Juliet Leung joined the firm in 2022 as a trainee and is an associate in the Dispute Resolution department, Hong Kong. She studied law at the University of Hong Kong and University College London, and finished her training contract in 2024.
Juliet Leung's story
I joined Freshfields on a vacation internship and then as a trainee solicitor. I am an associate in the Dispute Resolution team, Hong Kong with a six-month associate secondment to the London team.
During my training contract, I completed seats with the dispute resolution team, corporate team, intellectual property team, financial regulation team and corporate finance team in Hong Kong, as well as secondments to the London dispute resolution team and the Shanghai M&A team.
Freshfields is unique in offering three-month seats, which exposes trainees to different areas of law. The guaranteed secondment to London and a PRC office further enhances technical skills and broadens your horizons.
While each rotation passes by quickly, the training process is comprehensive and supportive. For example, you can join training sessions across practice groups to be introduced to a variety of skills from civil procedure to IPO, ensuring a strong foundation of legal and technical knowledge.
My substantial involvement in matters, even as a trainee, has been extremely rewarding.
I was mentioned as a member of the leading team on the firm website’s blog after assisting on a successful hearing in my first shareholders’ dispute. It was great to get recognition for my work at such an early stage.
Vacation interns are also involved in meaningful tasks and associates take their time to explain complex matters in detail.
Colleagues are genuinely interested in your development and experience with the firm from the moment you join.
All the teams I have worked with at Freshfields are friendly. Future trainees in the Hong Kong office are invited to join the firm’s annual dinner to continue the connection with the firm. Despite limited interaction with the Hong Kong office during the two years of COVID-19, the team I sat with during my internship welcomed me warmly on the day I started as a trainee.
A Freshfields value that reflects my experience here is being “open with each other”.
Senior colleagues are always open and supportive, and are happy to answer questions and support your development. Beyond work, highlights of social events include partners from the Hong Kong office taking part in the annual dragon boat race alongside associates, trainees and support staff.