FAQs

Yes, unless your spouse has obtained a work visa, you will need to have your employer apply for the work visa for you.

Mandarin is always an advantage as so much work is driven by Mainland China, however specialist skills in high demand areas such as derivatives or funds often overweigh the lack of language skill.

For culture assimilation it is certainly an advantage but for Mandarin to be viewed as a useful skill, you need to be fluent enough to attend a meeting, negotiate in the language and in terms of written, you need to be able to read a legal document.

It is not always necessary to be able to draft from scratch but your technical language level must be sufficient to mark up or amend a document.

No, you can practice as a registered foreign lawyer advising on the law of the jurisdiction that you are licensed in, as long as you have at least two years experience. If you wish to be licensed in Hong Kong, you need to take the Qualified Lawyer’s Transfer Test. Please check with the Hong Kong Law Society www.hklawsoc.org for information.

When you are busy at work, it is difficult to find the time to look for another job particularly if you share an office. We can do the running around for you and tell you where the suitable vacancies are – the majority of firms and companies who recruit lawyers use recruitment consultants.

As experts in the legal market, we can provide you with inside information about firms which cannot be gleaned from websites and brochures such as the culture and personalities in the team.

We can offer advice as to what to expect from the interview and act as a sounding board for your thoughts leading up to interview and for your feedback afterwards.

It is easier to have a “middle person” both to sell your qualities over and above other applicants and to conduct any negotiations on your behalf (particularly about money!).

The recruiting firm or company pays our fee and you receive our services for free.

Many people have a misconception that the ideal CV should all be on one page. This is not the case for lawyers’ CV’s, which should be about 2 or 3 pages long. You can describe your work experience by bullet point as excessive detail should be avoided.

It depends on the organisation, but with law firms before an offer is made there are usually 2 interviews conducted by partners followed by a more informal meeting with several assistants often by way of drinks. Generally speaking, the first interview is more of a “does your face fit” meeting and the second interview tends to be where more technical questions are asked. The meeting with assistants is more for your benefit and provides the opportunity for you to ask questions that you may not feel you could ask the partners.

The most important factor prior to interview is adequate preparation:

• Research the firm by obtaining marketing information from websites, brochures and legal directories
• Study the job specification and think about how you have the required experience and skills
• Anticipate the types of questions that will be asked. Whilst you will never know exactly what you will be asked, some common questions are as follows:

Why are you interested in the firm?
Researching the firm as above will help here.

Why do you want to leave your current firm?
Do not concentrate on any negative reasons for wanting to leave and try to focus on the positive aspects of the new role.

Technical questions
It is never easy to predict these but be prepared to talk about your experience on your CV which may involve refreshing your memory and any important recent case law/legislation relevant to your area of law.

What are your salary expectations?
It is best to be vague and say that you are looking for the market rate of the particular type of organisation. If you are pinned down, it is a good idea to give a range. Discuss this with your recruiter beforehand so that you come up with a realistic salary.

Do you have any questions to ask us?
This is often asked at the conclusion of the interview. Do prepare a list of several questions as some of these will have been answered for you during the course of the interview and if you have none it may be interpreted as showing a lack of interest. Questions about career path and training are good ones. You should not ask about salary at first interview.

In recent years, the international market for lawyers has really opened up with opportunities in Australia/New Zealand, United Kingdom and the Middle East. Very few vacancies arise at newly qualified level. Firms are generally looking for a couple of years’ post-qualification experience. Banking and corporate lawyers are most in demand. Firms are also interested in energy, projects, construction and TMT experience. Vacancies in property, employment and dispute resolution do, on occasion, arise however overseas opportunities in these fields are rare.

It is important to choose a recruiter that you feel comfortable with, who takes the time to get to know you and understand your needs. You should be looking for a recruiter who knows the market and operates in a structured, ethical and professional manner and will not simply send your CV round the market. If you do choose more than one, limit it to a small number and ensure that you are in control of the process. Your CV should not be sent without your express consent and make sure you keep an up-to-date list of your applications to avoid any duplication, which can be seen as negative by firms.

The best stage to move in-house is between 2-7 pqe when a solicitor can further develop his/her legal training in private practice. It is highly advisable to stay in private practice for 2 years following qualification in order to consolidate the legal training. The vast majority of in-house opportunities are for solicitors between 2-7 pqe and it is at this level that in-house employers believe that they can still easily mould and develop a more commercially focused mind-set.

It is still possible to return to private practice after a stint in-house. The ease with which this can be done depends upon the market and at the more senior level you are more likely to require a following. However, your in-house contacts and skills are valuable assets to prospective employers in private practice.