Practicing Law From 5,000 Miles Away: An Interview with Attorney Jeff Austin

A recent American Bar Association report noted that nearly two-thirds of private practice lawyers are allowed to work remotely 100% of the time or have the option of choosing their own schedule. It wasn’t always that way. Before the internet and paperless offices, it was generally not realistic for lawyers to represent clients virtually. Today, with technology that allows most functions to be performed from anywhere, many lawyers are choosing to go remote. COVID contributed to this shift as well. The pandemic allowed many lawyers and firms to see that remote work was possible and desirable.

One lawyer who capitalized on this new opportunity is Jeff Austin. Jeff turned his remote work opportunity into an adventure by living and working remotely in Patagonia for a year. I had an opportunity to speak with Jeff about his experience.

Here is our conversation.

Tell me about your practice.
JA: I have a solo practice where I focus on estate planning and administration. I also do pro bono work for the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History by using estate planning to prevent Black land loss in Chapel Hill. I have one paralegal in my practice. She was essential to my ability to live and work abroad.

What prompted you to go on this adventure?
JA: I have always had a spirit for adventure and travel. Before my wife and I got married, we spent a lot of time living and working abroad with the Carter Center. She worked in South Sudan on a health project. I worked in Liberia monitoring elections and working on justice reform in rural areas. I had also spent a year in Haiti after high school and then studied abroad in Senegal while I was a student at Brown University.  We met through the Carter Center and shared a passion for service, justice, the outdoors, and adventure. After we had kids, we hadn’t really thought about living in another country until an old friend told me that he and his family were planning to do it. He asked if we would be interested in going to the same place. My wife and I decided that this was the perfect time to do this kind of trip. The kids were young enough to not be too overwhelmed with school and extracurricular commitments but old enough to appreciate cross-cultural learning. So, after a year of planning and research, we and the other family packed up and moved to Bariloche, a city in the province of Rio Negro, Argentina.

What kind of logistics were involved in making such a big move?
JA: There were so many details we had to consider. It took a full year of planning from the hatching of the idea to the date that we departed. Fortunately, Argentina has a very liberal policy for people coming to stay for extended periods, so we did not run into any problems with entry or our long-term stay. We were able to generate an income stream while we were gone by renting out our house in Durham. I made sure that my office was completely paperless and set up for me to be able to do all my work remotely. I worked with ethics attorney Josh Walthall to make sure that I was doing everything in compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct. I also notified all my clients before I left to let them know that I would be working remotely from South America. I spent countless hours researching Patagonia and visiting message boards where expats shared their experiences. For anyone considering a long-term stay in another country, I would strongly recommend finding forums where other travelers share their experiences.

Why Patagonia?
JA: My wife and I are big outdoors people and love hiking. Patagonia has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. It has virgin forests, rivers and lakes, mountains, and glaciers. It’s a hiker’s paradise. We knew we would love it and wanted to expose our children to this kind of natural beauty.

What difficulties did you run into?
JA: Surprisingly, it really went smoothly. We were able to buy a car when we got there, making transportation much easier. Internet service worked fine. We had fiber internet. I did a Zoom CLE presentation while I was there and attended several remote hearings as well. Executions of testamentary and planning documents went smoothly with the help of my paralegal and some very reliable notary services. My clients did not seem to mind that I was remote. I will say that the estate planning work was much easier to handle remotely when compared to the estate administration work.

What advice do you have for another lawyer who is considering working remotely in another country?
JA: There are a thousand things I could suggest. I’ll offer three:

1. Work on your mindset before you go. It is so important to have a positive mindset about how you think the experience will be. You’re going to run into unexpected difficulties and barriers. With a positive mindset, it is so much easier to be resilient in the face of those obstacles.
2. Make sure that you are fully paperless before you leave and can log on through a secure VPN connection.
3. Do your research. Every country is different. The internet offers amazing resources for just about any country. Many popular expat destinations also have forums and chat rooms that offer great advice. Take advantage of that.

What was your favorite part of the experience?
JA: Without a doubt, my favorite part (and my family’s favorite as well) was the outdoors. We hiked, mountain biked, skied and explored the beautiful lakes and glaciers. The town we lived in is right on a crystalline glacial lake. Nature was always right outside our door.

Would you do it again?
JA: We would, but we made a promise to our children’s grandmothers that we won’t do such an extended trip again until the kids are grown up. We might do shorter excursions now that we know it is possible. I have always made sure to have a good work-life balance. Trips like the one we took, even if they are of a shorter duration, are good for the soul.