Palau’s Attorney General, Ernestine Rengiil, is tapping into Palau’s attraction as a world-renowned scuba diving paradise to attract lawyers to work in the Attorney General’s office.

 In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Pacific Beat, she mentioned that she decided against placing ads in traditional legal magazines due to difficulties in recruiting qualified lawyers.

Instead, she advertised in a diving magazine featuring striking images of sharks alongside the captivating tagline: “Wanted: Four Attorneys Who Enjoy Swimming with the Sharks,” inviting candidates to “live and work in paradise.”

“It’s become increasingly challenging to find qualified lawyers,” Ms. Rengiil told ABC’s Pacific Beat.

 “My attempts to advertise in legal magazines weren’t successful, so a colleague suggested trying a diving magazine. Many lawyers are passionate divers, and I hope this unique approach will attract the talent we need.”

She also noted that hiring lawyers from overseas used to be easier. Palau typically recruits American lawyers due to the similarities between the U.S. and Palau’s legal systems. However, the current shortage of lawyers has slowed their work.

“We have to pace the number of cases filed because, with so few lawyers, if we file cases and all the trial deadlines approach, we have only one, two, or three lawyers to handle them. The work is affected,” she added.

Despite these challenges, she stated that this innovative approach seems to work, as she has already received interest from potential candidates. (By: Bernadette Carreon)