Autumn 2023 update for Kiwi lawyers in London

It feels appropriate after a weekend in which New Zealand’s politics and also the world’s rugby rankings were turned on their head (to the joy and despair of groups no Venn diagram can adequately illustrate) to post an update on the London legal market.

We’re seeing some shoots of growth following a very quiet summer, but activity hasn’t significantly increased in transactional areas: corporate, real estate, and banking are still very quiet. Hopefully things will improve as we approach Christmas.

For recently arrived foreign-qualified lawyers, particularly those with backgrounds in real estate, corporate, or employment law, things are still very tough; not just in the permanent market but also in the contracting world which many tried to avoid for a long as possible. There are Kiwis lawyers across all of these skill sets who arrived in London earlier this year and have been unable to find work – plenty of firms are not considering foreign-qualified lawyers when they do have roles across the less in demand practice areas.

To those Kiwi lawyers who have been trying unsuccessfully to land something in a suddenly inhospitable market, you have my sympathy. If you’re not already, do consider some of the options I suggested in an earlier article, including wider geographies than just central London.

And remember, although in better times when more firms are recruiting, it behooves you to stick pretty closely with one or two recruiters who will probably be able to cover the whole private practice market, when times are tough cast the net wider – that doesn’t mean consent to sending your CV everywhere, but be more open to suggestions.

In early 2020, when COVID shut the market down completely for six months, I wrote about another slowdown and some of the points resonate - remember that although if you've packed up your successful career to move across the world, and can't find a job it feels very personal, when the market is quiet and things are uncertain it's not all just about you; a market slowdown affects everybody. In the midst of your job hunt, be mindful that it's tough all round, and somebody is always in a tougher position than you.

By the same token, you are not alone. Job hunting generally sucks. If you’re struggling don’t hesitate to reach out and talk to a friend or colleague (or, yes, a recruiter). Talking helps and there's no shame in asking someone for support if you're feeling low or stressed.

The market will turn (it always does), but it’s impossible to say when.

David von Dadelszen?is a Director at Jameson Legal. Contact me at DVD@jamesonlegal.com.

Prior to moving into recruitment in 2006 David qualified as a lawyer in New Zealand and worked in private practice in New Zealand and in-house in the UK.