The two-year training contract in the Hong Kong office is divided into four seats, each of which lasts six months.

As a trainee with Herbert Smith, you’ll gain the wide range of experience you need to make the right choice about where to practise on qualification. From the word go we strive to provide you with the right opportunities and environment to help you make a real difference to clients, to your immediate team and to our firm as a whole.

During training you will be working alongside an associate or partner in each seat, who will provide work and supervision. You will be expected to take the initiative and will be given as much responsibility as it is felt to be reasonable.

In addition to on-the-job training we offer formal training sessions and workshops that will give you the practical and legal knowledge to become a fully qualified lawyer. You will be given help to evaluate your strengths, development needs, likes and dislikes – both informally and through formal reviews with your supervisors. Plus, there are opportunities to be involved in one of our numerous community action initiatives.

Training in other jurisdictions
Trainee solicitors are encouraged to spend six months of their training in our London office. With the growing importance of the People’s Republic of China, trainee solicitors with Mandarin language skills will also be encouraged to spend six months in Beijing or Shanghai, in addition to their time in London.

In Singapore we are able to arrange for trainees to complete the required six-month pupillage for admission as a Singapore lawyer. There is also the opportunity, following the compulsory training period, to spend three to six months in either our London or Hong Kong offices.