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