Expert guidance for legal careers
New Cayman Regulations: 5 years’ PQE now required for admission/work permit.
The Cayman Islands has now confirmed a significant change to its admission rules when applying to relocate. Overseas qualified lawyers will be required, from January 2026, to have a minimum of five years PQE to gain admission (and in turn to obtain a work permit). This change marks a notable shift for international practitioners considering a move to Cayman.
To help candidates and employers navigate these updates, we’ve refreshed our guidance across all major offshore financial centres. You can find the latest details below.
Bermuda
To practice in Bermuda, overseas lawyers need a minimum of three years’ post-qualification experience. Without this, it is unlikely you will be able to secure a work permit, and as a result, law firms do not consider applicants with less experience.
You will also need to be admitted in an eligible overseas jurisdiction – currently the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, or selected Caribbean territories. In-demand practice areas include Corporate, Finance, Insurance, Fintech, Commercial Litigation, Insolvency, and Trusts & Private Wealth. Firms are also on the lookout for barristers/advocates with commercial or trusts experience.
British Virgin Islands
In the BVI, there is technically no minimum PQE requirement for overseas lawyers seeking a work permit. In practice, however, NQ positions are rare, with firms usually preferring candidates who have a year or two of PQE.
Eligible overseas lawyers must be qualified in the UK or Ireland only, and recruitment tends to focus on areas such as Corporate, Finance, Fintech, Commercial Litigation, Insolvency, Trusts & Private Wealth. Given the strength of the litigation market here, Barristers or Advocates with commercial or trusts experience are highly sought after.
Cayman Islands
As the Cayman Islands implements the remaining parts of its Legal Services Act in January 2026, the minimum PQE requirement for overseas lawyers will rise from three to five years. This is expected to be a hard line for immigration purposes, although some firms may start the recruitment process when a candidate reaches around 4.5 years’ PQE, with them moving and commencing work after the five-year PQE mark.
Eligible lawyers must be qualified in the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, or other territories that are part of both CARICOM and the Commonwealth. Hong Kong qualified lawyers are also now eligible for the first time. Demand is strongest in Corporate, Funds, Finance, Fintech, Commercial Litigation, Insolvency, and Trusts & Private Wealth, and firms also seek Barristers/Advocates with commercial or trusts experience.
Guernsey and Jersey
Neither Guernsey nor Jersey impose a minimum PQE requirement for overseas qualified lawyers. There are also no formal jurisdiction rules governing eligibility (since you will be practicing as an overseas qualified lawyer anyway), but in practice, virtually all lawyers on these islands are qualified in the UK, Ireland, or another Commonwealth jurisdiction.
Firms recruit from Newly Qualified upwards, and recruitment is strongest in areas such as Corporate, Funds, Finance, Commercial Litigation, Insolvency, and Trusts & Private Wealth.
INTERESTED?
If you would like to find out more about the market, discuss potential opportunities or just ask a few questions about working or living in Hong Kong, please get in touch. If you would like to send us a CV you can be rest assured that it will be treated confidentially and never released without your advance.
Jason Horobin
ddi. +44 (0)1206 233 514
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhorobin/
Charlotte Hooper
ddi. +44 (0)1206 233 515
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/charlottehaxell/
Origin Legal is a specialist legal recruitment company launched in January 2005 by a management team that first came together in 1996. Origin Legal is recognised as one of the UK’s leading providers of legal jobs at all levels for lawyers, legal executives, solicitors and paralegals. The company’s primary goal is to deliver the highest quality of service and through successful legal recruiting develop and maintain long term client relationships.
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