Australian lawyers looking to try their luck in Asian legal hubs are increasingly required to have local language skills, according to recruiters – and it’s not just verbal fluency that is being sought.

In Hong Kong and China the preference is for written language skills over spoken language skills, according to Tommy Tong, Herbert Smith recruitment and corporate partner in HK. As a majority of legal work involves written information, Tong said having practitioners who could read the local language, as opposed to only speaking it, saved law firms substantial amounts of money in translation costs. Similarly in Tokyo, the ability to read and write as well as speak Japanese is highly desired.

While language skills are undoubtedly an advantage to candidates, in some “hot” practice areas there are still opportunities for lawyers who are not conversant in the local language. Managing director of Hughes-Castell Hong Kong, Doreen Jaeger-Soong said, that lawyers in areas such as derivatives (both debt and equity), IP (particularly broadband protection) and compliance  would be in demand even without local language skills. Energy & resources was also described by recruiters as falling into this category.

In addition to the language criterion, firms may give preference to candidates who are locally admitted. For example, while there is demand for litigators across Asia, particularly ones with strong arbitration experience, Jane Dwyer from GR law recruitment said it is an advantage if the practitioners are admitted in HK. Overseas lawyers are able to become admitted in by sitting the Overseas Lawyers Qualification Examination.

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