London-Asia Trainee Associate Internship Programme 2026
Application window: 1 September – 31 December 2025 (HK time)
Location: 3 weeks in Hong Kong office and final week in London (visa-dependent)
If you would like to join Freshfields as a London-Asia Trainee Associate, the first step is to apply to our Summer Internship Programme in Hong Kong. Every year we run our programme in June and July, and penultimate students join us for a total of 4 weeks in June or July (3 weeks in our Hong Kong office and 1 week in our London office, visa dependent). We make our Training Contract offers on 1 August each year.
To apply, you will upload:
- your CV,
- university transcripts and
- submit 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 particular 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 an online assessment. If we progress your application, you will be invited to participate in a language test in advance of attending an assessment centre day either at our London office or online. We’ll contact you within a few weeks after your interview to let you know if you have been successful.
What we offer
The online application
Our online application form is our way of trying to find out as much information about you as we can – from your academic record to your work experience to your transferable skills.
It consists of several elements. Here are some tips on making the best of each.
- Your personal statement
- We want to give you the freedom to portray yourself in the best light. So we ask you to write up 850 words as personal statement, to include your interests, achievements, experience (including work experience) and other qualities. We also ask you to include your motive in applying to us.
- Tips:
- Write your personal statement in prose, not in bullet-point format. That way we can see more of your personality, and get a sense of how you communicate in writing.
- Write as you would talk. If you use simple English, it comes across as more authentic than if you use lots of long words.
- Consider why you’re attracted to us. Is it our global work, our reputation, or the atmosphere of our firm? We want to know.
- Check and double-check your personal statement to ensure it’s free from typos and grammatical errors.
- Your academic record
- For London-Asia Trainee Associate Programme, we’ll ask you to tell us your academic results, including breakdown of your available degree module grades.
- The work we do is intellectually demanding and we expect to see a high level of academic achievement from our candidates. That doesn’t necessary mean As at A-level. We will compare your grades against the average at your school or college. As for university grades, most candidates will have a 2:1 or above.
- Tip: Be sure to let us know of any scholarships or academic prizes you’ve won.
- Mitigating circumstances
- There is a space in our application form for you to explain any mitigating factors that might have affected any element of your application.
- Unlike many firms, we don’t insist on straight As at A-level or particular grades on your degree; we want to hire people with the best potential. So we include a space where you can explain anything that might have affected your application.
- Tip: If you didn’t get the grades you wanted, please make sure you tell us if there is a good reason why not.
- An academic reference
- We ask for one academic reference as part of your application, which we’ll follow up if you make you an offer.
- Tip: Make sure your referee is aware that you have forwarded their details to us.
All applications should be submitted through our application portal by the respective deadlines. Click ‘apply now’ for all available opportunities.
