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

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

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?

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.

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.

Would you prefer to retire at 50 or 68?

While this perspective may not be widely appreciated, I BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT to share honesty about offshore legal work. As someone working offshore, I can say it’s not suited for everyone. If you’re highly intelligent, ambitious, and enjoy complex legal challenges, offshore roles typically don’t offer the mental engagement you might expect. I have my reasons I am working offshore and have accepted what I have signed up for with the skill set I have.

Many recruiters and others talk about the quality of offshore work, but in reality, offshore lawyers mainly serve as support staff for onshore lawyers. EVERYONE IN PRACTICE KNOWS THIS (ESPECIALLY HIRING PARTNERS WHO WORK WITH OFFSHORE LAWYERS)- I DON’T KNOW WHY PEOPLE PRETEND OTHERWISE. There’s often little opportunity to work on complex matters.

If you are about to qualify into a top London city firm and have high career aspirations, working offshore as an NQ will be a career setback. Such roles may give the impression that you had limited prospects when trying to return onshore, unless there’s an exceptional surge in hiring like in 2021/2022.

Don’t be misled by recruiters, many are simply trying to earn commissions to the detriment of their candidates, and standards for offshore placements can be lower, making placements easier but not necessarily beneficial to the solicitor long-term. I’ve worked with many recruiters over my career and MOST ARE NOT GOOD. A few gems are out there, but most are just average middlemen.

Most offshore lawyers are also quite protectionist and easily threatened, often unable to compete at the highest levels.

If you’re not too bright, get overwhelmed quickly with the fast pace of practice in London and are comfortable with a more basic lifestyle, offshore can be a financially rewarding option with less work. However, if things go wrong in the future, your options will be limited, and your experience may not translate well onshore, especially if you went offshore as an NQ.

Ultimately, if you are not being offered an NQ position at your firm or are considering offshore because you are at a regional or high street firm, it might be the best available option. But for those with genuine high-level career ambitions, it is worth considering other paths.

Hope this helps.