Anthony Matthews
21 May 2026
London has consistently been the most popular destination for lawyers who are moving from Australia/New Zealand overseas. However, over the last decade, we have seen Antipodean lawyers making the move to other locations whether the motivation if lifestyle, different work or in some cases, a lot more money!
In this article, we’ll look at some of the destinations that we cover. Feel free to get in touch with any thoughts or questions.
Bristol
With strong independent firms and the best salaries in the British regions, Bristol can offer a more work/life balance focused option. Alongside the independent firms, a number of London’s strong international firms also work across their London and Bristol office such as CMS and Simmons & Simmons. Bristol firms consistently perform well in peer rankings with Burges Salmon being Roll on Friday’s ‘Firm of the Year’ - https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/rollonfridays-best-law-firms-work-2026-results
Corporate and commercial remain strong areas but there is also a strong focus on real estate and TMT. Although growing, there hasn’t been too strong a footfall for overseas lawyers moving to Bristol, this is likely due to it being geographically close to London.
Average NQ-Snr Associate: £65,000 - £135,000 (A$122,000 – A$254,000 / NZ$149,000 / NZ$309,500)
Fun fact: Bristol is the largest city in the UK to have never had a Premier League football club. Great news for those looking to watch a more traditional footballing spectacle.
Manchester/Leeds
The northern powerhouse cities of the UK have burgeoning legal markets. Leeds has, for a while now, been streaks ahead of their Lancashire cousins however, with investment and jobs pouring into Manchester, this is one of the fastest growing markets in the UK.
Like Bristol, corporate, commercial, TMT and real estate lead the way with some teams having strong construction and projects outfits. Firms such as Addleshaw Goddard, and DLA Piper have a large presence in both cities.
Average NQ-Snr Associate: £60,000 - £120,000 (A$112,000 – A$225,000 / NZ$137,500 – NZ$275,000)
Fun fact: The rivalry between Manchester and Leeds goes back as far as the War of the Roses between 1455 and 1487. These days this rivalry is played out in the Roses Match which is the annual cricket match between Lancashire (Manchester) and Yorkshire (Leeds).
Edinburgh/Glasgow
The Scottish market is a combination of strong independent firms and international firms who have recently merged with Scottish firms. Expect the similar firms that you come across in the English regions (CMS, Addleshaw Goddard etc.) alongside Scottish stalwarts like Burness Paull and Brodies.
The Edinburgh market in particular, is very strong on the private equity and real estate front. Scottish salaries are lower than England and the cost of living in Edinburgh is significantly higher than Leeds or Manchester.
Most overseas lawyers that have moved to Scotland in the past have done so mainly due to family links however, we have seen an increase in lawyers making the move, especially to Edinburgh, due to lifestyle, culture etc.
Average NQ – Snr Associate Salary: £55,000 - £110,000 (A$103,000 – A$206,000 / NZ$126,000 – NZ$252,000)
Fun fact: Although Edinburgh is the historic seat of power in Scotland, with its access to the Atlantic, Glasgow rapidly became the economic capital of Scotland through the 19th & 20th centuries leading to the phrase ‘Glasgow makes the money and Edinburgh spends it’.
Dublin
With a combination of an active market and top Irish firms regularly losing a number of associates to the London market, Dublin has remained a great alternative for Antipodean and South African lawyers looking for an overseas experience and also putting themselves in a better position to springboard to London. The majority of these moves have traditionally been in corporate and finance.
We have recently seen a bit of a slow down on this front as there is now a saturation of overseas qualified lawyers in some teams and firms have been struggling/unwilling to sponsor visas. That being said, for lawyers with 4 years+ experience, there are still options in the Dublin market, especially in niche areas such as aviation finance.
Average NQ-Snr Associate Salary: €75,000 - €125,000 (A$122,000 – A$205,000 / NZ$149,500 – NZ$248,000 / ZAR 1,450,000 – ZAR 2,417,000)
Fun Fact: Guinness is probably Ireland’s most famous export and comes from the West End of Dublin. The brewery has a 9,000 year lease at the premises at an annual rent of £45!
New York City
The largest legal market in the world has mainly grown organically over the last century with some of the best law schools on the planet providing the well-trodden path from the Ivy League to Wall Street. However, with the introduction of the E-3 visa for Australians, the US dream has become a reality for some Australian lawyers.
Since the boom in hiring in ’21 & ’22, many US firms have taken a step back from hiring Australians however, this is now starting to recover with some firms. These hires will more a less be exclusively in corporate and finance with the most successful area being finance. Hours in New York are long (c.9 billables a day) and salaries are the highest in the world.
Average NQ-Snr Associate Salary: $225,000 - $390,000 (A$315,000 – A$547,500)
Fun Fact: There are more lawyers in New York City than people in the metropolitan area of Darwin!
Texas
Like New York, Texas was a busy market for Australians in ’21 & ’22 but has been reasonably quiet since. Due to the large level of energy transactions, overseas lawyers who move to Texas are normally specialists in projects or energy transactions. There has been a recent increase in firms setting up in the Houston market and with Texas becoming busier, more opportunities for Aussies could be on the horizon.
Salaries in Texas are akin to New York and although the work/life balance is similar, the culture is a little more relaxed.
Average NQ-Snr Associate Salary: $225,000 - $390,000 (A$315,000 – A$547,500)
Fun Fact: Texas is the only state that was an independent country before joining the United States. This separation from the rest of the country remains culturally and through infrastructure with Texas having its own electronic grid.
California
Although New York has warmed up a little with Australian lawyers, California has yet to get to the levels that it was in ’21 and ’22. There are occasional moves mainly to Los Angeles, but the large technology market of San Francisco and Silicon Valley has been focusing on domestic hires.
Practice areas on the West Coast are very technology focused which has also been a slower practice area. International hiring patterns in California follow those in New York so if New York gets a lot busier with international hires, California should follow suit.
Average NQ-Snr Associate Salary: $225,000 - $390,000 (A$315,000 – A$547,500)
Fun Fact: If California was an independent country, it would have the 4th largest economy in the world!