A&O Shearman is a new, global, industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
We offer exceptional opportunities for our people: opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses, transform the status quo and deliver your best work, helping you and your career thrive while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the way we manage our business or ensuring the smooth running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, are committed to an inclusive environment and offer support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.
What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we redefine success.
Application Process
You will be required to submit an online application detailing your work and education history. You will need to submit your CV, a cover letter, and your most recent academic transcript.
You will then receive an email containing a link to complete our online experience. The online experience will include verbal and numerical reasoning items, as well as two short motivation questions to complete via video. The online experience is untimed and should take around 45 minutes.
The online experience is designed to provide a realistic preview of what you may encounter as a trainee at A&O Shearman, as well as give us insight into your motivations. All parts of the online experience must be completed and submitted by the deadline.
As we review applications and invite students to next stage on a rolling basis, we strongly recommend that you complete the online experience within a week of receiving the instruction email.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a business case study interview.
Please note that you may only submit one application per recruitment cycle.
Scheme Overview
Our Summer Vacation Scheme is a unique opportunity designed to show you exactly what it’s like to tackle exciting challenges every day at an industry-leading law firm.
You’ll have the chance to develop valuable skills, gain practical experience and experience global success as part of our friendly, supportive and dynamic culture. Throughout the scheme, you’ll have a range of learning tools at your disposal that will show you what it takes to excel as an international commercial lawyer.
We run two four-week Vacation Schemes in our Hong Kong office every summer, in June and July. Students will need to be available for the entire scheme.
Benefits:
Gain hands-on experience in an industry-leading law firm
Develop practical skills and knowledge
Receive mentorship from experienced legal professionals
Potential to secure a 2029 Hong Kong training contract and further your career with us based on your vacation scheme performance
Requirements:
Education:
Applications are welcomed from penultimate- and final-year law students, or final-year non-law students, at universities in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and other common law jurisdictions.
We expect you to be on track for at least a 2:1, or equivalent, in your law degree or JD.
Only candidates eligible for a 2029 training contract start date will be considered.
The offer of a training contract is conditional upon successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) course in Hong Kong. You must complete the PCLL course with one of the university providers in Hong Kong—The Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong or The University of Hong Kong—before starting your training contract.
If your law degree or JD is from an overseas university, you will need to complete PCLL conversion exams prior to starting the PCLL course.
For candidates who have accepted our training contract, we will reimburse the conversion examination fees for their first attempt.
To set yourself apart from the competition and to succeed in our high-performing firm, you’ll need to be:
Open-minded
Innovative
Collaborative
Critical thinker
Spoken Mandarin and Cantonese, as well as the ability to read and write either simplified or traditional Chinese, are highly desirable. Other Asian language skills are also relevant for this region.
More information on the attributes we look for can be found on our Law Career Guide.
Key Dates
Applications open on 14 September 2026 and close on 7 December 2026 at 5.00pm HK time.
Please be advised we recruit on a rolling basis. We will review your application only when all parts of the online experience have been completed and submitted.
Help ons technologie, middelen en end-to-endoplossingen samen te brengen, zodat onze interne juridische teams effectief kunnen inspelen op de snel veranderende en complexe omgeving van vandaag.
Werk achter de schermen aan het draaien van het kantoor. Van bedrijfsvoering tot klantenteams: je helpt prestaties te verbeteren en bepaalt mee hoe alles dagelijks loopt.
Werk aan grote transacties die internationale bedrijven vormgeven. Ontwikkel commercieel inzicht, werk samen op wereldwijde schaal en help klanten bij het oplossen van complexe vraagstukken.
Onze 10 manieren van werken helpen ons te focussen op wat belangrijk is, steeds beter te worden en elkaar te helpen slagen. Zo blijven we als team uitmuntend presteren.
Ontdek functies voor ervaren professionals wereldwijd en sluit je aan bij teams die complexe juridische uitdagingen oplossen en internationale bedrijfsresultaten mede vormgeven.
Werk mee aan grote financieringsdeals wereldwijd, van leningen tot duurzame en gestructureerde financiering, en verdiep je in internationale regelgeving.
Bouw en ondersteun technologie die wereldwijd juridisch werk mogelijk maakt. Van cybersecurity tot systeeminnovatie: je helpt ons slimmer en efficiënter te werken.
Beheer de financiële planning, rapportage en commerciële inzichten, en draag bij aan investeringsbeslissingen. Zo help je ervoor te zorgen dat het kantoor duidelijk en gecontroleerd blijft draaien.
Zet de eerste stap in je carrière en doe direct praktijkervaring op. Als stagiair of junior associate krijg je verantwoordelijkheid, begeleiding en volop ruimte om te leren en te groeien.
Er is geen betere manier om de juridische praktijk te leren kennen dan via onze 2 maanden durende studentstage. Je draait mee in het team en ontdekt hoe het er in de praktijk echt aan toegaat.
Als Junior Associate (advocaat stagiair) start je direct binnen een praktijkgroep. Vanaf je start werk je mee aan zaken en maak je impact, terwijl je jezelf verder ontwikkelt als advocaat.
Ontdek onze kantoren over de hele wereld en zie hoe we vanuit verschillende locaties mensen, expertise en kansen samenbrengen om innovatieve juridische oplossingen te bieden.