The struggling economy present in the United States over the past few years has led many business professionals to seek employment opportunities abroad. Because Europe is experiencing the same downward trend as North America, many of these people are looking at cities in Asia and the Middle East to use as a base of operations. Law firms who specialize in corporate law need to be aware of this change, and many are hiring established legal professionals from other firms to help bolster their industry knowledge.

For example, Philly.com reported prominent Philadelphia firm Dechert L.L.P. is constructing a new team of lawyers for its operations in London, Dubai and the Republic of Georgia. This is to increase the company’s capital-markets and energy-related practices in the Middle East and Central Asia.

“The goal is simply to significantly increase the amount of cross-border transactional and dispute-resolution opportunities for the firm,” said CEO Daniel O’Donnell, according to the news source. “This step is very much focused on emerging markets.”

Dechert is searching for around 25 lawyers to fill the open slots, with four partners split between London and Dubai and one other in Dubai.

Lawyers who wish to capitalize on opportunities to move abroad should hire legal recruiting companies that can help expedite the search and employment process. However, it’s important to find an attorney headhunter who takes a personal interest in your area of specialization. The more individual focus a recruiter has on a client, the more likely it is that a lawyer will be placed in a perfect position. And since the international market is booming, now is a great time to consider moving abroad for the next step in your legal career.