Legal Assistant Internship Programme 2026
Application window: 1 September to 31 December 2025
Location: Hong Kong office
If you have a law degree from a university in mainland China you can apply for a one-year Legal Assistant Contract in our Hong Kong office.
The first step is to apply to our Hong Kong Legal Assistant Internship Programme. This is a four week internship run every year in June and July.
You’ll attend meetings with associates and partners, deal directly with clients and other professionals, and be involved in transactions from start to finish.
We encourage our legal assistants to qualify in Common Law jurisdictions:
- We sponsor top performers to travel to the UK and study for the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) and the City Consortium Solicitor Training Programme (CCP).
- Upon successful completion, we offer you a place on our London-Asia Trainee Associate Programme, where you’ll spend one year training in our London office and one year in Hong Kong.
- You’ll then be admitted in England and Wales, and on qualification, join the Hong Kong office (or another Asian office) as an associate.
- Read more about the London-Asia Trainee Associate Programme here.
You’ll need to be fluent in spoken and written English
English is the universal language throughout our network of offices and in client communications.
Your training depends on your ambition
We provide regular legal training for legal assistants. You’ll have on-the-job instruction from partners and associates while you work on transactions as well as training in overall business skills and personal development.
We provide the support you need to thrive
We allocate a partner mentor to each legal assistant. We encourage you to raise any concerns with your mentor, whether they’re about working practices, dealing with clients or your workload.
Your priorities are ours
Your online application allows us to find out as much about you as possible. Here are some tips on making the best of yours.
Your personal statement
This is your opportunity to introduce yourself. Include your interests, why you’re interested in the law, achievements, experience, including work experience. Don’t forget to explain why you want to work at Freshfields.
Tips:
- Write your personal statement in prose, not as bullets. 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 demanding and we expect to see a high level of academic achievement from our candidates. We’ll compare your grades against the average at your school or college. Most candidates will have a university grade of 2:1 or above.
We’ll ask you to share a copy of your university academic transcripts.
Let us know of any scholarships or academic prizes you've won.
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, we’ll invite you to complete the Watson Glaser critical thinking test. This measures 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. Click ‘Apply now’ under the “Key dates & apply now” section at the top.
