International legal consultant roles for Australian and New Zealand lawyers
Legal consulting with Peerpoint offers exciting interim lawyer jobs in London for Antipodeans who are looking to gain top-tier international experience.
The world is opening up and so is the chance to take on international consultant lawyer jobs in new jurisdictions. Legal consulting with Peerpoint offers a whole new world of possibilities for forward-thinking lawyers who wish to get more out of their legal career.
We’ve got some great interim legal opportunities for top-tier lawyers looking to relocate either permanently or temporarily to the UK from Australia or New Zealand.
You may be qualified in Australia or New Zealand and keen to gain experience in the London market, whilst enjoying the flexibility of breaks between assignments to travel and see more of Europe.
Or you may be an English-qualified lawyer who has been located in Australia or New Zealand for a number of years and you’re now looking to return to the UK, explore your options and re-establish yourself in the market.
Take the path to adventure, and success.
Conventional legal career paths are no longer the only route to success. Legal consulting enables you to take control of your time with a wealth of high quality assignments with top-tier organisations in a range of sectors.
Here you’ll be empowered to advance your career and diversify your experience at a faster pace and experience a variety of roles without having to commit on a permanent basis.
Legal consulting with Peerpoint means being part of A&O Shearman. It also means that you will be fully supported on your journey by our highly experienced and specialist team, who will get to know your personal motivations and ambitions and support you in achieving those objectives.
Our strong, established global network means you’ll have access to A&O Shearman partners, law firm resources and unique opportunities to enrich your legal career, enabling you to continue to develop, flourish and succeed.
What you’ll need
We’re keen to hear from lawyers currently based in Australia or New Zealand with top-tier experience in the areas outlined below.
4-10 PQE
- Banking and finance (particularly leveraged finance and general lending)
- International capital markets (derivatives and structured finance, debt capital markets, equity capital markets and securitisation)
- Financial services regulation
- Funds and asset management
- Corporate (M&A, reorganisations, equity capital markets, corporate advisory and commercial law)
5+ PQE
- Commercial law, technology and data privacy law
- Employment
Find out more
To learn more about who is eligible and other practical considerations, please see the FAQs section below.
Please note that we are unable to sponsor visas so all applicants would need to have the right to reside and work in the UK. Find out more about legal consulting with Peerpoint below.
FAQs
Can Peerpoint sponsor my visa?
Due to the nature of the relationship between Peerpoint and our legal consultants, we are unfortunately unable to sponsor visas and applicants must have the right to reside and work in the UK.
How will my PQE level be calculated?
If you are admitted in Australia or New Zealand, an adjustment will usually be made to your PQE level to bring it in line with England & Wales PQE levels following a two-year training contract.
For areas in which we are looking for a minimum of two years’ PQE in a top-tier law firm, we would ideally be looking to see four years’ experience in Australian or New Zealand firms.
How long do I need to be in the UK for?
Most assignments with Peerpoint are 6-12 months in duration and so we would typically be looking for individuals who are going to be in the UK for a minimum of 1-2 years, though we are happy to discuss different individual circumstances.
Although we cannot guarantee work, we only invite people onto our panel if we feel confident that we would see a good volume of suitable opportunities for them. By allowing this timeframe, it increases the prospects of consultants having the opportunity to complete at least a couple of assignments whilst on the Peerpoint panel.
What is the benefit of being a legal consultant with Peerpoint rather than securing a permanent role?
There are many reasons why lawyers choose to become consultants, but a common theme is control, variety, balance and flexibility.
Many Antipodean lawyers enjoy working in London as it provides a good base to travel around Europe. If you're in a permanent role, this may be limited to weekend City breaks whereas, with legal consulting, you can take extended breaks between assignments for more extensive trips. Legal consultancy also allows you to develop your skillset by experiencing market-leading work within a variety of clients and roles, rather than all of your time in London being spent within one organisation.
For England & Wales qualified lawyers who are looking to return to London after a number of years in Australia or New Zealand, legal consultancy offers an opportunity to re-establish yourself in the UK market and familiarise yourself with the types of roles on offer. Even if you ultimately decide a permanent role is right for you, you will be able to make an informed choice as to which opportunities will suit you best.
Why consult via Peerpoint rather than securing fixed term contracts directly or through recruitment agencies?
With Peerpoint, you have the full support of Peerpoint and A&O Shearman. We offer objective career advice and work with you to understand your skillset, experience and motivations. Whilst on assignment, you will have access to A&O Shearman partners and professional support lawyers and a wealth of resources and training opportunities. You are also part of the Peerpoint community of like-minded lawyers and we look to create a variety of opportunities for you to connect, share experiences and learn from each other. While you enjoy greater independence as a Peerpoint consultant, you are never on your own.
How far in advance of my move should I apply to Peerpoint?
We conduct a thorough recruitment process, which is your first experience of how we support you as a consultant. It is a vital part of us understanding your ambitions and skills, so that we can find you the right clients and assignments. It also enables you to decide if we are the right fit for you. For all candidates, we would recommend applying at least 6-8 weeks before you are looking to start work. However, we recognise that you will have a lot to consider when factoring in a move across the world and so we are happy to speak as soon as you are starting to explore what opportunities might be available to you. We will adjust the timings of the recruitment process as appropriate for your circumstances. For more insight into our recruitment process, click here.