Frequently asked questions

The key dates are:

Summer Clerkship Programme:    30 November (annually)

The ability to speak Mandarin, and to read and write Chinese is preferable but not essential.

Our main website is a good place to start. It’s packed with information about our areas of expertise and the services we provide, as well as our history and strategy for the future.

By far the best way to find out more about us, however, is to join us at our Open Day or careers fairs and talk to the people who already work here.

Firstly, keeping up with the news is a good way to start building your commercial awareness. The Financial Times and The Standard websites are a good place to start.

Then, really think about what interests you in the commercial world. Select two or three topics that really catch your attention, and do some more in-depth reading around those subjects. This will prove invaluable in your interviews and Clerkship Day where you are likely to be asked questions around what might be impacting the legal sector now and in the future.

Strong communication skills are obviously key. Beyond that, we look for good team-working, problem-solving and leadership capabilities.

Just as important as your skills, however, are the personal qualities you bring. Things like resilience and adaptability, creativity and persuasiveness. Supporting it all, you need to have an eagle-eye for detail.

Our Clerkship Programme is the usual path to a Trainee Solicitor’s role in our Hong Kong Office. Clerks who perform well during the Clerkship Programme are generally offered a Training Contract after they have completed their legal studies and P.C.LL. course.

You should be a penultimate or final-year law student, or final-year qualifying law student from Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Australia, or some other common law jurisdictions.

We do require good academic grades for our Clerkship Programmes. However, our recruitment process is based on a contextualized system. This enables us to recruit the best people from all kinds of backgrounds, and helps us understand your achievements in the context in which they were gained. So if you show real potential, but don’t quite meet our selection criteria, you will still be considered.

We accept applications from students who are doing a common law degree or a JD. If your law degree or JD is from an overseas university, you will need to complete P.C.LL. conversion exams prior to starting the P.C.LL. course.

Click ‘Find your Route‘ for more information.

Certainly, however we will require a copy when it becomes available. If you do not submit your past academic transcripts, we will be unable to assess your application and it will be declined.

We take around 25 Summer Clerks for our Clerkship Programme and offer 8 – 10 Hong Kong Training Contracts. Our Summer Clerks and Trainee numbers are subject to business needs.