Job opportunities within the legal industry in HK

hello_there · 20-10-2011, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by pin:

Its pretty hard to get a job in the legal market in HK now unless you speak Chinese. Only if you are a big swinging dick partner will you have a chance without language skills.

Not entirely true. It is very hard, yes, but not impossible. I am not a partner, speak no Chinese, and have worked for a couple top US/ UK firms in HK. I still get calls from headhunters frequently. I also work a few (I will admit it is definitely the minority) of mid-level associates who speak no, or limited, Chinese. They are also in demand when the market is hiring.

However, you are right in that the trend with junior hires is to look for candidates with fluent Mandarin in addition to ticking all the other boxes (excellent grades, well-ranked school, etc.)

For the OP: There are fewer trainee positions for newly qualified lawyers in HK than in England and the vast majority of spots are filled by those who speak fluent Mandarin. If you have excellent grades and family ties to HK (to explain your wanting to be here) your chances of finding a spot after completing the PCLL would be okay, but not great.

hello_there · 20-10-2011, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by pin:

Also paralegals get totally beasted here for crap*y salaries and piss poor conditions.

Again, would have to (respectfully) disagree. There are a handful of (mostly NY based) firms that pay good paralegals in excess of US$85k/ year. The hours can be horrible, however.

sohot · 23-10-2011, 11:17 PM

Quite a lively thread.

I would value everyone's expert opinion on my likelihood of being successful in gaining entry to the pcll course in Hong Kong and then subsequently finding a TC in HK.

My case:

*Undergrad in Law from a top 15 UK Law School (low 2:1 and my marks were very average)
*Completed 5 years ago
*Subsequently studied mandarin in mainland china - HSK Advanced level 10,10,10,11 and 11
*Postgrad degree from Oxford (not in Law) - Distinction
*Managerial experience in Asia (1-2 years)

(1) On completing conversion exams this coming January is my acceptance to a PCLL course in Hong Kong a sure thing?
(2) will the fact that I am approaching 30 make it more difficult to acquire a training contract?
(3) future job prospects
(4) any other advice

Cheers in advance.

AmyKYLeung · 29-10-2011, 05:18 PM

Hi

Thanks for your advice.

My main experience is in property but I have had experience in other fields of law in England and in HK.

With regard to which area I would like to specialise in, I am keeping an open mind - I won't know until I have tried it. I know alot of people who said they wanted to specialise in a particular area of law for years and then when it came to doing the seat during their training contract, they hated it...hence the reason why I am keeping an open mind.

So trainee solicitors in HK get an average $30,000.00? Really? Wow, what is the minimum?

Have you by any chance heard of anyone taking the Legal Executive route in HK? I have considered taking this route in England and have read that so long as the country I am going to is a common law country, I can still practice with this qualification.

Amy

Zenon · 30-10-2011, 12:02 PM

No I wouldn't go the Legal Executive route. It's a dead end in my opinion. Go the conversion exam PCLL route first.

30k a month is low end for a training contract.

As for area of law property law is the single most different area of law to any other common law jurisdiction. So your UK knowledge will be of limited use here.

AmyKYLeung · 31-10-2011, 12:10 AM

Hi Zenon

Wow, so the legal executive route is not a good one to take? Why do you think it is a dead end?

I don't want to invest in the PCLL route if I do not have a training contract secured...And yes I appreciate property law is very different in other jurisdictions but this is the area they have been employing over in England...

Zenon · 31-10-2011, 07:44 AM

Yes, I think a legal executive route is a waste of time as time spent as one counts for nothing, though it may get your foot in the door so to speak. You will still have to sit those exams before you can qualify to begin with.
Yes it's a risk but worth it in my opinion.

As for property law, experience in the UK isn't necessarily transferrable to HK, that's why I wouldn't head into it if you had the intention of coming here.

luckycat · 31-10-2011, 08:26 AM

Amy I'm not sure you are correct about firms hiring property lawyers in England. Over the past three or four years property lawyers have been decimated. I know a handful of very capable property lawyers still out of a job. That would be the least employable position in the UK.

AmyKYLeung · 01-11-2011, 04:02 AM

Luckycat

Let me rephrase...what I meant to say was that in the area I live in, for graduates, property appears to be the eaisest area to get into and this has proved to be true for myself and many of my friends I studied with!

luckycat · 01-11-2011, 08:10 AM

I am still not convinced about that Amy. Unless you're talking about paralegals in property teams: a few firms have replaced good quality lawyers with paraweasels who are both cheap, expendable and don't complain about working like dogs.

It is easy to gauge how well property lawyers perform against the property market. I don't think the property market (both residential and commercial) has been as bad as this for the past four years.

If you intend to make a career in the law in England, you won't find it in property. Plus, property law is shit anyway.