Elsie5

Hi - am new to this site and hope someone can give me some advice!

My OT and I are planning to move to Sydney maybe next year...I'm a trainee solicitor and am due to qualify in Sept 2010 and my OT is a teacher. He's done his PGCE and is doing a part time NQT this year and will probably go full time as of Sept this year...I think he will be able to find a job easier than I can..

My question is how likely is it for me to get a job as a solicitor in Oz with no PQE? Obviously it would be better for me to try and get some PQE in UK first but we've been wanting to move to OZ for years and want to avoid having to wait much longer...I have 3 years paralegal experience and obviously my training contract but how likely is it for me to get a job in reality..?

Any advice/tips would be much appreciated!

Thanks

LCT

Hi Elsie,

I nearly came out to Oz after finishing my training contract but read in a YSG magazine once that it was better to get a couple of years PQE.

I'm not really sure if that's the case at all. I think it depends a lot on what field you have worked in and want to work in. Some things are a little different here.

There is no training contract requirement here so you'd already have 2 years more experience than an Australian newly qualified lawyer. I was also able to get exemptions from most parts of the requalification requirements based on my training contract experience.

I actually came out with 3 years PQE in insurance litigation but had decided I wanted to move into private client work. As it happens, there isn't much of a private client field here ... so I'm back in insurance at the moment re-evaluating!

Firms are a lot smaller and lawyers specialise a lot less here, particularly in medium/small firms and you might well need to take a pay cut!

Be prepared for lots of people telling you that they are looking for someone with "local experience". But like I said, the type of work you have done / want to do will make a lot of difference.

Good luck!!

Elsie5

Thanks for the info LCT....v interesting! I guess I won't really know until I get there...there's only so much info you can get in UK I suppose...

I have been told that Oz firms tend to employ UK lawyers in commercial type areas only & that it's only the big firms who will take on UK lawyers (and then only ones from top city/regional firms in the UK)- is that true? I don't know yet what I'd like to specialise in and if the above is true, it may be that I need to choose commercial-type seats to give myself the best chance...

Thanks for replying - I've been trying to find out this info from people who have been in the same position and it's v helpful..

LCT

Hiya,

It is definitely a lot easier here if you have worked for one of the big London commercial firms. I think experience in things like corporate finance/banking travels the best.

I did my 3 years PQE with a very well known insurance firm with over 140 partners but very few people in that field here have heard of them.

I'd say try to do what interests you the most as to spend an entire career doing something that doesn't interest you would be horrible! You will find ways to make things work when you get here.

Bonnie65

I had no commercial experience at all in the UK and have found no problems at all getting jobs
But then I'm in regional Queensland rather than Sydney.

I came out to validate my visa in July 2005 and got offered a job doing personal injury even though we were not migrating permanently until February 2006! Money wasn't very good though as obviously I was still not Qld qualified although I had 16 years PQE in the UK.

I'm now working for a much larger firm still doing PI - still in the same place but the firm has offices all over Qld and also in WA and Victoria. Just about to re-qualify hopefully (I wasn't sure whether I was going to bother originally but decided to bite the bullet in the end.)
My firm has recruited a lot of UK solicitors but they have no offices in NSW at the moment I'm afraid.

Sam27

Hi
I am actually working as a Paralegal just now but looking into starting my degree this year in order to qualify as a solicitor. I do personal injury work at the moment. Once I qualify I would be looking at moving to oz either on a sponsorship or ideally on the skilled visa. I have however been told that it is extremely difficult to move to oz as a solicitor because of having to be admitted into the state that you wish to practice in. For those of you who are already working in oz as solicitors how easy is the process? Any advice on this would be fantastic.
Thank you!

Elsie5

Thanks for the info...I thought it was likely that commercial lawyers would be the most sought after in NSW...unfortunately I don't work for a city firm but I am in top regional firm..so who knows? I guess I need to wait until nearer to qualification before thinking about it seriously/look at jobs etc...

Sam - in terms of actually re-qualifying in Oz I think there's another similar thread on here which sets out the process etc..

Thanks again for your replies x

Jeava

Hi. This is my first post. I'm a personal injury/civil litigation solicitor. I have 16 years PQE in the UK. I was admitted in Qld in April 2008. We got our visas in Feb 2009 and we arrive in regional Qld in May/June 2009. Counting the days, but at the same time getting a bit stressed about whether or not it will be easy to find a job. What's the legal job market like in Qld at the moment? Did you find it easy to practise in Qld with your UK experience or was there a steep learning curve? Any reassurance would be much appreciated!!

Bonnie65

Hi

Nice to hear from you

I'm very impressed that you were admitted before you even got your visas (presumably that was because you were the primary applicant?) You must have been very organised! My admission ceremony is on Monday so am really looking forward to being able to call myself a solicitor again instead of a "Law Clerk"!

To be honest I'm not really sure what the legal job market is like as I'm not looking to move jobs at the moment. We live in Toowoomba and I did see the Council advertising in the local paper for a Principal Solicitor last week. I got my current job through a friend but these agencies had been recommended to me previously
http://www.focusrecruitment.com.au/
http://www.kmalone-recruitment.com.au/

They are based in Brisbane but I am sure they place regional candidates too.

Whereabouts are you moving to? My firm is recruiting at the moment
http://www.shine.com.au/pages/careers-positions.html

There are some additional positions on our intranet that are not on the external website so, if you let me know where you are going to, I can let you know whether they are looking there.

It has been quite a steep learning curve for me but then I am quite old and set in my ways
Certainly, in my experience, you can forget the laid back image the Aussies have. People work extremely hard although you are expected to get your chargeable hours between the hours of 8-5. People don't tend to work late
Obviously firms vary. Where I am at the moment, their training is second to none and there are great opportunities for progression.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you want to know anything else

Bonnie65

[QUOTE

http://www.kmalone-recruitment.com.au/

QUOTE]

Actually, looking at the Kim Malone website, I wouldn't mind betting that most of their advertised PI positions are with my firm!

Jeava

What a coincidence!! I sent my CV direct to Shine on 2March for the PI role in Cairns - haven't heard anything yet! Should I chase yet!?

I've heard that Shine is an excellent PI firm which treats its staff well, and that they employ a few UK lawyers. I've also dealt with Kim Malone, but Focus was a new one for me. Thanks.

We would ideally like to be either in Cairns or the Sunshine Coast. We love both and which one we go for will probably depend on jobs. There's a possibility of a PI role at Turner Freeman (small office in Cairns;large office in Brisbane) - any views on them as a firm?

Congratulations on your admission and good luck for Monday.

Many thanks for your help.

Bonnie65

I am a bit surprised you haven't heard anything in relation to the Cairns position but I see from the intranet that it's for a senior solicitor and I don't think they would recruit somebody fresh from the UK for a senior position. There are positions available for solicitors at Townsville and Mackay. None at the Sunny coast but I think that would be a very sought after position if one came up and they would fill it internally.

Never heard of Turner Freeman but then, doing Plaintiff PI, I only really know Defendant firms.....

Katherined0

Just be warned teaching jobs are not necessarily that easy to come by in Sydney -- obviously some subjects are more in demand than others....