Candidates who are Qualified Overseas 

LAW Absolute places a significant number of solicitors and barristers whose qualifications come from non-European jurisdictions such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Whilst we would love to assist every lawyer who approaches us, we must be clear that, by law, we can only assist candidates who have the legal right to live and work in the UK.

Every candidate with whom we work must show to us one of the following:  

• A UK Passport describing the holder as a British Citizen
• An EEA passport or national identity card
• A Passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit to their stay 
• A Passport which shows the holder to be exempt from immigration control or have indefinite right to remain
• A visa or work permit which allows the holder to live and work in the UK. 

How marketable are your skills in the UK?

Much of the legislation and legal practice in the jurisdictions mentioned above is derived from UK law and lawyers from these jurisdictions will generally have experience that is relevant to the job market here.

Legal expertise from the jurisdictions mentioned above that are particularly transferable include Property, Corporate, Childcare, Public law, Planning/Environmental, Employment, Commercial and Civil Litigation, Contracts/Procurement, IT&T, IP, Judicial Review and Regulatory law.

There are a few areas where the law in Australia and New Zealand seems to be somewhat different including Corporate Tax, some areas of banking and Matrimionial law. Notwithstanding this, these areas are typically in demand in the UK so employers may be more flexible in their willingness to allow time for overseas solicitors come up to speed.