Encouraging News From London
January 20, 2010 by Damian
I received an email from one of my colleagues in London this morning which should give those people thinking of going to London some hope.
The tenor of the email was that although it is still very difficult for an overseas lawyer to secure a position in London, some firms are now are starting to look at overseas lawyers again.
The catch is that, as it stands, you really need at least 3 years experience from a leading firm, have a work permit (i.e. do not need to be sponsored) and be on the ground in London for interview.
I realise that these criteria are reasonably hard to meet but for those that do meet them, it looks like there may be some opportunities for you at present. For those that don’t, I’m afraid that the best advice that I can give is to sit tight and wait for the market to develop further and take your chance later in the year.
If you would like to have a chat about this in more detail, feel free to give me a call!!
Taking A Risk
August 25, 2009 by Damian
The other day I met up with a senior lawyer who I placed last year into a top tier firm here in Wellington.
This candidate is a born, bred and committed Aucklander who, at the time, had just bought a property near the Harbour, having just returned from the UK, and was initially only looking for roles in Auckland.
For a variety of reasons, none of the approaches to Auckland firms were successful so he took a risk and turned his attention to Wellington (where he knew only a handful of people) and was quickly snapped up by a firm who obviously saw some real long term potential in him. Unbeknownst to them, his thought at the time was to use his time in Wellington as a stepping stone to getting back to Auckland to live in his beautiful house near his family and friends.
However, as time has gone on, he has done exceptionally well in Wellington, he has a growing client base, a burgeoning reputation and a flat near Wellington harbour. He told me at the weekend that although nothing is certain, partnership is a real possibility now and as such, he has decided to sell his place in Auckland and settle in Wellington to pursue his personal and professional life down here.
Now the point here is not that Wellington is better than Auckland or vice versa but that this person took a risk in a difficult market and it has paid off in spades for him. He could have stayed in his comfort zone in Auckland and possibly picked something up in time but instead, he took the more difficult route of relocating and starting afresh and as it looks like he could be sitting at the partnership table soon, he deserves everything that is coming to him.
I realise that for a variety of reasons, some people cannot relocate to get a position. For others though, moving out of their comfort zone and striking out on one’s own in a new location, although admittedly daunting, could be the making of them, both from a personal and professional perspective.
As the famous ice hockey player Wayne Gretsky said: ‘You will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’. In other words, if you are in the position to do so, take the chance to try something new. It could be the best decision you will ever make.