Okumura Partners have produced a PDF offshore legal recruitment guide providing information on living and working as a lawyer in the main offshore jurisdictions of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the Cayman Islands and Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands.
The contents are based on first hand experience that our director, Ken Okumura gained whilst working as a lawyer in the British Virgin Islands, as well as many subsequent trips to Jersey, Guernsey, BVI and Cayman in his capacity as a legal recruiter.
This guide is intended for barristers or solicitors who are qualified in one of the jurisdictions in the United Kingdom, in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or certain countries in Africa and who are considering a move to one of the offshore jurisdictions.
The BVI is restricted to those lawyers who are qualified in one of the UK jurisdictions; Cayman requires a minimum of 5 PQE as of 1 January 2026 and to be admitted in the UK, Canada, Australia or New Zealand; and Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands can take lawyers from almost any established Common Law jurisdiction from NQ upwards.
Generally, prospective candidates will need to be working at a firm that has some sort of recognition in Chambers & Partners or Legal500, but moves are definitely not restricted to those at US, Magic/Silver Circle or other International firms. Lawyers from regional firms in the UK regularly make successful moves offshore.
There are far more considerations and nuances to considering and making an offshore move, so we would highly recommend reading the guide for a broad overview to start with and then, if your interest remains piqued, arrange to have a conversation with us.
Please feel free to download the guide below and arrange a chat with Ken should you have any questions.
Download the Okumura Partners Offshore Legal Recruitment Guide
