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Best lawyers seeking out Singapore
Australia's best and brightest lawyers are beginning to see Singapore as an attractive prospect when it comes to career advancement, according to lawyers working in the region.Speaking to…
Lawyers Weekly
Australia's best and brightest lawyers are beginning to see Singapore as an attractive prospect when it comes to career advancement, according to lawyers working in the region.
"We are seeing a lot more evidence of people in Australia seeing Asia as an option for careers," he said. "The fact of the matter is that the legal market in Australia is top-heavy with equity, and the financial services market is stagnant - it's not really growing. So it is difficult for young associates coming through to find a market for themselves, whereas there are plenty of opportunities off-shore."
According to Howell, while Australian firms have not always taken full advantage of their geographic proximity to Asia in the past, that is beginning to change and as such, lawyers are starting to see Asia as one of the most attractive places to work.
"We [are seeing] Australian lawyers who have been in the UK - and that is the traditional route - saying, 'There is a lot going on in Asia and I don't really want to go back to Australia just yet. Asia is where it is all happening'," he said. "There is an opportunity here, so we are seeing quite a steady flow of people."
Singapore-based Blake Dawson partner Bill Reid agrees, telling Lawyers Weekly that confidence amongst both associates and partners in relation to working in the region is growing, and more and more of them are wanting to be a part of the action.
"[Australian firms] are getting more successful in Asia. We are bringing better partners and better people into the practice and our confidence is growing," he said.
"I see a growing confidence among our really good young lawyers to come up here, and a growing confidence amongst our partners to be involved."
