Please evaluate and advise what to do overseas young lawyer who plan to move to the UK - my background and info below

[Yury Bulatov]

Hello everyone and firstly thanks a lot to this site and Forum - I am very happy to write here struggling to find any prompts in my career situation. I am 24 Russian man who plan to move to the UK during 2024 to my partner. There is my Summary below:
Background

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Education:

Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow, Russia (2022)

Bachelor in Law (Upper Second Class Honours, 2:1, no particular specialization, non-core studied disciplines (minors) - management and marketing.)

Thesis title “The Interim Results and Tendencies of Further Development of the Pension Reform in Russia”



Employment

July 2022 – September 2022 (firm dealing with intellectual property, included in the Law-300 rating of Russia), Moscow, Russia

Paralegal/Associate

• Preparation of pre-trial claims and lawsuits through clients owning various intellectual property objects
• Detection of intellectual property violators (mainly counterfeit stores) and suing compensations.

December 2022 – present (LLP, engaged in logistics and customs clearance of goods), Almaty, Kazakhstan

Assistant of the Legal Department Head

• Author genuine pre-trial claims and lawsuits, correction of agreements with contractors
• Dealing with receivables, due diligence of potential clients and contractors
• Handling of cargo insurance issues
• Issuing typical contracts for transportation, forwarding services, customs representation, storage in various warehouses, services related to storage
• Participation in state and non-state tenders

* I am expecting a promotion to the position of a lawyer by November of this year, because I have been given only positive feedback from management. At the same time, my boss is going to hand over a considerable part of his duties to me due to the emigration planned.

Other activities:

• Internship, 2 weeks (2021)
• The Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law (translation of legal work about the Digital law).
• Internship, 1 month (2021)
• The Moscow district court, the criminal office (assisting in the court apparatus)
• Participation in The International Practical Conference on Labour Law (2021)

Languages:

• English (up to IELTS completion, at least 6.5-7.0), knowledge in English for Law purposes.
• French (A2).

Enquiry:

It is planned to move to the UK: the exact dates are not yet clear, but migration is scheduled for the next year. I consider options for both work and study but without changing the professional environment. Hence, the following questions have arisen:

• It is not clear how employers will treat such an applicant as I am – as far as I understand, a paralegal can work without a legal education, but could you describe what is the reality? The bachelor’s degree in law is recognized in the UK, but how will it be regarded there?
• What is the best thing to do considering my circumstances – to look for a job or to get an education first?
• To consider the way of education, a large variable problem opens up: if I go to university, what step should I choose as an overseas young lawyer – for a master's degree 1 year (LLM) or GDL?

I will have a right to work in the UK as my partner’s dependant but can’t qualify for home education fees for 3 years. If I went to the university, fees would be a very important point to consider as it is difficult to knock off the cost - scholarships are less than 10% of the cost of a year of study.

I will be glad if you share your ideas and insights on my situation. It is vital to hear the opinion of someone involved in the law field in the UK, especially in education. Thank you in advance!

Best wishes,

Yury Bulatov.