Season 5: Episode 8: Eva Paloma Treves

Senior Associate at Foley Hoag LLP in New York City

Eva Paloma Treves

Senior Associate at Foley Hoag LLP in New York City

How did she land a job in BigLaw as a LLM?

Eva's story is about persistence and patience - qualities her father, an international law professor and a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, instilled in her. After graduating with her LLM from NYU, it took her three years to officially start her current job at Foley Hoag LLP. During that time, she worked at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and a boutique firm in London, networking, meeting with the partners, and gaining experiences. Today, she’s a senior associate at Foley Hoag LLP in New York City. She also serves as one of the firm’s “ILAD Ambassadors”, chatting with prospective candidates about Foley’s the International Litigation & Arbitration Department (ILAD).  

What’s her advice on how to stand out in the selective process as an internationally trained lawyer?

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Where did you grow up and why did you choose to study law?

I grew up in Italy, specifically in Milan, and I chose to study law for a variety of reasons. First of all, it’s something I was very exposed to—both my parents are lawyers, although my mother doesn’t practice. So, it was something I was definitely familiar with. While growing up, I didn’t necessarily think, “Oh, I’ll become a lawyer,” but when the time came to make a decision, after being undecided for a while, I realized law was something I could do well. It also offered a variety of paths beyond just becoming a lawyer. That was the first step—it was something I understood, I believed I could excel at, and it definitely opened doors to many opportunities.

What languages do you speak?

I speak three languages that I consider equal: Italian, Spanish, and English. I speak them because my father is Italian, my mother is Mexican, and those are my primary, or "mother" tongues. As for English, I’ve grown up with it. In fact, I was born in New York, as were my brothers, and when my family returned to Italy, we were all enrolled in a British school. You wouldn’t be able to tell now from my accent—I should’ve kept the British, I suppose! You can probably still hear a touch of it, though. I went to British school for nursery and primary, but that’s where it ended. My parents switched us to the Italian system after that.

You have done some really interesting work in your career. Could you walk us through your career trajectory up until this point?

During my university years in Milan, I was focused on commercial, private international law. It interested me at the time, plus the courses offered aligned with those areas. I was looking for something international that could give me broader exposure, and my university had the Vis Moot. That's how I got into commercial arbitration.

After graduation, I wanted to continue in an international environment, so I landed a job at the UN as a research assistant. I don’t remember the exact title, but I was essentially an intern who had already graduated. This was in 2013, and I worked in the Codification Division for six months. The division serves as the Secretariat for the Sixth Committee, the Legal Committee of the General Assembly. I was at the Office of Legal Affairs in the Codification Division from August to December 2013.

After UN, I returned to Italy for training. I applied to various law firms, as is the norm. It's different in the US where, after their summer positions, law students may get offers more easily if they perform well. In Italy, it’s not like that—you have to send out cold emails and apply on your own. I had an interview at Freshfields, but while they didn’t have anything in Milan, they suggested I try Rome, where they were handling investment arbitration cases in Spanish. This was ideal for me. Even though I hadn’t done investment arbitration at the time, I had the language skills and the potential to work both in Spanish and Italian. So, I went to Rome, got the job, and stayed for a couple of years.

After that, I felt I needed an academic background in investment arbitration, so I applied for an LLM at NYU, which led me to the International Business Regulation, Litigation, and Arbitration program. It fit my profile well, combining international law with a commercial focus. While at NYU, I strengthened my skills in investment arbitration and law to fill the gaps in my knowledge from working in the field. Through ISIP, the job fair for LLMs, I interviewed with the Permanent Court of Arbitration and was offered a position when I finished my LLM. I decided not to use my OPT, a tough decision, and moved to the Hague to work as Assistant Legal Counsel for just over a year. It was an incredible opportunity because it allowed me to see things from the tribunal's and institution's perspective, a very neutral stance compared to my previous advocacy work. I realized, though, that I missed being an advocate.

A few months in, I started thinking about my next step, sending out resumes, including to Foley Hoag LLP. Interestingly, I had already reached out to Foley while at NYU. I sent an email to the head of the department then. I didn’t hear back from him, but another partner, responded, saying to keep them posted.

After joining the Permanent Court of Arbitration, I updated them and, to my surprise, the partner responded this time, inviting me to meet when I was in the Hague. Though they still weren’t hiring, I stayed in touch with the partner. After my time at the PCA, I moved to London to work at a boutique firm, Volterra Fietta, for a year. It was a gratifying experience, but I felt I needed a change, so I contacted the partner again, asking if they were finally hiring. By then, they were. I got the call from them for an interview, and shortly after, I was on a plane to DC.

I started at Foley in January 2020, but due to the pandemic, I stayed in Paris for two years before finally moving to New York. I’ve been here in New York for three years now, primarily focusing on investor-state arbitration, representing states. I also do a bit of commercial arbitration, state-to-state disputes, and advisory work for NGOs.

I love that how you ended up with Foley is through persistent networking and communication. Do you have advice for students who aspire to look for jobs through networking?

Here at Foley, we have a very nice little community called the “ILAD Ambassadors” (ILAD is short for International Litigation & Arbitration Department). So a few of us associates get pinged by HR. When there's like a student who wants to get to know the department more, etc. and so I get to chat with a lot of students, and this is a story that I always tell them and like you never know when things can circle back in a way; you should follow what you have available and then you never know, you just have to, I guess, keep insisting a little bit and if things work out, then good; if not, take it in another direction. 

You never know when things can actually work out, because it did take me three years to actually start this position, but it's not like other things didn't happen in the meantime. And I don't think that I would have been a better lawyer if I had started immediately at Foley, probably the experience that I had in the middle really made me the lawyer I am today.

What qualities the firms and organizations are looking for when hiring internationally trained lawyers?

It really depends. There’s no single answer to this because firms, and even institutions, often hire based on need. For example, if seven cases come in and they all have a heavy Spanish element—whether because the client is a Latin American country or the majority of the documents are in Spanish—it makes logical sense to hire people with that skill. So one of the things firms always look for is: do these people fit our needs? That can mean language skills, experience, or level of seniority. Why do I mention seniority? Because the more senior you are, the more you're expected to hit the ground running, but you’re also more costly.

So maybe the firm is looking for someone more junior, depending on those constraints. It really depends on the firm's specific needs at that time. The same goes for institutions. If you're administering a case in French, you’re not going to hire someone who doesn’t have that capability.

So, language is an important factor firms and institutions consider, but it all comes down to the specific needs of the cases that are coming in, and you have to be lucky to fit within those qualities they’re looking for at that moment.

I think experience is crucial, especially if you're an LLM. You might have a lot of valuable experience, and here at Foley, we're looking for motivated individuals who are passionate about international law. Knowledge of international law is important, and familiarity with investment arbitration can help, but what really makes you stand out is your experience.

As an LLM, you wouldn't be coming in as a first-year; you’d likely be lateral, which could mean you receive an offer as a first-year, but it's also possible to lateral in at a higher level. Experience matters not only because it makes you useful, but also because the competition is fierce.

Even when I was doing my LLM, there were many candidates with significant experience in International Commercial Arbitration or investment arbitration. If you've just graduated from university and then completed your LLM, your chances of landing a permanent position may be slimmer.

However, you're in a unique position to explore internships while you're still young, which is an advantage. It’s a complex issue. After the initial screening based on experience and motivation, a lot comes down to how you're perceived in the interview. How enthusiastic are you about international law? Can you engage in an intelligent conversation on these topics? That’s what firms consider when hiring LLMs.

Who's my role model in the law?

I think that’s a very, very difficult question. This might sound corny, but my dad was a professor of international law—he’s retired now, but he’ll always be a professor in my eyes. He has a very patient view of things, and I believe that’s a key component for anyone in the profession: to be patient and persistent at the same time.

To follow up on that question, could you share with us some of the formative experiences you had with your father growing up? Did he bring you to work to sit in his class? Did you interact with his colleagues or other professors?

Honestly, my interaction with him as a professor was minimal. However, he was also a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and on a few occasions, I got to sit in on cases being tried since those hearings are public. That was an interesting experience. He’s incredibly hard-working. As a professor, there are really no days off—he's always writing articles, attending conferences, and reviewing materials. I admired that dedication. Those experiences shaped me significantly; I got to observe and appreciate his commitment to his work.

Do you have any advice for the next generation of internationally trained lawyers?

I think that’s essential advice for the next generation of lawyers—go for the "yes." It’s such a challenging time to be looking for a job or breaking into a career. Sometimes, we’re so fixated on what we think we want that we overlook other valuable experiences. So, truly, I believe the most important thing is to pursue what you’re passionate about, but also to be open to what’s available to you.