If you own a degree - or any other qualification - then you'll already be in front of of the bunch when it comes to looking for vocations. My pal has a degree and he wasn't certain what direction to go with it, but he found some great tips on the resource in the resource box below which helped him to decide that he wanted to be a lab assistant. There is a lot of guidance on the resource regarding other vocations.

I think your best shot would be to work in the US for a few years after law school, preferably at a prestigious law firm that specializes or at least offers international law of some sort, and then ask for a transfer to the French office. That's the easiest way for an American with an American JD to use his or her degree abroad. The French and American legal systems are quite different, as I'm sure you know, so I imagine it'd be very difficult to do anything with your JD in France.

To work at a law firm like the one I described above, your law school would have to be very prestigious (definitely top 14; ideally top 6). These jobs are highly coveted and competitive, and there aren't many to be had, and you don't just get them right out of law school, so really everything needs to be working in your favor. Honestly, the chance that you'd have any success doing this is very low, but if you want to use your JD in France, this is your best opportunity to do so.

If France is really your goal, perhaps a JD isn't the best option. How about obtaining a French law degree?

If you specialize in maritime law then you can live and practice anywhere American companies have ships or offshore drilling equipment. So if living in france is what you want when do so, There is nothing preventing you from taking the test in France either. This way you could practice there also. In that position in Europe you might want a bar card in other countries as well. Italy, Spain and Germany are all exporters to the US. Just pick one that will allow you to take the test and start learning to speak the language now .