International Lawyers

A guide for overseas lawyers: Navigating the UK recruitment market

26 Feb, 20265 minutes

In this blog:: Recruitment

A guide for overseas lawyers: Navigating the UK recruitment market

After 13 years recruiting lawyers across the UK, I've placed many overseas-qualified lawyers into roles from Edinburgh to London. The process has changed dramatically, particularly since the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) replaced the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme in 2021 but the fundamental challenges remain the same.

If you're a qualified lawyer from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, or anywhere else considering a move to the UK, here's what you actually need to know. Not the glossy recruitment brochure version, the reality.

Understanding the SQE route

The SQE is now the single route to qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales, regardless of where you qualified originally. The total cost is £3,980, broken down as SQE1 (£1,558) and SQE2 (£2,422). You'll also need preparation courses, which vary widely in cost.

Here's the critical difference for overseas lawyers: if you're already qualified in another jurisdiction, you don't need to complete two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) recognises your existing qualification and experience.

Some jurisdictions benefit from pre-agreed exemptions. Irish solicitors have full SQE exemption, you just apply directly to the SRA and complete pre-screening. Lawyers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, and several other common law jurisdictions may qualify for SQE2 exemptions if they can demonstrate their qualifications and experience meet equivalent standards.

Before assuming you'll need to sit both exams, check the SRA's exemption finder tool.
Many candidates waste months preparing for exams they don't actually need to take.

Why Scotland actively recruits antipodean lawyers

Scotland's legal market has quietly become one of the UK's most accessible entry points for Australian and New Zealand lawyers. In the 12 months leading up to October 2024, Scottish firms commenced 764 new traineeships, reflecting sustained confidence in the sector's growth.

The reasons are straightforward. Scotland operates a distinct legal system from England and Wales, creating opportunities for lawyers with fresh perspectives. The profession is growing, up 3.4% in 2024, while housing costs remain substantially lower than London.

More importantly, Scottish firms understand the calibre of legal training in Australia and New Zealand. Common law foundations, similar practice structures, and a track record of lawyers who integrate quickly make antipodean candidates attractive. If your alternative is competing against 200 applications for a London role, Scotland deserves serious consideration. If you are an Australian or New Zealand qualified solicitor seeking a role in Scotland, our Scotland Legal Recruiters are on hand to assist. Find out more information about our Scotland Legal Recruitment team.

The London competition reality

Let's be blunt about London. The city employs 133,000 legal services professionals—more than ten times Manchester's 13,000. It's where the largest deals happen, the highest salaries are paid (38% above other UK regions on average), and the most prestigious work exists.

It's also brutally competitive.

You're not just competing against other overseas lawyers. You're vying for attention against UK-qualified solicitors with Magic Circle training contracts, Oxbridge degrees, and established networks. Hiring partners at top London firms can be surprisingly sceptical about lawyers moving between London firms (there's an assumption they might be underperforming), but they understand why talented lawyers move from Sydney or Auckland to access London's market.

This creates opportunity but only if you're strategic.

Before you move, your LinkedIn profile and online presence need to clearly signpost your experience and successes. London recruiters and hiring managers won't spend time decoding Australian firm names or practice areas. Make it obvious. Highlight matters with UK connections, international transactions, or recognisable clients. Quantify your experience where possible.

Start the process six to eight months before you plan to move. Build relationships with UK recruiters, research firms actively hiring in your practice area, and understand current market rates for your post-qualification experience level.

The regional opportunity most overseas lawyers miss

Here's the data that should change how you approach the UK market: between 2022 and 2024, Manchester's legal sector grew 32%, Bristol grew 31%, and Exeter grew 32%. London grew 20%.

Regional legal vacancies increased 33.8% while London's share of employment law roles fell to 27.9%. The North West and Yorkshire saw particularly strong growth, with Yorkshire vacancies surging 86.4%.

The practical translation: an hour outside London, your application stands out rather than disappears into a pile of 200 CVs.

The Elizabeth line has fundamentally changed the commuting calculation for the M4 corridor. Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, and surrounding areas now sit within 45 minutes of central London. The line brought 1.5 million additional people within a 45-minute commute of key business districts and generated projections of over 500,000 new jobs. Companies like Ericsson and PepsiCo have moved operations to Reading specifically to access this expanded talent pool.

Manchester rent averages £1,100 per month compared to £2,500 in central London, a 55% saving. Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, and other regional centres offer genuine legal work with Magic Circle and elite US firms maintaining substantial offices.

The question you need to answer honestly: why do you want to practice in the UK? If it's about the work quality and career development, regional cities deliver that. If it's specifically about working in the City of London for specific international clients, then accept you'll pay London prices and face London competition. Just be clear what you're willing to sacrifice in those first couple of years.

The in-house route: possible, but don't count on it

In-house legal roles are technically open to overseas-qualified lawyers, and some do secure them, but the in-house route comes with its own challenges.

Here's why in-house is harder for overseas lawyers than private practice: firms understand how to assess foreign qualifications and practice experience. They regularly hire Australian, New Zealand, and North American lawyers because they're familiar with those training systems. In-house teams typically aren't. A corporate legal team at a FTSE 100 company receives 300 applications for a single mid-level role. The hiring manager isn't going to spend time decoding whether your three years at a top-tier Sydney firm translates to their requirements, they'll hire the candidate from Linklaters whose experience is immediately legible.

The overseas lawyers who do break into in-house roles usually follow one of two paths: they spend one to two years in UK private practice first (building local experience and networks), or they target sectors where their overseas experience provides specific value; Australian lawyers joining mining companies, US lawyers at American tech firms with London offices, or Canadian lawyers at financial services firms with Toronto connections.

If in-house is your goal, treat it as a two-to-three-year plan, not an immediate landing point. Build UK credentials first, then leverage them.

Getting legal work while qualifying

Many overseas lawyers need to work while completing SQE preparation or waiting for admission. This creates a chicken-and-egg problem: you need UK experience to get hired, but you need to get hired to gain UK experience.

Paralegal roles, legal assistant positions, and contract work can bridge this gap. They're not glamorous, and they typically pay substantially less than qualified solicitor roles. But they serve three purposes: they generate income while you're qualifying, they demonstrate commitment to UK employers (you weren't just job-hunting from abroad), and they provide references from UK-based supervisors.

Be realistic about timelines. The SQE1 and SQE2 exams run at specific points in the year. Admission takes additional time after passing. Factor in three to six months from deciding to pursue UK qualification to actually being admitted, longer if you're working full-time while studying.

The networking reality

You're sick of hearing about networking. I get it. But here's why it matters more for overseas lawyers than UK-qualified solicitors: you don't have the built-in network from law school, training contract cohorts, or previous firm relationships that UK lawyers accumulate naturally.

Join the local Law Society. Attend practice area-specific events. Engage with legal forums and publications or regional solicitor groups. This cultural immersion will tach you how UK legal practice differs from your home jurisdiction, understand firm cultures beyond what websites project, and pick up on unwritten rules about applications, interviews, and career progression.

The lawyers who succeed fastest are those who treat the first year in the UK as partially a learning year. You're learning not just UK law, but UK legal culture, firm expectations, and market dynamics.

Resources that help

The SRA website contains the definitive guidance on qualification routes, exemptions, and admission requirements. Don't rely on second-hand information from forums, check the source.

The Law Society provides guidance specifically for international lawyers, including country-specific information on qualification routes and practice rights.

Legal recruitment agencies specialising in overseas lawyer placement (several focus specifically on Australian and New Zealand lawyers) can provide market intelligence about which firms are actively hiring foreign-qualified solicitors and realistic salary expectations for your experience level.

What success looks like

I've placed Australian lawyers into top-tier London firms within four months of arrival. I've also watched brilliant lawyers from top Sydney or Auckland firms struggle for 18 months because they targeted only Magic Circle roles in their exact practice area.

The successful pattern: flexibility on location and firm type initially, clear career progression plan, realistic salary expectations for the first role, and investment in building UK networks before assuming UK employers will automatically recognise the value of foreign qualifications.

The UK legal market offers genuine opportunities for overseas lawyers. London remains a global legal centre with unmatched deal flow and client sophistication. Regional cities are growing faster and offering better lifestyle economics. Scotland provides accessible entry points with distinct practice areas.

But none of it comes easily. The lawyers who succeed are those who do their research, start early, remain flexible, and treat the move as a multi-year career investment rather than a quick geographic transfer.

If you're serious about practicing in the UK, start now. Don't wait until you've already moved to begin building relationships and understanding the market. The lawyers who thrive are those who treat recruitment strategically, not as something to figure out after they've arrived.

Frequently asked questions byforeign qualified lawyers

How do I qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales if I'm already qualified overseas?

You'll need to pass the SQE (total cost £3,980) unless you qualify for an exemption. Qualified lawyers from recognised jurisdictions may be exempt from SQE2 if they can demonstrate equivalent skills and experience. Irish solicitors have full exemption. Check the SRA's exemption finder tool before assuming you need to sit both exams. Unlike UK candidates, you don't need to complete two years of Qualifying Work Experience, your existing qualification counts.

What's the realistic timeline from deciding to move to actually working as a qualified solicitor in the UK?

If you're currently qualified and eligible for SQE exemptions, expect three to six months minimum from application to admission. If you need to sit both SQE1 and SQE2, factor in six to 12 months depending on exam dates and preparation time. Start building UK recruiter relationships and researching firms six to eight months before your intended move. Many successful overseas lawyers secure paralegal or contract roles first while completing final admission requirements.

Should I target London or consider regional cities?

London offers the highest salaries (38% above regional averages) and most prestigious work, but faces intense competition and significantly higher living costs (average London rent £2,500 vs Manchester £1,100). Regional cities like Manchester, Bristol, and Birmingham grew their legal sectors 31-32% between 2022-2024, outpacing London's 20% growth. If your goal is quality legal work and career development, regional cities deliver with better lifestyle economics. If you specifically need City of London experience for particular practice areas or international clients, accept the competition and cost. Scotland combines lower competition with distinct legal opportunities and housing costs 60% below London averages.