"I am a recent LPC graduate who is currently in talks with a law firm regarding a move to Hong Kong to work in capital markets. My thinking is that with HK being the financial centre it is, and the Asia region itself being better off than the London and US markets at the moment, I will be able to gain better experience in out there and weather the storm until the market picks back up again back in the UK.
"My question is to solicit advice on making such a bold move out to HK, and also to get a view on the potential harm/benefit this may have for my eventual training contract application in the UK. I have quite an international background already - will my move out there just get people in England scratching their heads even more?"
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Experience in capital markets in Hong Kong will be valued as much as experience in London should you decide to return to London. I'd go, if I were you.
Did the writer have a smug glow while writing this? Of course you should go...
Hong Kong is a brilliant move if you can get it, but I would be careful if you are not a British citizen. If you are HK/Sing/Mainland Chinese and hope that experience in HK will make you more likely to get a work visa in the UK, it won’t. However, if you will not need a visa to get a TC, go now, and I will watch enviously.
Definitely go, Hong Kong is the financial centre and a vibrant city compared to other cities in the world. Plus, its proximity to China makes many firms using Hong Kong as the stepping stone to China, so you will see many firms opened their office in Hong Kong to serve as the Greater China HQ. Finding ways in Hong Kong is easy as it is bilingual, meaning both Chinese and English are the official languages in the city. There are a number of daily newspapers in the English language and all signs in Hong Kong are in both Chinese and English, so a foreigner moving to Hong Kong will easily adapt to the environment there.
Many thanks chaps. And to reply to Banker, I haven't got the job yet...
That's a golden opportunity! I would definitely go, I myself worked in a law firm in Shanghai (as an intern though) just before starting my TC in London. It's great to gain first-hand experience in a growing market such as China. I am sure your HK experience will open you many doors..Good luck!
You don't say whether you have a training contract in HK or not. The question is whether you want to do this for the short-term or as a longer-term move. Will you end up qualifying as an English solicitor?
In my view, nice as it would be to go to HK for a few years, qualifying is more important. Therefore, you should do this in London (and possibly work a year or so after qualification) before going abroad.
Also, don't be fooled into thinking that Asia is necessarily better off than London right now. Capital markets outlook is not great, even in HK, and China's market is stagnating after recent huge growth. I'm not saying it's a bad move, just do your homework before being conned by the hype.
That said, working abroad is great for experience and will not be viewed negatively in London.
To answer the latest post, I don't have a UK training contract at this time. My current plan is to take a two-pronged approach to qualification:
1) Continue applying for training contracts in the UK at City law firms.
2) Get a good paralegal job with trainee level experience, then start the 'domino qualification route' by taking the NY Bar, then the QLTT here and so on.
Hong Kong has one other distinct advantage for me:
I did my degree in Mandarin Chinese, and while it's practically of zero use in the UK, in HK that is a different story.
Any thoughts given this fresh piece of information?
Don't you need two years of work experience before you can take the QLTT? NY + QLTT deserves another thread discussion.
NY Bar + QLTT as Plan B should be knocked on the head because: (1) with a non-law degree and the GDL, you'll probably need to do an LLM in the US to be eligible to take the NY Bar exam, (2) no City firm is going to be impressed by someone who decided to take the NY Bar because they couldn't get a training contract, (3) taking the NY Bar definitely isn't a training contract substitute and with just the NY Bar and no post-qualification experience in the US you'd only be offered paralegal jobs in London and (4) you need post-qualification experience in the jurisdiction you qualify in in order to be eligible for the QLTT and many firms would require you to complete an 18-month training contract in addition to the QLTT anyway. You should definitely concentrate on working on your training contract applications and building up the experience you'll be getting working in HK instead if you decide to take the job offered. Having an international background and working overseas shouldn't be a barrier to applying for training contracts - law firms are diverse, international workplaces with diverse, international clientele and someone who has the initiative to go overseas and get legal work experience abroad utilising their language skills should stand out from the crowd. The training contract application cycle is just starting so you have plenty of time to submit applications and arrange to come back to the UK for interviews before graduate recruitment get overwhelmed by undergraduate applications and, if you've made unsuccessful training contract applications previously, you've got time to think about what went wrong (poorly written application, poor marks etc) and either address the issue or make sure you don't do the same thing again! Your university department or careers service should be able to put you in touch with people who've gone into law after graduating from your course and you should also be plenty of trainees and lawyers in HK who will be able to give you advice on training contract applications and the applications process.
Many thanks to the last post, a very comprehensive answer.
So in short, working out there would be a plus and demonstrate initiative to UK firms, but ultimately a UK training contract is my ticket to qualification (or at least it will be until they start letting paralegals qualify).
Working in HK would be a plus, but query how much of an advantage you would get from this experience as you haven't described what you'll be doing out there.
Agreed with poster regarding Plan B. QLTT + NY Bar won't cut it for anyone.
Non-law degree + GDL - you will definitely need to do a US LLM in order to do the NY Bar.
I don't have anything to add about Hong Kong, but just briefly in relation to the NY Bar. You definitely do not need an LLM from a US university to qualify to sit the Bar. If you have a degree from a common law country such as Australia or UK and meet fairly minimal requirements in relation to that degree (of at least four years for example) you can sit the Bar. Go to the website and have a read. I know as I am admitted to the NY Bar. As it is a notoriously difficult exam you need to plan for 12 weeks full time study to make sure pass too. But I have a couple of friends who used that route for admission to the UK. Anyway good luck.
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