Hi there

I have just joined the forum and am hoping for some advice.

My partner and I want to move to Basel. He speaks German (and French) and works in the pharma industry so would have little trouble getting a job in the area but I speak no german as yet (I'm learning) and as I am a barrister in England I'm worried that it will be hard to get a job.

Can anybody tell me if they have had a similar experience and how they coped - or if they have any tips on how I should start my job hunt over there???

Bottom line - am I going to be unemployable in Basel without decent German skills?

Many thanks in advance

If you are specialized in business law, there is enough work for you, many international law firms have offices in Switzerland and do cross-border business litigations. There are also jobs in the legal departments of the multinational companies.

Hi, I just got a job in German speaking Switzerland after having been at the Bar. I don't speak German. It took about 4 months. Jobs requiring English contract experience and trusts were the most fruitful for me. Try http://www.totallylegal.com/. http://www.monster.co.uk is good as is http://deutsch.monster.ch/ (search for 'common law' and 'lawyer'). http://www.ap-executive.com/ were helpful. http://www.alpha.ch occasionally has something. I think that whether you will be unemployable without German depends on what sort of practise you may have. If you have contract / commercial experience or trusts, then there is occasionally something although I've only seen one or two in Basel recently. Best of luck.

My experience is that there are not a lot of legal jobs available to English-only speaking lawyers in Switzerland. I think the main reason is because most (if not all) Swiss lawyers speak perfect English, and their bi/tri-lingual abilities are more attractive to employers.

Although such jobs do exist, they are quite difficult to come by. It is likely to be a matter of luck or contacts.

The main selling point for English-only speaking lawyers is a common law background.

Depending on your legal background, your best bet is to look for legal positions in large international companies. This may be difficult in Basel. Unless, of course, you have some pharma experience.

The fact that you are from the UK already makes it easier for you to work in Switzerland, so you should not have any permit issues to overcome.

Good luck!

As it happens I was at a law office this morning - Vischer. You could test the water by applying to these guys and see what happens.

Jim

To be entirely honest, it is not likely that law offices in Switzerland would be interested unless they are US/UK based international firms or you have studîed Swiss law. I know enough German lawyers with excellent English who struggled to find a position in a Swiss law firm and eventually did what Cremebrulee suggested and looked for a large company to work as an internal counsel. There you will have good chances as many contracts are even based on English law albeit with a court in Switzerland...

Wow - thanks everyone for your replies - this is all really useful. I will check out the links and companies you have suggested- and thank you all for being constructive- I will persevere!

Kate

Hi Kate.

Good luck with your search. I know there is a US law firm in Frankfurt which employs some folks who speak English only. I actually applied for a job myself, as an ex-legal secretary come office manager of Australian legal firms, although circumstances prevented me from following through.

In fact, if you have luck let me know how it goes as I will be coming over to Basel in about two years and I will be looking for an English speaking role myself. I do have some German but not enough. I'll look at legal or pharma initially, although my more recent experience is Australian government!

Cheers,
Pam

A friend of mine works as a trademark administrator for a Japanese company in the French speaking part of Switzerland. Her boss is/was an American lawyer who spoke neither French or Japanese which didn't matter because the company was international and the internal company language was English.

Hello,
I am a lawyer too and my fluant languages are English and Russian. Have you some information about working apportunities as a lawyer in Switzerland?

Please, response.

Thanks.

You might want to rethink that..

(fluent)