Lawyers: Moving to Hong Kong, Singapore, or Tokyo? What you need to know

Over the past year, we’ve seen a notable uptick in overseas lawyers, particularly from various parts of Asia, the UK, Australia, and the Middle East, reaching out about relocating to one of Hong Kong, Singapore, or Tokyo. This is encouraging for the continent, particularly Hong Kong’s legal market, which has faced its fair share of challenges in recent years. The city is once again proving its resilience and appeal as a global legal hub.

But before packing your bags, it’s crucial to ask yourself some tough questions. Moving jurisdictions isn’t just about securing a job. It’s a life decision with long-term implications to not just your career, but your life, your development, your wealth, and your family. Below, we explore key considerations that lawyers often overlook when pursuing an international move.

1. Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Jurisdiction?

This seems obvious, but many candidates struggle to articulate a compelling reason beyond “I want a change” or “I’ve heard [Hong Kong/Tokyo/Singapore] pays well.”

Positive: If you’re seeking global exposure, high-profile work, or faster career progression, moving to a financial hub like Hong Kong or Singapore can be transformative.

Negative: If you’re running from workplace issues, will they really disappear in a new country? Consider whether a lateral move within your current jurisdiction might solve the problem.

Ask yourself: Would staying put and switching firms achieve the same career goals? If not, what does the overseas market offer that your home jurisdiction doesn’t?

2. Why Hong Kong, Singapore, or Tokyo—and Do You Have Ties There?

Relocating without any personal or professional connections is risky.

Positive: If you have family, friends, or a partner in the city, you’ll have a support network—critical when settling in. Even without that, if you're outgoing and willing to meet new people, each city will have a thriving social (meetup.com) and business or industry networking groups (banking and finance, aviation, tech, entrepreneurs) to help you integrate into the community more quickly. 

Negative: Moving solo can be isolating, especially in cities with high living costs where expat turnover is frequent. Take note, the area of specialisation you practice where you are now, your "aura", may not register even a flicker of interest among employers in your choice of destination because it's simply not in demand in that territory, or your really need local experince there for people to take notice. An oil and gas lawyer will command great interest among employers in Singapore but will have fewer suitors in Hong Kong, where such industry has a weaker presence, for example.   

Lesser-discussed point: During COVID, many expats couldn’t visit home for years. Even in normal times, frequent long-haul flights (particularly where you have a family in tow) are expensive and exhausting. Are you prepared for that?

3. What Area of Practice Do You Specialise In?

Non-commercial lawyers: If you work outside a commercial practice area like civil litigation, criminal, conveyancing, the scope and probability of your obtaining a similar role in the same field are slim, and even if you do, you'll likely be relegated to paralegal status. There are some exceptions, of course, but generally it would require you to become requalified in the jurisdiction you move to as quickly as possible, which means more studies, exams, and expense. Even so, financial considerations will likely form part of your decision-making, particularly when you find that these practice areas aren't the best paid in the legal field, in Asia or otherwise.

Pivoting or upskilling: More often, lawyers in these fields will gravitate into other professions, such as business development in law firms, operations or human resources. For private client lawyers, there is the possibility to go into private banking or wealth management, either as wealth planners or for the more extroverted personalities, relationship management. Or you may have a very supportive employer or client who will support you in a move abroad and you can work remotely. Whilst there are existential challenges in making a move, it's never been a better time for lawyers to consider career options outside the traditional legal practice path, as we will discuss in more detail in a later article.  

Go niche: But it's not a straight path for those who do work in a commercial field of law, far from it. The general rule of thumb is, the more specialised your practice area and the more technical, the more in demand you will be internationally. International Arbitration lawyers, Anti-bribery or Financial Services Regulatory / trade and other compliance lawyers will likely be able to travel afar compared with general commercial litigators who are far too common across any jurisdiction and are specialised in their local court procedures only; and private equity lawyers are more likely to be in demand than general commercial lawyers, in law firms at least. With in-house, most commercial lawyers will tend to fare better in their job search than private client and other non-commercial lawyers seeking a move in-house, simply because of the volume of businesses seeking commercial / transactional lawyers.

4. What Are Your Long-Term Career (and Life) Goals?

Think beyond the initial move:

5-10 Year Plan: Do you see yourself staying long-term, or is this a stepping stone? If the latter, how will this move enhance your CV for future roles?

Exit Options: If you leave Asia later, will your experience be valued back home or in another market? Or will your time in Asia be dismissed or reduced because you didn't keep up to date handling legal matters in your home jurisdiction of qualification? 

Regulatory Hurdles: Some jurisdictions (e.g., Hong Kong’s foreign lawyer registration under the OLQE) have specific requirements—will you qualify?

4. Have You Researched the Cost of Living—and Taxes? 

Hong Kong and Singapore have low tax rates but eye-watering rents. Tokyo has a high income tax but (relatively) cheaper housing. But consider the Japanese Yen has tanked in the last few years, leaving less savings in the long term and less to spend whilst overseas.

Hidden Costs: International school fees in Hong Kong can exceed HK$250,000, or roughly US$32,000, per year per child. Extra Curricular Activities (ECAs) can easily range from US$38-128 (HK$300 to an eye-watering HK$1,000 for top grade music teachers) per hour per student. Does your expected salary cover that in addition to your family's everyday lifestyle costs, with some left over for savings?

Partner’s Employment: If your spouse needs a job, will they secure a visa? Some jurisdictions (like Singapore) are stricter about dependent pass holders working.

5. Family Considerations: Schools, Lifestyle, Weather(!) and Stability

If you have children:

School Availability: International schools in Hong Kong and Singapore have waiting lists—apply early.

Cultural Adjustment: Will your family adapt to the new environment? Some struggle with the humidity, language barriers, or lack of green space in their immediate vicinity. However, green space is never far away in Hong Kong with hiking trails, sometimes beaches, within 30 minutes of most residential areas of Hong Kong. In fact, Hong Kong is simply world class when it comes to hiking trails surrounded by outstanding natural scenery, all 300km of it, and that's just the marked ones—for a teaser, watch the excellent movie, Four Trails, a documentary of trailrunners who take on the entire route of Hong Kong's trails. Here's the trailer. 

Weather: if you're from a temperate climate, Singapore with its one season will come as a shock to the system with the constant heat and humidity. Some people like the warm draft of air that continually runs through the city but most people will try to stay indoors in the cool of the air-conditioning. Hong Kong has arguably two and a half seasons, whilst Japan has four, so it's the closest in climate to Europe. The further north you travel in Japan, the colder the winter gets as it braces the Syberian winds in the winter. The benefit to that, however, is the outstanding snow conditions that Hokkaido prefecture has for winter sports. The puff powder snow in Niseko and neighbouring resorts really has to be experienced to be believed.   

6. The Bigger Picture: Hong Kong’s Resurgence, Singapore’s Competition, Tokyo’s Niche Appeal, Seoul's K-Pop Cool

Hong Kong: Despite geopolitical challenges, the legal market remains robust, especially in finance, corporate, funds, disputes, and PRC-related work. Moreover, the offshore law firm industry is gaining traaction with several boutique firms entering the market in recent years. Take, for example, the more than 400 insurance companies that have a presence in Hong Kong, in a city of 7.5 million. Extrapolate that number into other industries and you'll be hard pressed not to bump into an in-house lawyer every corner you turn on the street. 

The exodus narrative is overplayed. Yes, it did happen, but former residents are slowly heading back, expats are showing an interest to move to the city, and top firms are still hiring.

Singapore: Booming as a safe-haven alternative, but competition for roles is fierce. The jobs market isn't helped by the focus in recent years by the Singapore government to prioritise the local residents for jobs and restricting the ratio of employees who can work in Singapore on a valid work visa. Whilst Hong Kong's path to gaining permanent residency is clear and relatively straightforward (work for seven years solid and then apply, or study at university to gain renewable biannual IANG visas), the path to getting permanent residency is far from clear and in many cases, can feel arbitrary. 

Tokyo: A smaller market, but ideal for those with Japanese language skills or a focus on corporate/tech. Tokyo is, however, probably the hardest markets to penetrate and settle into for a non-Japanese speaking expat; mainly from a language and cultural perspective. Consider an internal transfer or a secondment for anywhere between 6-36 months from your currrent employer to give you a taste of living in Japan. 

Korea: Similar thoughts to Tokyo. Unless you've spent a year or two learning Korean intensely and you already specialise in a commercial field that's highly niche or more international in nature (e.g. international arbitration), gaining a foothold in this legal market will be very tough for an expat. Most international firms are generally small outposts with barely double digit staff in their Seoul office. 

Final Thoughts

An international move can supercharge your career—but only if done for the right reasons, with eyes wide open. Before diving in, ask yourself the tough questions above and make sure your answers are sound.

Hong Kong, in particular, is seeing renewed interest and, thankfully, proving its enduring appeal. But success depends on preparation. If you’re serious about the move, research thoroughly, talk to lawyers already there, and consider reaching out to a specialist recruiter (like us!) to navigate the market intelligently.

Would you like tailored advice to help with your legal career move? Get in touch. 

Additional Resources: 

IANG Visa: Hong Kong Government Immigration Department home page

Overseas Lawyers' Qualification Exam (OLQE): Law Society home page

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