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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   29463 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of August 7, 2023

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All high end firms have spousal placement programs. T1 law firms have deep connections to governments and corporations, so while they don't hire the good-not-outstanding spouse, they ensure he/she gets a respectable, appropriate, job working as an attorney.

Wait, really? I don’t work in those circles but I’ve never heard of such a thing. Have other people heard of this? Is it limited to America / poster’s home country?

In the hedge fund/prop shop space etc. this is pretty rare, especially if your spouse isn't working in that part of finance. If you're moving country they generally will pay the visa fees for your spouse and any children though, and you might be able to use the fact your spouse is losing their job as leverage to increase your own compensation. Generally though your spouse's career will take a hit, which is why it is important to choose your partner early on to be someone who's fine making this sacrifice for you if you eventually plan on making such moves.

Interesting, thanks! From the responses by you and @2rafa, it seems fair to say that in the majority of cases ‘something’ will probably be done to help but that’s very unlikely to extend to actually giving your partner even a low-level job. Or maybe finance is different, and it’s just T1 law that does this?

In finance what sometimes happens is that if you get moved to, say, Singapore or Hong Kong (or occasionally Paris or even London/NYC) the company - if they really want you - might agree to hire a high-end recruiter for your partner so that they can get a work visa instead of a spouse visa. This is only for long-term roles (eg. if they anticipate you’ll be out there for 5+ years) and for senior positions. It’s arguably more common now because some countries like Singapore have tightened rules on working as a dependant.

You can always go from front office to back office (though it’s a one-way trip), but I can’t imagine a hiring bank finding a front office role for a spouse of someone they recruit or send overseas beyond maybe offering them a good recruiter. But as is not uncommon in law, in these cases one person’s career usually takes a back seat and they move into ops/HR/compliance/investor relations/marketing anyway.

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