“Buchanan’s strategic guidance and support throughout a challenging process gave me confidence at every stage. They helped me present my international experience effectively and secure an offer from a leading UK law firm. I felt fully supported throughout.”
Summary:
A common law-qualified employment lawyer successfully transitioned from in-house practice to a top-tier law firm in London. Despite challenges arising from a lack of UK-specific private practice experience, a targeted and persistent approach resulted in an offer from a prestigious firm.
The Challenge:
The candidate had several years of experience as an employment lawyer in their home jurisdiction but lacked direct UK private practice experience. Key obstacles included:
- Limited UK market exposure, making it difficult to secure interviews with top-tier firms.
- A period spent working in-house, which, while valuable, did not fully align with private practice expectations.
- The need to demonstrate transferable skills and adapt their international experience to the UK legal context.
The Approach:
We re-engaged with the candidate in early 2025, focusing on firms open to international candidates with transferable expertise. Key steps included:
- Strategically targeting firms flexible on experience requirements.
- Crafting a compelling narrative emphasising their broad employment law expertise, complex industrial relations experience, and adaptability to new legal environments.
- Quickly securing interviews with multiple leading London firms.
The Outcome:
One top-tier London firm expressed particular interest and invited the candidate to a multi-stage interview process, including a case study designed to assess technical knowledge and problem-solving skills in UK employment law.
The firm recognised the value of the candidate’s international experience and their thoughtful approach to employment law in a global context. Following a successful interview process, the candidate received a formal offer.
The Result:
The candidate accepted the offer enthusiastically and was excited to begin this next chapter of their career. This placement demonstrates the impact of persistence, strategic guidance, and aligning candidates with firms that value diverse legal backgrounds.
