Channel Islands

Reasons for moving offshore usually involve a desire to improve quality of life without compromising on the quality of work.

The types of law which most firms undertake offshore include Corporate/ M&A/ Private Equity; Banking & Finance; Insurance; Trusts (both Corporate and Private Client); Investment Funds; and Private Client/ Family Office (for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals) on the non-contentious side and Commercial Litigation (perhaps including some International Arbitration work); Insolvency Litigation; Financial Regulatory & Litigation; and Trusts & Estates/ Chancery Litigation on the contentious side.

Opportunities also surface periodically for Tax, Employment, Commercial Property and Family lawyers.

It is possible to move to the Channel Islands and practice as a solicitor without re-qualifying as long as you are already a UK or Commonwealth qualified solicitor or barrister. However, there are certain limitations on some lawyers who don’t re-qualify. These may or may not present a problem depending on what area of law you specialise in and what career aspirations you have.

In both Jersey and Guernsey, it is not possible for a lawyer to advocate in or appear before the courts unless they are Jersey or Guernsey qualified. Litigators looking to move to the Channel Islands and wanting to appear as advocates would therefore have to give serious consideration to re-qualification.

It is also technically not possible to become a partner in Jersey or Guernsey based law firm unless you are Jersey or Guernsey qualified. However, there are ways of circumventing this, but this really depends on the firm in question and what the individual policy of that firm is.

Those wishing to relocate to the Channel Islands are strongly encouraged to undertake some background research and understand what life outside the legal arena has to offer as well as understanding what the attractions are to working offshore as a lawyer.

Jersey

Life on Jersey

A good start to discovering more about life in Jersey generally would be to visit www.jersey.com

Housing

If you are moving to Jersey for work, it is likely that your employer will have obtained permission for an essential employment permit in order to be able to bring you to the island and you will therefore be classed as a ‘Licensed’ resident, the equivalent of what used to be known as “J” category. If you move to Jersey as a licenced individual, you can rent any property on the Island, except social rented housing.

Guernsey

Life on Guernsey

To find out more about life in Guernsey generally, the following sites are a good starting point:www.visitguernsey.com or www.herm.com

Housing

To be eligible to work in Guernsey, if you are not local, you will need a work permit. This is something an employer will obtain for the successful candidate and once granted, it will allow the holder to work on the island and either rent or buy any property they like. If a work permit is not obtained candidates can still move to Guernsey however, they will need to find “open” market accommodation to live in which is both expensive and limited due to the number of properties in that part of the housing market.