Lawyers contemplating multiple offers of employment or offers to transfer overseas may benefit from a closer look at what ‘soft’ benefits their new job will include. Although salary has traditionally been a major consideration for lawyers in the Asian legal market, more and more people are discovering that the lifestyle changes they experience when they move to a new location don’t always match their expectations. This is where ‘soft benefits’ come to the fore.

Standard ‘soft benefits’ for an associate level transfer include flights for yourself and your family, one month’s accommodation and some money towards shipping your belongings. Firms should also ideally offer assistance in matters such as finding new accommodation and identifying good schools for children. Recruitment firms have found that expats consider benefits increasingly worthwhile. Children’s school fees being paid and healthcare are more commonly part of the package for senior level roles but the benefits are often bespoke and can range from stock options to travel and housing allowances, according to Rob Green, director of CML recruitment in Hong Kong.

Rob Green,says that the HK cost of living provides an example of why soft benefits are important: “Just to move into an apartment you will need to have 14 weeks rent in advance on the day. It is vital that these highly skilled professionals use an agent that has made the move themselves,” said Green. They may also not be aware of the logistics of their new location, where the best facilities and schools are or what area is most suitable for them to live in. It is often down to the individual themselves or their recruitment agent to ensure all these issues are addressed.”

As the employment market for lawyers improves, candidates are in an improved bargaining position to ask for better ‘soft benefits.’

 “Good lawyers have loads and loads of choice and the ‘soft’ part of the package is rising in importance for candidates,” said Rob Green.