Sonder Helps Australian Lawyer Make the Move to London (With a Sign-On Bonus)

Our Sydney consultant Claudia Murphy built a relationship with an Insurance Lawyer in Sydney back in 2023, after the lawyer expressed their ambition to move to a law firm in London.  The market for foreign-qualified lawyers during this period was particularly challenges, as firms turned to local talent to fill any hiring needs. Nevertheless, Claudia was able to make this candidate’s ideal move into a reality.  

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How We Helped:

Claudia utilised her extensive network to connect this candidate with partners in London. This individual's profile attracted the interest of a partner at a prestigious international law firm. After Claudia elucidated the benefits of the Youth Mobility Visa, enabling Australians to reside and work in the UK for two years without sponsorship, the firm extended an invitation for an interview to the candidate.

* For Australian lawyers looking to make the move to the UK, at the end of this month (January 2024), the age eligibility for the Youth Mobility Visa extends from 30 to 35.  

Since the firm was not actively hiring, Claudia made sure her candidate was prepared for a tough and slightly longer recruitment process. The candidate needed to impress.  

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The Outcome:

As expected, the overall interview process took longer than usual as approvals needed to be made for a new role to be created. However, the longer process meant that this candidate’s original firm was able to offer her an internal move to London. A few days later, this international firm in London came through with a 12-month contract, along with an accommodation to stay while settling into the London life.  

While initially not understanding the appeal of a fixed term contract, Claudia explained some advantages to Australian-qualified lawyers looking to move to London.  

• Fixed term contracts act as an insurance for firms, but as an advantageous experience for associates, especially international associates. In this case, 12-months experience in the London legal market will increase this candidate's appeal to other firms.  
• By the end of a fixed term contract, the legal market will be completely different opening the door to new possibilities.
• If the lawyer impresses the partners, there is an extremely high chance that they will retain them at the firm.  

As a result, this candidate decided to accept this offer.  

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“The move from Australia to London has always been attractive to Australian lawyers. With the extension of the age requirements for the Youth Mobility Visa, I hope to be able to help even more lawyers achieve their careers goals in London” - Claudia Murphy, Consultant Sydney

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