And it was ever thus although the way Australia is going these days if you’ve only got even half a brain there’s little point in hanging out here… it’s turning into a scene out of Deliverance.
The AFR reports
Australian lawyers are being lured to the US and UK in record numbers by the promise of more prestigious work, overseas adventures and salaries that are more than double those offered by domestic firms, recruiters say.
Global talent shortages also mean overseas firms are headhunting Australian lawyers and professionals in growing numbers, and legal eagles with three to six years experience in transactional corporate law are the most in demand.
Local law firms desperate to retain staff are increasingly offering firm-wide pay rises in response, as 20 months of closed borders and pent-up demand for travel have made Australia’s version of “the great resignation” look more like a “great exodus”.
Jonathan Walmsley, owner of legal recruiter Marsden, said he had seen “more Australian lawyers going to the US than ever before” in recent months and this would only grow in the new year as eased border rules “open up a whole new category of lawyers who have been waiting”.
“These are the people who wanted to go over the past two years but waited because of COVID and the border restrictions. I think we’ll see a whole range of new people wanting to go overseas early in the new year,” he said.
