. Here’s just one screenshot:
Apart from corporate entities or individual professionals, many U.S. law firms and companies have been expanding their remote hiring practices, and are now open to hiring lawyers from other countries to work on their real estate matters.
Among the areas where Indian lawyers can find remote work opportunities in U.S. real estate law are:
- Drafting and review of legal documents. This can include drafting purchase agreements, lease agreements, and mortgage documents, as well as reviewing and negotiating these documents on behalf of clients. Their understanding of the US legal system can make Indian lawyers particularly valuable in cross-border real estate transactions.
- Helping a U.S. attorney represent clients in real estate disputes. This can include disputes related to breaches of contract, zoning and land use issues, and disputes between landlords and tenants.
- Remote consulting services for U.S. companies looking to invest in real estate projects and development initiatives (infrastructure projects, special economic zone development, commercial real estate, greenfield developments, township development etc) in India. With their in-depth knowledge of the Indian legal system, they can assist U.S. companies in navigating the legal and regulatory landscape of the Indian real estate market, and help them make informed investment decisions.
What kind of earnings are you looking at?
Developing an understanding of U.S. real estate law can take you up to 6 months of systematic learning, and Indian lawyers will need to build a track record that demonstrates a strong understanding of the U.S. legal system and relevant regulations to get remote work. This can include studying relevant federal and state-specific statutes, regulations, and case laws.
What skills do you have to learn?
How do you build a track record?
How do you get your first few gigs?
How can you build an international professional network that brings you incredible remote work opportunities?
Is there a step-by-step roadmap you can get if you want to pursue a career in this practice area?
This is exactly what we will discuss at our Bootcamp, as well as providing a roadmap on how to acquire these skill sets.
Besides, we will also get into details of how much a lawyer from India (or an equivalent economy) can earn from such remote assignments, and show you how to make the best use of job portals like Upwork and Fiverr.
Just to give you an advance teaser, US-based lawyers on Upwork charge USD 200 per hour or more, while successful lawyers from countries like India are charging USD 30-50 per hour or more.
But there are also plenty of Indian professionals working for USD 10 per hour, which is dirt cheap.
Imagine yourself working for 200 hours at USD 10 per hour, that’s 8 hours per day, 25 days per month, which makes it USD 2,000 (INR 1.6 lakh-plus).
How many of your contemporaries make this kind of money?
If you are a litigator or already in a full-time job, you can still build a small side gig to earn an additional INR 50-75,000 per month working just 2-3 hours a day. Even as a law student, you could start earning anywhere between INR 15,000 and 30,000 per month, with plenty of time to spare for your college activities.
So if you can earn 2x or 3x of your current income, as a remote freelancing paralegal in a foreign country, will you take it or leave it?
Excited at the prospect? Trust me, it is entirely achievable, as our students have already shown.
Want to know how you can join them? All you have to do is attend our FREE, online (LIVE only) Bootcamp on ‘How to make it big with real estate law’ from January 21-23, 6.00-9.00 pm IST daily. Get started on your journey as a U.S. real estate law expert across multiple jurisdictions now, and leave the competition far behind!
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