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Deborah Glatter, Director of Professional Development at Cassels Brock LLP and,

Carolyn Berger, Managing Director, Marsden Group – Panel Moderator

Planning Your International Move

Wherever you are presently based, how many times have you sat back and considered an exciting future for yourself far from your home?  Are you based in sunny Sydney but dream of the high-life in a tax-free and lucrative location in the Middle East? Have you sat on the tube in drizzle soaked London and fancied yourself working from the sunny shores of the Caribbean or laid back Australia? Are you hoping to swap the beauty of Auckland for a life in a fast paced finance centre like Hong Kong, London or Singapore?

If you are at the beginning of your career and have a long term plan to move overseas for professional and/or personal reasons it is essential to be realistic about it, and ensure that you have the skill set necessary for making such a move. It is important to remember that it is usually only the international/top local firms in each jurisdiction who will employ foreign qualified lawyers.  Further, and particularly in a difficult economic market, such firms are only prepared to go through the relatively complicated process of recruiting a lawyer from overseas and securing that person a work permit/visa where there is a real need for an exceptional individual, with specialist experience and, in situations where there is  a dearth of locally available specialists.

What do employers look for when recruiting a lawyer from overseas:-

1. Academics - when recruiting a specialist from a different jurisdiction, one of the first things a potential employer will look at are the candidate’s academics. Employers are not prepared to take risks in recruitment and consequently will err on the side of caution, rejecting individuals with average academics and only interviewing those with the top academics from internationally recognised institutions.

2. Law Firm – a partner will always feel more comfortable recruiting a lawyer from a recognised name.  You may have the view that you will gain more hands-on responsibility from a smaller player; however whether or not that is the case, it will always be easier to make a move from a well recognised top 20 firm than from a niche/boutique player or a general practice firm.

3.  Area of Specialization –the areas that are in demand for lawyers relocating to a new jurisdiction tend to be the commercial areas of international capital markets, corporate, banking and finance, projects, funds etc.  Whilst these areas are all cyclical and are affected by the vagaries of the markets, they remain the areas where it is traditionally harder to recruit and therefore where firms are prepared to look at foreign qualified lawyers.  It is much more difficult to move overseas in other specialities; especially in a tight market such as this.  It is rare, for example, for a firm to look at a real estate lawyer from a different jurisdiction.  Whilst there are some needs for foreign qualified commercial litigators, the requirement for individuals to re-qualify means that where they can, a firm will usually try and recruit a locally qualified individual. Lawyers with backgrounds in family law, criminal, immigration, civil litigation, residential property etc will find it more difficult to secure a role overseas.

4. Years of experience – whilst you may be anxious to move onto the next phase in your life, it will certainly be easier to secure a position when you have some real experience to offer a new employer.  Moving at newly qualified level is difficult; with little to distinguish yourself, you will be competing with a raft of others at a similar level who are locally qualified.  There is also the fact that lawyers qualify in a different manner in each jurisdiction; a NQ in New South Wales, Australia will qualify without a training contract whereas a NQ in Hong Kong will have spent 2 years at a law firm before qualifying.  Thus candidates moving from jurisdictions like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada will usually have between 1-2 years discounted when moving to a UK law firm; similarly candidates from all jurisdictions may well have time discounted if moving to a US firm.  

5. Practical experience –v- academic experience – nothing compares to solid practical legal experience. A candidate with one good degree who can demonstrate first class experience with a top international law firm will be eminently more appealing to an employer than an individual with a series of degrees at graduate and post-graduate level and no practical experience.  Similarly, a series of internships with a variety of employers does not equate to a period of permanent employment with a good name firm.

6. Languages – if you aspire to move to a jurisdiction where English is not the main spoken/written language then oral and written fluency in the relevant language will assist in your job search considerably.  Nowhere is this more important than in China and Hong Kong where the most sought after candidates are those who speak native level Mandarin and read and write Chinese.  Merely having some understanding of the language will rarely assist in your job search, nor will a desire to learn the language.  Not having language skills for locations like Japan, Hong Kong and even China will not mean that you cannot find work (if other factors such as experience from a top tier firm and strong academic background are in your favour) but having languages skills for these locations certainly helps a lot.

An international move is exciting from a personal perspective and can offer unparalleled career opportunities.  It is clear therefore that if you are intend to make an international move you must position yourself so that you are irresistible to future employers.

• Initially when choosing a university make sure it is internationally recognised as a leading university.
• Take subjects which you think will earn you the best possible grades so that you will gain a high class of degree and graduate towards the top of your class
• Ensure that you begin your career with a prestigious commercial law firm, ideally in a major legal and financial centre; choose Sydney over the Gold Coast; Auckland over Christchurch; London over Birmingham
• Ideally steer your career down a non-contentious commercial path
• Bide your time until you have at least one year post qualified experience or more
• Do not job hop. Law firms are conservative in their recruitment and selection process. The more moves you have on your CV the less attractive you are as a candidate.
• Consider and research your destination carefully.  Although the London market remains relatively difficult there are still jobs for absolute top class lawyers and there are jobs nearby in the Channel Islands; the Middle East is picking up and usually does not require foreign languages; whilst language requirements are very important in Hong Kong, Singapore does not have the same requirements; Australia is crying out for projects and oil & gas lawyers; and there are roles for good corporate/projects lawyers in more unusual locations including Saudi Arabia and Central Asia.

 Finally, be realistic; look at your experience critically.  If your CV does not tick the right boxes do something to change it whilst you are still junior; make a move upwards to a more prestigious firm; try to change specialty within your own firm; and finally be prepared to wait until the markets become more buoyant.  Making such changes could ultimately benefit your long term career and prospects whether you make that international move or you opt to progress your career at home. 

Two of Marsden’s principals, Jonathan Walmsley and Jonathan Marsden, were recently in Singapore to meet with partners from premier UK and US firms as well as lawyers we have placed into the region . Here’s the essence of what’s going on:

• Most firms are looking to seriously grow in South East Asia in the next 2 years.
• Many UK firms are about to move offices. One silver circle firm has taken space which will allow it to accommodate 27 new lawyers. Clifford Chance has gone public with its plans to double revenue across Asia in the next 4 years and with this comes growth at associate level. One magic circle firm has already grown by 30% over the last 12 months. Firms will be growing through further lateral hires at associate level and through internal transfers from other offices.
• Premier US firms are looking for lawyers in capital markets, corporate (including private equity) and finance. Lawyers will tend to have broad practices in these firms. All US firms are looking for lawyers with premier firm training and top academics. Junior – mid level lawyers are in most demand. US and non US lawyers in demand by these firms which pay full New York rates.
• UK firms are looking for a range of skills across all transactional areas and junior – mid level lawyers are in most demand. There are limited opportunities in litigation.
• Singaporean lawyers and lateral Singaporean partners are in demand across a number of firms (UK and US) with lawyers from top tier local firms such as Allen & Gledhill, Wong Partnership and Stamford etc in high demand.
• Indonesian, Indian and Malaysian work is flooding in to Singapore. Connections with these countries will prove to be very valuable.
• Tax rates remain very low and are one of the reasons many ex pat lawyers want to live and work in Singapore.
• There are now over 1000 overseas qualified lawyers working in the international firms in Singapore. The lawyers we have placed in Singapore are happy with their move. They are getting great work and are well paid and enjoying traveling across different parts of Asia.

For more information on the Singapore market and to discuss opportunities relevant to you contact:

Jonathan Walmsley:
jonathan.walmsley@marsdengroup.com +612 8014 9050

Sally Gardner:
sally.gardner@marsdengroup.com +65 6832 5656

Jonathan Marsden
jonathan.marsden@marsdengroup.com +44 203 326 0842

With increased options post the worst of the GFC, Greg Plummer, Director at Marsden Legal outlines developments in the main jurisdictions of choice for New Zealand lawyers and offers some practical tips to those considering a move oversea.  Click here to read the full article.

With the international job market finally picking up – you now have more options and opportunities.  However, it’s important to choose your overeas role carefully.

Here are three of the key considerations when considering your international career move:
 
1. What’s motivating your move? Is this a career move – or one that is motivated by personal goals eg a long held desire to live in Paris and learn French?  If the former, think very carefully about location as the quality of legal work (and more importantly other firms’ perception of
it) can vary significantly. The most prestigious "career" locations are still London, New York and Hong Kong. However, make a wrong move, and this can affect how easy it is to make your next move (or return home).
 
2. Money. Where will you maximise the financial return for your efforts?
When comparing salaries, factor in tax rates and cost of living . The cost of living in zero tax jurisdictions like Dubai has fallen in recent years as the GFC took hold. Taxes are very low in Hong Kong and salaries are high. The very strong A$ has, on the face of it, made it seem less attractive to work overseas  – when in fact a salary of say, GBP 80 000 will go just as far in London as it did 3 years ago.
 
3. Return to OZ. In many ways – this is the most important consideration. 90% of Australian lawyers will return to Australia in the longer term. You should always have one eye on the market back home.
Generally speaking, the more senior you are the fewer job opportunities there are for you (anywhere). Stay too long overseas and your career options back home may be reduced or you may have to take a step backwards (in salary or status). As more lawyers are staying longer overseas, there can be bottlenecks on return. As partnership becomes ever more competitive, you will need to give yourself a good run up to partnership back in Australia to develop your client base and build a business case for promotion.

As one of the most if not the most popular social network, Facebook has the kind of reach that not only makes it desirable for casual communication but also increasingly for professional networking. Employers also see this potential and various sources estimate that around 30% of employees are screened via Facebook. Many embarrassing Facebook incidents make the news every day and have not only resulted in the public shaming or worse of the individual concerned but often a loss of employment or even jail. Knowing that your life, whether private or professional may be under scrutiny on Facebook, some simple rules can help you save face and your career: people can and will judge you by the company you keep so be aware of what your friends are doing and how this may impact on you, set up your privacy settings to restrict who has access to your information, avoid whining and complaining about your job, colleague or boss and do not post information that conflicts with your resume or statements/statuses that clearly show your abuse or a colleague’s abuse of time, resources or work privileges. Finally, if you must use Facebook to network and socialize, you should consider setting up a profile that is strictly for professional use in order to keep your personal and professional life separate.

… may not be rocket science but getting the right one takes a mixture of skill and luck.  Let’s tackle skill first.  It seems obvious that you need to have the right qualifications and experience that the potential employer is looking for but communicating this to the employer does require some skill.  For example, not only will you will need to prepare a CV, a synopsis of legal experience but at interview, you have to impress the interviewers that you are a good fit (both professionally and personally), for the position they are looking to fill.  Next, luck plays a larger part in getting the right job than we would hope or care to admit – my parents would always say that you have to be at the right place at the right time.  But is that really luck?  Being at the right place at the right time requires patience and the ability to move quickly when the right opportunity arises.  In the next few blogs, I will outline what we at Marsden believe, are steps you can take to find the right job.

For two weeks in February, I had the chance to travel to Vancouver to experience the Games. What sticks out most in my mind about the trip isn’t the actual sporting events, but the sense of joy, revelry, and national pride that permeated the entire city. Canadians have a reputation of being nice, polite and modest. But having left a city locally known as “The Centre of the Universe” for a province whose licence plates bear the tagline “The Best Place on Earth,” I (politely) beg to differ.

We disembarked from the plane to a changed city. Main streets were closed to traffic and had transformed into massive street parties with revelers fervently waving the maple leaf flag. Wherever we looked, no matter how bustling the crowd or how long the line, people beamed and cheered. Crowds broke out into spontaneous renditions of the national anthem, flash-mob dances, and impromptu street hockey games. On-duty police officers passed out high-fives and took pictures for tourists. The city had become a happy, hopping, place-to-be.

The main attractions, the sporting events, were also jubilant.The Canada-Switzerland hockey game we attended was an incredibly uplifting display of patriotism. But it wasn’t always about Canadian pride. People were thrilled to show any kind of pride. At the Germany-Sweden hockey game we saw, we noticed Swedish fans in yellow and blue, German fans in red, orange and black, and locals dressed in red and white –but waving the flags of either playing team. At the surprisingly rowdy curling match we attended, locals cheered for Canada as well as for other countries: our neighbors to the south (“U-S-A!”), France (“Allez les Bleus!”) Switzerland (“Hopp Schwiiz!”), and Norway (“Nice Pants!”) When the American women’s hockey team received their silver medals, some with tears in their eyes, the entire stadium erupted in a show of support, chanting “USA! USA! USA!” –because that’s just how nice Canadians are.

When the 17 days of relentless cheering, chanting, and sporting events came to an end, I returned to the Centre of the Universe a little tired, a little hoarse, but full of a sense of national pride that I realized had always been there. And better than the feeling of patriotism was the feeling of being a part of something bigger, something global, something…Olympic. London 2012? I can’t wait.

UK law firms are continuing to invest in outsourcing legal work traditionally undertaken by associates. The idea is that big-ticket work will be undertaken within the firm whereas lower end work will be outsourced to places such as India. How will this affect the hiring of junior associates?

The London Times ran an article recently stating that “…predictions suggest that fewer young lawyers will make it in the top London law firms and experts say that the rise in outsourcing will lead to fewer people overall being taken on in London.” I tend to agree somewhat with this suggestion but I do not think that it will be as bad as is being touted, for at least a couple of reasons. First, large law firms recruit junior lawyers not only to undertake deals/cases but also to prepare for overall succession for the firm down the road. Yes, it is true that many lawyers lateral into firms and that partners too make lateral moves taking their team and clients but time and again, we hear the same refrain from firms as to how they like to train their lawyers from the ground up. For lawyers to be successful at firms, they not only need to be good lawyers but they need to learn the culture of the firm – elevation to partnership at a law firm is part ability external contacts (clients) and part internal networking. The goodwill a lawyer generates internally plays a huge part of rising through the ranks. Secondly, I think that quality control and confidentiality issues will continue to play a large part in outsourcing. We are living through a worldwide recession and costs are at the forefront of every client’s mind. When the economy ticks upward again, concerns about spending on lawyers will again subside being countered by the requirement for quality legal services.

In this tough economic climate, many young lawyers will be rejected without even being offered an interview. As such, they will not get much interview practice but more importantly they will get only a few opportunities to make the job their own. It is therefore important that they take every measure to ensure that they impress at every level.

• There is no excuse these days not to be prepared for an interview. Know the firm, know the deals/cases it has recently worked on, know the partners and associates you will meet and talk to as many people as you can in advance to glean this information. Know how to get there and don’t be late. Know the questions you want to ask and show that you understand the priorities of the firm.

• Dress appropriately. A law firm is a professional environment and even if the firm has a dress down policy, dress up and not down. Cautious conservatism works.

• Be calm. It is important that you show a professional attitude. Do not arrive flustered and be sure to greet each and every person introduced with good eye contact and a smile.

• Try and bring folder with you containing extra copies of the materials that have been sent to the firm. It shows preparation.

• Be yourself. Your interviewers will be uncomfortable hiring you if they feel you are pretending to be someone other than yourself. Do not be evasive and duck questions.

• Do not ever talk badly of your previous employers. It will lead your interviewer to feel that it is only a matter of time before you speak ill of his/her own firm.

• Be prepared to demonstrate your ability to do the job by being able to talk about your previous experience amongst other things.

• Do not raise the question of money. Your recruiter will be able to bring that up separately and at a time an offer is made.

• Be sure to follow up with a polite but not over-effusive note thanking the individuals who took time to meet with you and confirming your interest in the firm.