Key dates
Hong Kong Summer Internship 2027
Application window: 1 August – 31 December 2026 (HK time)
Location: 4 weeks in Hong Kong office
Hong Kong Internships and Training Contracts
The first step is to apply to our Hong Kong Summer Internship Programme. Every year we run two, four-week internship schemes in our Hong Kong office, in June and July. We select our future trainees from our internship programme. We make our training contract offers on 1 August each year.
To apply, please upload:
- Your CV.
- University transcripts.
- 850 words about yourself to give us a good idea of who you are. This personal statement should cover your background, career, interests, and aspirations. You may wish to mention any positions of responsibility held at school or subsequently, any regular employment or other work experience or other achievements and any interests and personal qualities which are significant. Please also state briefly why you are making this application.
We’ll look at your application as a whole and if we like what we see, we’ll ask you to complete a series of online assessments. If we progress your application, you will be invited to be interviewed with a senior lawyer and our people team, either at our Hong Kong office or online. We’ll contact you within a few weeks to let you know the outcome.
Hong Kong trainees
You’ll spend most of your time in Hong Kong, but we also offer a three-month seat in our Beijing or Shanghai or Singapore offices, and a six-month seat in London.
Every year, we award up to 10 two-year training contracts.
You’ll either have a law degree or any academic degree from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, or the UK.
If you have a law degree from Hong Kong or overseas
You’ll need to complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Law (PCLL) and the PCLL Conversion Examinations for overseas students if needed.
If you have a non-law degree from an overseas university
You’ll need to complete either the PGDL or the Juris Doctor (JD) programme, followed by the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL).
You can complete the PCLL course at the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, or the City University of Hong Kong.
Your training contract with us starts when you’ve successfully completed the PCLL
We’ll fund your PCLL tuition fees and pay you a maintenance grant for the duration of the PCLL. For overseas students, we also help with the Hong Kong PCLL conversion exams if needed.
When you join us, your training covers several areas of law
To make sure your training is as comprehensive as possible, you’ll need to complete at least six months in a Corporate seat, three months in a Finance seat and three months in a Dispute Resolution seat.
To help you decide which area of law is right for you, our programme also allows you to spend time in our other practice areas: Antitrust, Competition and Trade, Financial Services Regulatory, or Intellectual Property and Information Technology.
Financial support
For all prospective trainees we cover the PCLL course in Hong Kong. We’ll pay your course fees in full and provide you with a maintenance grant to cover living costs while you study.
For overseas students that require taking the Hong Kong conversion examinations for the PCLL admission, we will provide a cash allowance to support your travel expenses, including flights and accommodation, for your trip to Hong Kong to sit the exams.
Life as a prospective trainee
We want our prospective trainees to feel part of the firm from the day they accept our offer. The Hong Kong Graduate Recruitment Team will continue to stay in touch prior to your re-joining as a trainee, and you are invited to a variety of social events, such as our annual Christmas Party and Spring Dinner. We also offer language classes and ad-hoc learning opportunities.
The online application
This is your opportunity to introduce yourself. Include your interests, achievements, experience (including work experience) and don’t forget to explain why you want to work at Freshfields.
Tips:
- Write your personal statement in prose, not as bullet points. That way we can see more of your personality and get a sense of how you communicate in writing.
- Write using simple, direct English. It comes across as more authentic than if you use lots of long words.
- Check and double-check your personal statement to ensure it’s free from typos and grammatical errors.
Your academic record
The work we do is intellectually demanding and we expect to see a high level of academic achievement from our candidates. That doesn’t necessarily mean As at A-level. We’ll compare your grades against the average at your school or college. As for university grades, most candidates will have a 2:1 or above.
Let us know of any scholarships or academic prizes you’ve won.
For the Hong Kong Summer Internship Programme, we’ll ask you to share a copy of your high school and university academic transcripts.
For the London-Asia Trainee Associate Programme, we’ll ask you to tell us your academic results, including the breakdown of your available degree module grades.
Mitigating circumstances
There’s space in the application form to explain any mitigating factors that might have affected your application.
If you didn’t get the grades you wanted, tell us if there’s a good reason why not.
Online assessment
After submitting your application, you will complete a series of online assessments. This is an untimed test that will give you insight into the type of work we do at Freshfields and provide you with a realistic job preview. Before attempting the assessments, we recommend visiting Cappfinity’s Preparation Hub to familiarise yourself with what to expect.
Our people
All applications should be submitted through our application portal by the respective deadlines.
Start by checking our FAQs for answers to common questions. If your query isn’t covered, you can reach out to our People team.