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‘As an NQ lawyer, would moving offshore damage my career?’

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By Legal Cheek on

17

Change of scene


In our latest Career Conundrum, a soon-to-be qualified solicitor is looking for a new role overseas but is worried about what impact it might have on their legal career.

“Hi Legal Cheek. I’ve got a question for you career conundrum section which I don’t think you have covered before. So I am nearing qualification at a law firm in London and I am looking for change of scene. While internally the firm has signalled that NQs who want to stay on will be offered a role (it’s not a big cohort), I have been considering a move to BVI [British Virgin Islands] or Bermuda. This wouldn’t be long-term as I’d like to return to England, and possibly London, after a few years.”

“My question comes from things I’ve heard from some lawyers and seen on message boards, that spending time overseas like this can hurt your career when you come back to the UK. I’m not sure I really believe that, but I’d love to hear from others who’ve done it. Thank you and please keep me anonymous.”

If you have a career conundrum, email us at tips@legalcheek.com.

17 Comments

Kirkland NQ

Don’t do it. There are no good roads in those places and your Lambo will be chipped and damaged. Wait till you’re a partner and have yacht money.

Reply Report comment
(7)(19)

Go with the flow

It really depends on what practice area you’re in but generally, it’s better to move after a few years. However, life is too short so if you want the offshore lifestyle for a couple of years, go for it

Reply Report comment
(14)(1)

Perspective

A friend of mine did this when he was about 40 and working at a so-so smallish regional firm, not earning a huge amount, his career having taken a few twists and turns that were no reflection on him and his work. Worked in Cayman and Bermuda for about 4 years. On the basis of experience gained he landed an excellent job in a much better firm when he got back, and was later made partner. Quality will out.

I wouldn’t do it as a NQ, I’d stay a year at least and then do it.

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(13)(1)

Offshore lawyer

I made the move offshore. I make much more money and my hours are a lot better than my friends in London.

You could make the same money at a US or MC firm but why do that when the lifestyle is so much better offshore?

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(10)(1)

Offshore Senior

Do it! life is short – go get your money.

The truth is that 99.9% of the population doesn’t care. A lawyer is a lawyer. Only snobby and bitter lawyers living in places like London still riding the “prestige” myth and paying 60% tax will judge a move like this. But at the end of a day we’re all just sat behind a computer typing words on a screen. So why not do that in a location you enjoy.

But if you’re concerned about development and quality of work in BVI, consider UAE as a much better alternative instead.

Reply Report comment
(14)(3)

Ken

I am a legal recruiter and recruit for the offshore jurisdictions, having previously worked in the BVI as a lawyer before I moved into recruitment.

First of all, you’re not going to be going to Bermuda as an NQ – you need to be at least 3PQE so unfortunately that jurisdiction is out for you.

With BVI I would say you should only go there as an NQ if you are qualifying into disputes. You’d get great experience far above and beyond what you’re likely to get in just about any disputes team in London and it will absolutely stand out on your CV in a few years’ time if you decide to return onshore. For anything other than disputes, you want to have at least 1, possibly 2 years of onshore (or Channel Islands) experience to give you that standard base of knowledge and practice before you go to BVI unless you don’t have any plans to return onshore.

There is of course the possibility of making a return to one of the offshore firms’ London offices or going further afield to Hong Kong, Singapore etc. once you’ve got that BVI experience under your belt, so you may not need to return to an onshore firm.

If you’re wanting to qualify into another practice area, you’d probably be better looking at the Channel Islands (although the salaries there have not kept pace with the big London firms – even with the lower 20% income tax). Work/life balance in all the jurisdictions is going to be better than London though, without a doubt.

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(10)(0)

Little goblin of law

How about 4-5 PQE, looking at BVI as potential long term. In Corporate, so M&A stuff. What’s your view on that move?

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(0)(0)

Ken Okumura

If you’ve got good onshore experience under your belt then absolutely – nothing stopping you doing that kind of move. I moved to BVI at 4PQEish after working at a MC firm and didn’t have much difficulty in moving back to London after 3 years in BVI. I ended up being hired by SJ Berwin, but had interest from a few other firms as well and I think I only used two recruiters to look back in London so it wasn’t a particularly strong effort on my part to cover the whole market.

At 4-5PQE though you could also look at Cayman. It depends what you want out of the move. Cayman has more creature comforts and pays better with 0% income tax, but BVI is a much more genuine Caribbean experience – it’s an archipelago consisting of lush undulating islands and you get to see other islands when you’re driving into work, but in Cayman the only things you see out to sea are cruise ships as it’s even far from the other Cayman Islands. Grand Cayman is also pretty much flat!

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(2)(0)

He's Just Ken

Why did you leave? Is it because everywhere else you’d be a ten?

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(0)(1)

Onshore

At NQ you are more jurisdiction-restricted (e.g. Bermuda requires 3 PQE to grant work permits), so actually research carefully where you would be eligible to work. The type/pace of work will be different which may or may not act against you in future, but honestly, if you’re at a good firm and get good experience, there are unlikely to be any significantly negative career implications.

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(1)(0)

Tax dodger

Agree with this and to add, for some it acts as a shop window for a move to City firms – worked offshore and know plenty of juniors who moved to US/MC firms after a few years in the offshore world.

The practice areas also tend to be broader than City firms, which means you get exposure to a variety of matters, albeit less in the detail and not leading the transaction – the latter is probably the steepest learning curve when moving back from the offshore!

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(0)(0)

No, no, no

As a NQ it is a terrible idea. NQ’s can’t get work permits in the decent jurisdictions. They will maybe get a paralegal permit, and then be paid paralegal rates and nothing better on the CV afterwards.

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(0)(4)

Ken

This is not accurate.

Bermuda and Cayman, yes… you need 3PQE to be admitted so you can’t move there.

BVI you can move as an NQ (I’ve got two NQs starting in disputes this summer). They are moving as associates, as they should be. In fact in BVI there’s very little interest in hiring paralegals for disputes because they can’t recover costs through the court for people who aren’t admitted in the BVI.

In Jersey and Guernsey NQs can (if they need them) get work permits. They might not be able to get housing licenses in all cases (meaning they would have a narrower selection of places to live) – but that doesn’t stop them being an associate

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(2)(0)

Two cents

Bad idea to go offshore generally. You’ll be a post box and you should only go there if you have no ambitions and have hit a roadblock in your career here.

If you want a change, try the UAE, Hong Kong or Singapore. Way better than offshore jurisdictions.

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(1)(3)

Tax Dodger

Would you prefer to retire at 50 or 68?

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(0)(0)

Why pay the leftists to blow your hard earned money?

Exactly, $1 income offshore, tax free = £1.50 pre-tax income in the UK for highest rate earners.

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(0)(0)

2pqe

What are the big offshore firms? I don’t think any on the US/MC/SC firms have offices offshore.

What are the salaries like?

Reply Report comment
(0)(0)

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