What’s it like for qualified lawyers who want to enjoy the benefits of a career in the Caribbean/Bermuda region? Here we find out…

The leading financial centres of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands share the characteristics of low tax, a common law legal system, the benefits of a Caribbean-style climate and proximity to the USA.

In recent years, the offshore sector has seen firms in the Caribbean merge with Channel Islands practices to create cross-jurisdictional entities that have since expanded into Asia, the Middle East, Europe and South America.

If you’re considering a move offshore, this puts you in the enviable position of being able to develop a continuous career path within a single firm, whilst being able to achieve this in a wide choice of desirable destinations.

Developing your career

Leading international financial centres such as the BVI, Cayman and Bermuda play a vital role in promoting and enabling international finance and trade, and are often positioned at the heart of global cross-border transactions.

As such, legal professionals relocating to any of these Islands can expect to be involved in high profile, complex and sophisticated transactions or disputes from the outset.

Lawyers will typically advise on specific, highly technical points of law, which are critical to a wider case or deal. The volume of matters on which you advise may be greater than at home, though the number of elements that concern you on each can be fewer.

You may therefore need to be comfortable with taking a more peripheral role rather than being at the core of a project, though your personal responsibility can actually increase. Both decision-making and prioritisation skills are highly prized assets.

Tax-free financial benefits

The financial benefits of earning a tax-free salary are self evident, especially if a medium/long-term career move is planned. You should be aware, however, that cost of living (for example, rent) on some of the Islands does not come cheap. That said, the balance works in your favour: capital accumulation is a popular reason for choosing to relocate.

Enhanced quality of life

Another major incentive for professionals to make the move, beyond the work experience and tax-free benefits, is the enhanced quality of life.

However, it would be wrong to think that long hours are not on occasion demanded as the quid pro quo, particularly as your career advances, and in that regard, it is very similar to working onshore. That said, you can be assured that your commuting time home will be significantly shorter than it is back in London.

Thinking long term

Many lawyers find they enjoy the challenges of the workload as well as the quality of life and, after a time, the thought of returning onshore can understandably lose its appeal.

Choosing to build your career offshore, you might find that you will work your way to Partner level or take advantage of the option to relocate after a period to another desirable offshore destination such as in the Channel Islands, elsewhere in the Caribbean, Dubai, Hong Kong or Singapore.

For a combination of reasons therefore – career, financial and personal – many lawyers decide to make the move offshore each year. You can join them. It’s your career, life and choice.

See also: 12 Reasons Why You MUST Use a Recruiter

Are you a lawyer with at least 3 years’ PQE from a UK/Commonwealth jurisdiction? Have you ever considered offshore? Visit our jobs portal to see the latest vacancies. Our site also includes a downloadable All You Need to Know guide which will tell you all you need to know about working offshore.