Lawyers In The Middle East - Check Before You Jump

Lawyers In The Middle East - Check Before You Jump

www.LawFuel.co.nz - Legal Jobs Network - An article in LawFuel.co.nz points out the need for lawyers seeking work in the Middle East, attracted by monstrous salaries and exciting work prospects, need to also carefully research the firms they plan to work for.

An article on two Australian lawyers working in Dubai shows the need to focus on word-of-mouth referral as much as law firm blurbs and recruiters' spin. One says it is important to to find out how long the firm has been there and how long a particular partner may have been there. "Longevity is important. In my particular field, I found the information in Legal 500 and Chambers was generally accurate," he says.

"Every mid-level UK law firm in the Middle East will tell you they are really a magic circle-like firm in their respective Middle East jurisdictions. This may have been true five years ago, but with the recent entry of the real circle firms, that claim now rings hollow. Firms will promise a lot in this market because the competition to catch good lawyers is intense."

The Middle East and Eastern Europe have become major recruiting grounds for lawyers from New Zealand, Australia and UK and elsewhere as law firms, particularly UK 'magic circle' law firms, seek to fuel their growing practices with lawyers who can be offered salaries way above anything they can hope to receive at home.

ENDS

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