Dubai and other Middle East markets hit hard by the GFC including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar are reaching out to foreign qualified lawyers after the larger firms, including DLA Piper, were making redundancies in the region as recently as December 2009. Dezz Mardigan, private practice manager for recruitment firm JLegal says those with between three and five years top level experience in a wide range of areas should find roles available. “There are certainly more roles coming through from the region in recent months. The work there is captivating, very large deals involving many jurisdictions,” said Mardigan. The range of areas includes corporate, banking & finance, major projects, construction, infrastructure and energy & resources (particularly oil and gas). Agribusiness, telecommunications and media are also areas which she said are growing more popular in the Middle East.

There are options in terms of which type of firm to work for, as well as in-house roles available in corporate and commercial, construction and on major projects, according to Karlie Connellan, a senior consultant with Taylor Root. There are around 25 US and UK or international firms operating in the Middle East.

Other benefits include extra holiday time, the average is 25 days, and tax free pay means that salaries are generally two to three times more than from Australian firms, for example. The UAE also has an end of service benefit program that provides staff a minimum payment equal  to around 21 days pay when they leave the firm and most do not require lawyers to speak Arabic. Connellan also said that Middle East roles can offer lawyers the chance to progress their careers quickly.