Key dates
Summer Internship 2026
General application window: 1 September to 31 December 2025
For Australian law students: application window opens from 1 August 2025 for early consideration
Location: Four 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.
Your personal statement should cover your background, career, interests and aspirations and why you want to start a career in international, commercial law. Mention any positions of responsibility held at school or subsequently. Also include any regular employment, work experience or other achievements and personal qualities which are significant. Please also state briefly why you're applying to Freshfields.
If we like what we see, we’ll ask you to complete an online assessment. If successful, you’ll be invited to interview 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 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 Hong Kong conversion course if applicable.
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. We’ll also help with the Hong Kong 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.
Life as a prospective trainee
Freshfields’ prospective trainees are treated as part of the firm from the day they accept their offer. The Hong Kong graduate recruitment team will keep in touch before you re-join as a trainee. You’ll also be invited to a variety of social events, including our Christmas party and Spring Dinner.
We also offer language classes for prospective trainees.
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
If you’re successful at the application stage, you’ll be invited to do the Watson Glaser test. This focuses on your ability to think critically when interpreting information and evaluating arguments. Your score combined with your application will form the basis of an offer for interview.
All applications should be submitted through our application portal by the respective deadlines. If you’re an Australian law student applying for our 2026 summer internship program before 1 September 2025 please email your application to our Asia graduate recruitment team.
