Legal jobs in HK

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  1. #1

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    Legal jobs in HK

    Hi, I'm moving to Hong Kong for a job, and I want my girlfriend to come along. Problem is: she's had no luck so far finding a job. She's a US-trained lawyer with about four years experience in IP, smart as a whip etc. (but w/ no Chinese, unfortunately). Is there any demand at all for US-admitted lawyers in HK? Any ideas on where to start looking for work? Any advice is greatly appreciated.


  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by pj98:
    Hi, I'm moving to Hong Kong for a job, and I want my girlfriend to come along. Problem is: she's had no luck so far finding a job. She's a US-trained lawyer with about four years experience in IP, smart as a whip etc. (but w/ no Chinese, unfortunately). Is there any demand at all for US-admitted lawyers in HK? Any ideas on where to start looking for work? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
    Little/ no market for US IP lawyers in HK. There is a market for US corporate attorneys (especially capital markets at the moment), but unless she has corporate experience from a top tier firm and went to a top school she'll have a hard time getting picked up (not impossible, but definitely difficult). Regarding where to look - all the big NY firms have offices here. So do the magic circle firms. There are a few mid-tier US firms also, but they tend to have small offices employing mostly local attorneys. Try talking to a couple legal recruiters that operate in HK. They'll give a better estimate of her chances in the current market.

  3. #3

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    Boom time in the corporate and finance sections in HK at the moment. Is your GF willing to change field?

    Also on a side note, the majority of contracts in HK seem to be either HK or English law goverened. However there are a few US (mainly Deleware or NY) law goverened documents.


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    Quote Originally Posted by pin:
    Boom time in the corporate and finance sections in HK at the moment. Is your GF willing to change field?
    Willing to make the switch to corporate law isn't the issue - able to switch to corporate law is. If she can find a US firm to take her and she has been practicing solely IP law, its inevitable that she'll have to take a hit on her class year (and likely salary). The IP field in the US is entirely different for practicing in capital markets or M&A here.
    Last edited by hello_there; 11-07-2007 at 11:24 AM.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by hello_there:
    Willing to make the switch to corporate law isn't the issue - able to switch to corporate law is. If she can find a US firm to take her and she has been practicing solely IP law, its inevitable that she'll have to take a hit on her class year (and likely salary). The IP field in the US is entirely different for practicing in capital markets or M&A here.
    At the moment the law firms are so desperate for lawyers, that as long as you have some corporate experience, they will at the very least look at you.

    However, as said before, best to have a word with a few HK based RCs.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by pin:
    At the moment the law firms are so desperate for lawyers, that as long as you have some corporate experience, they will at the very least look at you.
    I don't know what law firms you are talking about. NY firms have requirements that their head offices set for attorneys (previous experience, grades, school attended, which all still apply to their Asia offices). Doesn't matter that Asia offices need lawyers, if the candidate doesn't have the requisite background experience, you can probably forget it. An attorney who isn't trained in corporate matters will not be able to do the job without significant training and supervision, making them much less attractive as a job candidate. Not all attorneys are equal. You can be great in your field but totally unsuitable to for a position practicing in another area, unless you start all over again as a first year.
    Last edited by hello_there; 11-07-2007 at 12:07 PM.

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    what about simple just trying local firms? visa is another issue to be aware tho


  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by hello_there:
    I don't know what law firms you are talking about. NY firms have requirements that their head offices set for attorneys (previous experience, grades, school attended, which all still apply to their Asia offices). Doesn't matter that Asia offices need lawyers, if the candidate doesn't have the requisite background experience, you can probably forget it. An attorney who isn't trained in corporate matters will not be able to do the job without significant training and supervision, making them much less attractive as a job candidate. Not all attorneys are equal. You can be great in your field but totally unsuitable to for a position practicing in another area, unless you start all over again as a first year.
    Thank god I'm not a US lawyer.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sp1key:
    what about simple just trying local firms? visa is another issue to be aware tho
    You could try both local and British firms with HK offices, but there are some career issues you should be aware of with these (especially the local firm) options. Practicing local (corporate) law won't help, and will actually probably hurt, a US law career. You won't be practicing US law with a local firm. Churning out numerous HK IPOs does little for your resume when you head back to the US, except put you behind your class year. When interviewing with any firms in HK (including US) make sure you get a good sense of the types of deals they take on. Some focus more on local work while others have a more regional or international focus (which is generally a better fit for a US lawyer).

    Also, another couple options to consider - (1) some companies may have a need for US in house IP counsel in Hong Kong. I would particularly look at the Asia headquarters of drug companies and other large MNCs with regional offices in HK.

    (2) If you have any background in IP dispute resolution (or litigation) look at firms with a developed international dispute resolution practice, where being US qualified (with the extra years of education) is an asset.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by pin:
    Thank god I'm not a US lawyer.
    For now, those are exactly my sentiments. Why am I a US lawyer?
    PIN: Would you be willing to share some information regarding your hours? How many hours do u typically work per week? As a background, I am a US based lawyer looking for a position in Hong Kong. My current position here in the US is as an in-house counsel and I put in around 55 - 60 hours per week. Wanted to check how it compares to the hours in private practice.

    pj98: Has she tried recruiting firms? I have not had any luck with them so far. But they could help. Other than that, have her subscribe to lawcrossing.com for a month and see if that helps. I check listings on this website and do see the occasional opening for an IP lawyer. The website subscription charges are US$30 per month so you could try it out for a few months.
    Last edited by looking@HK; 12-07-2007 at 04:55 AM.

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