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Irish Law Degree and Working in Australia

  • 20-02-2012 6:40pm
    #1
    birdie89
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 140 ✭✭


    Hi guys,

    just wondering if anyone knows anything about the possibility of getting paralegal/admin/legal secretarial work in Aus?

    I have a 2.1 law degree from UCD and have passed 6 of the FE1s (sitting my final two next month). At the moment I haven't been lucky enough to obtain a Training Contract or legal work of any kind. just wondering if Aus may be an option for me? was thinking of going anyway!

    much help would be appreciated!

    thanks:)


Comments

  • #2
    Procrastastudy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,224 ✭✭✭Procrastastudy


    I heard the other day that Aus has some scheme for law graduates under 32.


  • #3
    birdie89
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 140 ✭✭birdie89


    GCDLawstudent wrote: »
    I heard the other day that Aus has some scheme for law graduates under 32.


    do you mind me asking where you heard this from? sounds good and would love to have a look into it!


  • #4
    shaneybaby
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 415 ✭✭shaneybaby


    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056324420&page=4

    done a bit of research myself but more in the line f trying to get qualified over there, you need 3 months pqe over here before you can transfer really.


  • #5
    birdie89
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 140 ✭✭birdie89


    shaneybaby wrote: »
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056324420&page=4

    done a bit of research myself but more in the line f trying to get qualified over there, you need 3 months pqe over here before you can transfer really.

    Thank you! not really looking to qualify over there, more down the lines of hoping to have all 8 fe1s and spend maybe a year or two working abroad in some sort of legal capacity so it doesnt look like I've just spent two years swanning around, with the hope that the economy in Ireland will have picked up a little on my return to start the dreaded training contract search!


  • #6
    kronsington
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,009 ✭✭✭kronsington


    GCDLawstudent wrote: »
    I heard the other day that Aus has some scheme for law graduates under 32.

    do you have a link for this? is it for graduates or newly qualifieds? or either?


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  • #7
    Procrastastudy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,224 ✭✭✭Procrastastudy


    kronsington wrote: »
    GCDLawstudent wrote: »
    I heard the other day that Aus has some scheme for law graduates under 32.

    do you have a link for this? is it for graduates or newly qualifieds? or either?

    Sorry I don't. We arranged a talk for our year on the difficulties of finding work / things to do and it was just an off the cuff remark made by the Barrister we asked to come in.


  • #8
    linola_c
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 198 ✭✭linola_c


    Living in Brisbane for the past year and a half. I have a 1.1 B Corp LLB and I can advise anyone who is thinking of coming out here that it is extremely difficult to find work in the legal sector as an Irish graduate. The market is flooded over here with law grads looking for work and most of the firms employ law students as clerks in their firms when they are still studying. They work 2/3 days per week, and most of the law degrees here are combined with another degree subject like Science and Law and this takes 5 years. And yes weird combinations such as this do exist!!

    There are opportunities out there but you will certainly need to have experience. I worked in a general practice firm for 2 summers before I came out here and many recruiters snorted at me. I think you would have more luck saying you have no law degree and have been working as a legal exec at home for a few years (I know a girl who had no problem getting work in this position here).

    As for qualifying here, it is a long and tedious process and also very expensive. Visas will pose a huge issue as the conversion courses do not satisfy the hours for a student visa so unless you have balls of cash and can afford to pay to do more courses than required and won't need to work more than 20 hours per week (student visa requirement) to live then forget it! After conversion, you need to do the PLT which costs another 5000 -7000 or 11200 for an international graduate who does not have Permanent Residency.

    So all in all it is far from an easy process and I am not aware of any law grad scheme for those under 32 although it could exist as it is very difficult to find information out over here. There was mention of scheme back in 2008 where Irish law graduate could use experience over here to count towards a training contract but nothing ever came of this!


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