Staying away - Dubai

Lawyers at the largest firms lead increasingly international careers. That can mean getting in early or staying late to be on a call, or jumping in a cab to get to the airport. But for some lawyers, visiting other countries is not enough – they want to stay. David Miles is a senior associate in Allen & Overy’s fast-growing Dubai office and Simon Roderick is a partner there.

The nomad
 “The sun is shining,” says David Miles, “and it’s hot, very hot. Between October and March the climate is beautiful, but for the rest of the year, during the daytime, you’d better be indoors or in water – it’s seriously hot.”

Not that David travelled all the way to Dubai to make a weather report. He’s part of the firm’s rapidly expanding presence in the Middle East – a response to the growing demand for international commercial legal advice from a burgeoning business and financial economy.

And in fact, he didn’t travel there from London, but New York where he had worked as a senior associate for two years. Before that he was based in the firm’s Tokyo office for two years. David is happy to describe himself as “a bit of nomad” remembering that, even during his training contract, which began in 2000, he had itchy feet and spent a six-month seat in Hong Kong.

“In eight years as a qualified lawyer I’ve spent less than three years in the UK, and six months of that was spent on secondment to a client. You hear about opportunities in other offices and, before you know it, you’re on a plane and setting out on a new chapter in your career.”

“Dubai is an incredible place to live and work,” he says. “I think one of the things that makes it so interesting from a career perspective is the variety of work you’re exposed to. It’s a much smaller office than London, so you just can’t be as specialised.”

Like many people working abroad David enjoys an active social and sporting life, which includes rugby, despite the heat. “My experience is that people get out and do a lot more, they don’t save up their social lives for the weekend like they do at home,” he says.

His advice for people thinking of working overseas is not to approach it as an enormous decision. “Be open minded,” he says. “Don’t think of it as a block of time exiled from family and friends back home, but as a fantastic opportunity to have a new career and general life experiences. And of course, you can always go home; no one takes your passport away.”

The long termer
“The best piece of advice I can offer to trainees coming here,” says partner Simon Roderick, “is to remember that you are a guest in another country, and bring a can-do attitude and an open mind.” He should know, having spent the last 20 years in the UAE.

“We’ve gone from one small office in Dubai to four in the Middle East, and from five lawyers to over 100 and counting,” he says. “And, more importantly, we’re now a significant contributor to the firm’s revenues.”

“But what makes the UAE different, and interesting,” says Simon, “is the fact that we’re operating in a civil rather than common law jurisdiction – it’s fundamentally different.” The creation in 2003 of the Dubai International Financial Centre – effectively an offshore jurisdiction in which international financial institutions and their advisers can operate and be regulated separately from the rest of the UAE – has, however, given the territory a major boost, and spawned greater competition for legal services in the region.

“The UAE has real strategic importance these days,” says Simon. “It’s the emerging markets that have the greatest growth potential and, candidly, you have to have a high-quality presence here on the ground to pick up the outward investment.”

“The competition is intensifying, so you have to be constantly on top of your game and keep bringing out high-calibre individuals to the region. And when they get here,” he adds, “they have to adapt quickly to a different style of working.” “The UAE”, explains Simon, “requires a very commercial, proactive approach. What clients want to know is ‘can we do it, yes or no?’. They don’t want a legal essay but straightforward, practical and commercial advice regarding issues that they may be tackling for the first time.”

“It’s great hands-on experience,” he says. “The teams are small so you’re even closer to the coalface. But don’t forget that can-do attitude – you’ll need it.”