Guidebook Hong Kong Legal Careers

Transcription

1 Guidebook 2010 Hong Kong Legal Careers

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3 Contents Contents... i Preface and Acknowledgments... ii Copyright information... ii Disclaimer... ii A Legal Career in Hong Kong...1 Pathways to admission in Hong Kong... 3 When should I apply for internships and training contracts?... 5 A typical week of an associate with Brenda Lui... 6 A typical week of a trainee with Winnie Ling... 9 A typical week of a winter clerk with Erica Lam A typical week of an intern with Thomas Liu A selected list of law firms in Hong Kong A Legal Career in China...20 ACYA: Study and work in China Interning at a Leading Chinese Law Firm: TransAsia Lawyers PCLL Admission Requirements...23 PCLL Admission Requirements: Competence in 14 subjects PCLL Conversion Examinations required by Australian students Visiting internal students (exchange programs) Examination preparation: Commercial providers of preparatory courses Examination preparation: Exam tips PCLL Admission Requirements: IELTS The Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL)...35 A side-by-side comparison of PCLL providers in Hong Kong Some Final Information and Tips...44 The PCLL admission checklist Plan ahead! On the lighter side You are about to fly to Hong Kong: A final checklist i

4 Preface and acknowledgements This guide is a collaborative project between the University of New South Wales Law Society (UNSW LawSoc), the University of Sydney Chinese Law Students Society (USYD CLSS) and the Australia-China Youth Association (ACYA). The aim of this guide is to combine various information on pursuing a legal career in Hong Kong, especially on qualifying as a solicitor in Hong Kong. Moreover, this guide is prepared by Australian students for Australian students. We have tried to create a publication which Australian students will find easy to understand, practical, and useful. In preparing this guide, we have received much help. We would like to thank all the people who have made this publication possible: UNSW LawSoc: Valerie Suen Sheldon Leung Hugo Chan Winnie Liang Alain Teh Sonya Chen Thomas Liu USYD CLSS: Tracy Liu Jessica Chung Amy Ngan Rebecca Pu Sarah Li Hans Angus Daniel Nguyen ACYA: Jessica Liang Elizabeth Reside Patrick Mayoh Law firms: Lovells (Brenda Lui) Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Winnie Ling) Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Erica Lam) DLA Piper Universities: City University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong Copyright information Copyright subsisting in this guide belong to the University of New South Wales Law Society (UNSW LawSoc), the University of Sydney Chinese Law Students Society (USYD CLSS) and the Australia-China Youth Association (ACYA). Copyright is protected in Australia by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) which, inter alia, prohibits unauthorised reproductions and unauthorised publications. Disclaimer Whilst all care has been taken to ensure that all the information in this guide are correct and accurate, neither the contributors of this guide nor any of the copyright holders are responsibility for any information subsequently proved false, misleading or inaccurate. Readers are advised that a lot of information in this guide are subject to change with time. Further, readers are advised to conduct their own research on important details in order to verify the accuracy of information in this guide. ii

5 Pathways to admission in Hong Kong A Legal Career in Hong Kong When should I apply for internships and training contracts? A typical week of an associate with Brenda Lui A typical week of a trainee with Winnie Ling A typical week of a winter clerk with Erica Lam A typical week of an intern with Thomas Liu A selected list of law firms in Hong Kong Hong Kong Law Careers Guide 1

6 A Legal Career in Hong Kong Comparing Australia to Hong Kong We ve all heard about the downsides of working in Hong Kong: cramped apartments, expensive rent and longer working hours. The road also seems longer you will officially qualify two and a half years after those who finish university as the same time as you, but what about the benefits of working in Hong Kong? The benefits of working in Hong Kong Hong Kong firms have smaller offices, giving you greater exposure to different types of work. In some cases, the type of work some trainees receive can be the same as lawyers with a few years of post-qualification experience in Australia. You may also want to consider whether you want to work in an international (American, English or Australian) firm or a local Hong Kong-based firm. Most international law firms tend to be biased towards corporate departments and have smaller dispute resolution practices. The city offers a great lifestyle and there is the possibility of a secondment to London (mainly in corporate or finance) and/or another part of Asia for a seat during the trainee contract. From a financial perspective, top-tier law firms in Hong Kong pay at respectable rates - approximately HKD $43,000-45,000 per month or more for first year trainees. The tax rate is also lower than in Australia for the same level of income. As for working hours, we won t deny that lawyers work hard in general and working as a solicitor in Hong Kong may not be for everyone. The amount of work, however, depends on various factors such as the firm culture, the current market, the practice group you are working in. It would be quite unjust to say that Hong Kong lawyers work a lot more than Australian lawyers across the board. Refer to the sections A typical week of an associate with Brenda Lui and A typical week of a trainee with Winnie Ling in this guide to determine whether you can handle the workload of associates and trainees. See for yourself! If you have the time and assuming you plan well ahead, you can consider doing a clerkship in Australia and an internship(s) in Hong Kong to compare which lifestyle is better for you. Language requirements The Hong Kong legal system operates under a common law system quite similar to the one we have in Australia. In fact many Ordinances are based on Australian legislation; and retired Australian judges sit on Hong Kong s Court of Final Appeal. Having Mandarin or Cantonese language skills is not essential for working in Hong Kong, but knowledge of either language at an intermediate level or above is certainly advantageous. It goes without saying that you should be prepared to be tested on Chinese language skills in most job interviews. 2

7 Pathways to admission in Hong Kong There are two avenues to qualifying as a solicitor in Hong Kong either as a trainee solicitor or via the overseas lawyer route. 1. Qualifying as a solicitor through the trainee solicitor route This is the most obvious pathway to qualification for university graduates. In summary, to be admitted, prospective solicitors are required to complete a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or a Juris Doctor ( JD) from a common law jurisdiction, the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) in Hong Kong, and finally a two-year training contract with a law firm. The trainee route as a diagram!"#$%&'&()"*+(,*-'+.%/.0( %.1(2&3+&& 6.+9:/$.'&(/0(/0'&+0-5/$;-<(/0(.(="03(>"03(%.1(?+# 4&&'(.%%('5&(6!77(.2#/--/"0(+&8*/+&#&0'- E&:*+&(.('+./0/03(:"0'+.:'( 1/'5(.(%.1(?+#!"#$%&'&('5&(6!77 ;@A)&.+(B*%%A9#&<!"#$%&'&(.(CA)&.+('+./0/03( :"0'+.:',2#/D&2(.-(.(-"%/:/'"+(/0( ="03(>"03 Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) The PCLL is a one year full-time legal education program provided by three universities in Hong Kong. Apart from securing a training contract, requirements for admission into the PCLL present one of the most challenging barrier to admission in Hong Kong. These are: Complete your LLB/JD before PCLL commencement. 1. Demonstrate competence in 11 core & 3 top-up subjects. 2. Obtain a score of at least 7 from the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test. 3. The section PCLL Admission Requirements will discuss steps 2 and 3 in detail. Moreover, competition for places in the PCLL program is intense and is usually based only on academic merit. A high credit or distinction average in your law degree is generally recommended. 3

8 Training contracts These are special employment contracts with law firms and trainee solicitors are roughly comparable to graduate solicitors in Australia. During the two-year period, trainee solicitors are exposed to work from at least three practice areas and many top-tier firms second their trainees to overseas offices as part of the training. Competition for training contracts are quite competitive and top-tier law firms only take on top graduates. Many firms give priority to law students who have previously completed a vacation placement, internship or clerkship at the firm. Although this step is not entirely necessary, it will definitely give you an advantage in securing a training contract. Internships are generally for penultimate year students and last between two weeks to a month. They are available in June/July and December to February, though not all firms run schemes for all these months. Interns at top-tier firms can expect to be remunerated at the market rate and may even receive a living allowance. For Australian students, interviews for internships in Hong Kong are conducted over the phone, on-campus during the Hong Kong Law Fair, or through the firm s Sydney or Melbourne offices. 2. Qualifying as a solicitor through the overseas lawyer route Practising solicitors in an overseas common law jurisdiction (including Australian states) with at least 2 years post-qualification experience can seek admission through this route. In order to be admitted, five Overseas Lawyers Qualification Examinations (four written and one oral) must be sat and passed. In addition, there are certain residency requirements which must also be satisfied. An overseas lawyer, pending qualification, can also be registered as a foreign lawyer with the Law Society of Hong Kong. Experience gained as a registered foreign lawyer can count towards the 2 years post-qualification experience requirement. Registered foreign lawyers, however, must work from within a law firm. Barristers The pathways to being admitted as a barrister are largely similar to that of a solicitor. Prospective barristers in Hong Kong can either seek ad hoc admission if they have been admitted as barristers overseas or general admission after completion of the PCLL. For those who elect to take the PCLL, certain electives must be taken within the PCLL program and you should check with the universities. Furthermore, instead of a training contract, a pupilage is required. General admission is also available to practising solicitors in Hong Kong or overseas practising lawyers, provided they have completed a pupilage. Given that the focus of this guide is set on qualifying as a solicitor in Hong Kong, this sub-section is admittedly brief and incomplete. Those interested in qualifying as a barrister in Hong Kong are strongly recommended to visit the website of the Hong Kong Bar Association at for more information about admission requirements. 4

9 When should I apply for internships and training contracts? Application periods for both internships and training contracts vary with each firm so it is important that you do some research and constantly watch out for deadlines. It is important to bear in mind that many firms generally make offers on a rolling-basis and you might get an advantage if you submit an application early. For internships, applications can generally be submitted in the middle of the year for a December/ January/February internship, or at the end of the year for a June/July internship. However, note that the June/July clerkships are generally targeted at British students while the December/January/ February schemes are on a smaller scale and are mainly for Australian students. For those who participate in an internship, ask the firm what the arrangements are for interns to apply for a training contract; as interns are often automatically considered for training contracts. However, most firms will not make offers for a training contract until August in your final year, but some firms will give out early offers to high-quality interns upon completion of their internship in December/January/February. For those who do not take part in an internship training contract applications are generally accepted two years before the training contract commencement date. Still not sure which year to apply for an internship or training contract? Check the table below as a guide. If you complete your Australian studies at the end of the calendar year or if you plan to take time off between studies, you will need to make adjustments to the dates below. Graduating in or before Intended PCLL starting date Apply for internships in Apply for training contracts for Session 1, 2010 September 2010 N/A 2011 Session 1, 2011 September 2011 Then Dec 09 Feb 10; June/July Session 1, 2012 September 2012 Dec 10 Feb 11; June/July Session 1, 2013 September 2013 Dec 11 Feb 12; June/July Session 1, 2014 September 2014 Dec 12 Feb 13; June/July

10 A typical week of an associate with Brenda Lui Brenda is an associate at Lovells Hong Kong office. With effect from 1st May 2010, Lovells will merge with US firm Hogan Hartson. The merged firm will operate under the name "Hogan Lovells". A little bit about yourself. I grew up and completed all my schooling in Sydney and graduated from the University of New South Wales in mid-2006 with a Commerce (Accounting)/LLB combined degree. After completing the PCLL at City University, I joined Lovells as a trainee in August I spent my first 6 months in the firm s dispute resolution team, followed by a half year stint in the Lovells London capital markets team (at the same time doing a LOT of travelling around Europe). I then returned to Hong Kong to spend 12 months as a trainee in the Intellectual Property, Media & Technology (IPMT) team, and loved it so much that I ended up qualifying there in August Why did you choose your practice area/firm? I was actually a winter vacation student at Lovells back in January Spending 2 weeks at the firm allowed me to really get to know what kind of firm it really was. Not only did Lovells offer many choices of practice areas (which is particularly useful during an economic downturn), it was also widely known for providing top-of-the-range training. As an intern I was asked to draft Court orders so I knew that Lovells was not the kind of firm where trainees spent a lot of time photocopying. The cherry (or cherries!) on the top were the people whom I found to all be genuine and very friendly. I knew it was a place that I would be comfortable spending many working hours in and the training I would receive was guaranteed to be extremely valuable. I qualified into the contentious practice of the IPMT group specialising in litigation and enforcement work. Being a top-tier and highly reputable practice, naturally the work involved large international organisations, world-renowned brands and high-profile cases. What I love most about my job though is the variety in my work. I handle both civil and criminal cases on a day-to-day basis, am involved in lobbying for new IP legislation and due to the diversity of our clients I get to learn about a wide range of products and services. Furthermore, I also get to deal with a whole mix of people: clients, Customs officers, the Government and advocates from the film, music and other industries. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? Yes, but not in Hong Kong. I remember it vividly. Not just because it was snowing heavily in the middle of spring (I was in London), but because it was a rare occasion. How many hours are you expected to work in a typical week? There is no set number of hours that we are expected to work. There are days when I leave at 7pm. There are days when I leave at 2am. As a trainee and newly qualified lawyer, I think it s about how driven you are and how much you want to learn. 6

11 Do you have any tips for overseas students thinking of settling and pursuing a legal career in Hong Kong? I would definitely recommend trying an internship at one or more firms so you can see if you like Hong Kong and what it has to offer. There s a lot of buzz, it s fun, the people are great and the city is very lively - but you also need to be prepared to work hard especially if you want to make something out of your career. A walk-through of your typical week Monday: I try to arrive at work on time (i.e. 9am) because I have not done any work all weekend and I know there will be many s to deal with. Put in an order with a colleague for breakfast from a nearby Hong Kong style cafe. Check inbox - it actually turns out to be not so bad. Breakfast arrives. Eat breakfast with colleagues. Receive telephone call from Customs officer regarding new seizure of suspected counterfeit goods. Report to client and arrange for a contact to examine the goods to make sure they are counterfeit. Read through contracts and correspondence we received from our client regarding a media-related dispute. At about a quarter to 1, I take the tram to Central to have lunch with a friend from another law firm. Return to work a bit after 2pm and continue reading through the papers. Consider our client s position including what causes of action our client may rely on if they wish to start legal proceedings, alternative ways to resolve the dispute and so forth. Discuss the same with the partnerin-charge. Spend some time thinking about how to structure our advice to our client. It s 5pm, feeling peckish, so I go grab some cookies from the pantry and duck into a colleague s office for a quick chat. When I realise 45 minutes have passed I quickly return to my desk, review the structure of the advice then head off to the firm library to borrow text books I think I will need. After that, I leave the office and go home for dinner. Tuesday: I spend the morning conducting research for my advice, reading text books and looking for cases online. Before I know it, it s lunch time. I go to the Japanese restaurant downstairs to have lunch with some colleagues. When I return to my desk I take out a draft witness statement I am preparing for one of my litigation cases, and I go through it to see what further information we need to obtain from the witness who is coming to our office for a meeting later that afternoon. I then spend some more time researching, when our receptionist calls to tell me that our witness has arrived. I go down to meet the witness and go through the witness statement with her. After the meeting, I return to my desk to revise the witness statement in accordance with the further information she has provided. I head down for dinner at a nearby restaurant with a couple of colleagues, then return to the office and leave at about 10pm. Wednesday: I am determined to finish the advice today. I get in to work at about 8am and continue researching and drafting the advice as I go. I actually spend all day on it, taking only a short break to eat lunch at my desk and for the occasional quick gossip. Soon it s 7pm and I go downstairs to buy some dinner, then retreat back into my office and keep typing away. I m lucky that there s a very senior lawyer at the office still at 8pm and I go over to pick his brain on one of the issues I m not too sure about. We discuss for about half an hour, then I return to my desk and write write write!!! Before I know it, it s 11:30pm. I don t really feel tired; I m on a roll, so I make the call that I m going 7

12 to keep at it for a while longer. It s 1am when I decide to call it a night. I catch a taxi home (it s on the client), feeling a bit disappointed that I couldn t quite finish. Thursday: I get into work at 7:45am. Not enough sleep, but adrenaline will be enough because I really plan on finishing the advice today. There are quite a number of interruptions during the morning, with a call from Customs regarding a raid action against some shops in Hong Kong they found to be selling counterfeit goods. I then send an to our client to inform them of the time, date and location of the targets for the raid, and follow this up with a call to our client regarding the strategy Customs planned to use (which I disagreed with). Client agrees that an alternative strategy is better, and I call Customs to discuss this with them. Despite the interruptions, I am able to finish my first draft advice by noon. I happily put it to one side, and sit down to discuss with my colleague the latest developments in the lobbying for new legislation regarding online piracy in Hong Kong (as I missed the last meeting we had with the Government on this). We have an internal meeting during lunch (lunch provided of course), and we listen to a number of presentations on recent developments in the law. After lunch I revisit my draft advice, make some changes then pass it to the partner-in-charge to review. I then call Customs to find out the results of the raid action and discuss the strategy used. Following that I report the results of the raid action to our client and brief a paralegal to assist in keeping an eye out for official press releases and news reports on the raid action. I then discuss the advice with the partner, make some further changes then issue the advice. I decide that it s a perfect night to leave at a reasonable hour especially since I have friends visiting from Sydney. I take off at about 7pm, start the evening at my one of my favourite restaurants in Wan Chai then move to a dessert bar in SoHo. Time flies when you hang out with old friends from Oz, and pretty soon it s 11:30pm. I forget that I m on a sleep deficit and it s Thursday (not Friday) and I decide that it would be good idea to take my friends to have a late-night snack at a 24-hour diner. At about 1am I am kindly reminded that I need to work the next day, so I bid my friends farewell and take a taxi home. Friday: By some miracle I manage to arrive at work only 5 minutes late. I decide to start the day by having breakfast in a colleague s office (She had been in at work since 8am, and I thought she needed an interruption). I then check my s and notice that our investigators have sent us their report on an infringer s activities in Mainland China. I review the investigation report, consider the evidence our investigators found and how it could be used in legal proceedings. I then draft an to the client summarising the report and providing advice on what steps they should next take. After that I attend to some housekeeping matters then make my way to a client lunch with one of the partners at about 12:30pm. Lunch is delicious, the client is very pleasant and easy to get along with and I don t return to the office until about quarter to 3. Not long after I return to the office one of my colleagues pops in and tells me there s cake in the pantry. It s an IPMT associate s birthday and our partner has organised a cake for the group. We all gather round the pantry, sing happy birthday and stay to chat whilst enjoying the cake. I return to my desk to tie up some loose ends for a number of matters and discuss with one of the trainees a concern they had with a research task. After returning a call from Customs regarding money used during a raid action a few months ago I realise it s already 6pm. Since I have lots of very important non-work things to do, i.e. shop for drinks and snacks for the junk trip tomorrow (I was lucky enough to be able to book the firm s junk for Saturday) and to buy a new dress and a pair of shoes for a friend s wedding the day after, I decide to call it a week. 8

13 A typical week of a trainee with Winnie Ling Winnie is a first-year trainee at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer s Hong Kong office. A little bit about yourself. I grew up in Australia and graduated from the University of New South Wales in July 2008 with a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance). I joined the Hong Kong office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as a trainee in August 2009 and have been working in the corporate group for the past five months, mainly on public and private Merger and Acquisitions (M&A) transactions. As part of my training contract, I will also be rotating into our other practice groups, including Dispute Resolution, Finance, and Antitrust, Competition and Trade, as well as going on secondment to both our Beijing and London offices. Why did you choose your practice area/firm? It became very clear to me after doing an internship at Freshfields back in 2007 that this was the ideal place for me to begin building a career in law. All the lawyers here are really interesting individuals who not only provide a huge amount of support to each other at work but are also good friends outside of work. Moreover, Freshfields has a powerful international presence and is consistently involved in exciting and challenging matters that allow its lawyers to develop invaluable skills and expertise. The fact that the firm values training and sends all Hong Kong trainees on secondment for nine months was also extremely appealing. Although I had been working part-time at one of the top Australian law firms for around two years and believed that it also offered excellent training, I ultimately decided to move here upon graduation because I knew that I would get really good exposure to major clients and deals at Freshfields. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? Thankfully, I have yet to pull an all-nighter, though there have been weeks when I have had to work until 3:00 am or 4:00 am and come into the office on weekends. I find that my working hours tend to fluctuate depending on what stages our transactions are at so the associates I work with always try to give me time to recharge my batteries whenever they can. How many hours are you expected to work in a typical week? Unlike some of my friends at other law firms, I have not been given any billable targets. I am, however, expected to take responsibility for my work, which includes being prepared to put in some extra hours at the office when necessary. Do you have any tips for overseas students thinking of settling and pursuing a legal career in Hong Kong? I think that doing a couple of internships is probably the best way to discover whether you would like to relocate to Hong Kong and which law firm is right for you, which is why I interned in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore before choosing to join Freshfields. You should also familarise yourself with the requirements for getting qualified in Hong Kong and work towards completing both the conversion examinations and the Postgraduate Certificate of Laws as soon as possible. Taking the time to brush up on your Chinese language skills would also be very helpful. 9

14 My typical week I have been working on several projects since joining Freshfields as a trainee, including a number of major acquisitions that have been widely reported on in the press. Every week is different for me but I guess a typical week might look a little like this: Monday Morning Review some of the correspondence and documents from the previous week and draw up a weekly to-do list for each project. Follow-up on outstanding items by sending s and making telephone calls to the relevant working parties. Afternoon Have lunch with other trainees. Draft and/or verify various sections of a circular for a public M&A deal. Evening Regroup with the associates in each of the project teams I am on to update each other on the progress of the deals and to discuss issues. Have dinner with friends before heading home. Tuesday Morning Attend a learning and development session on a topic such as Highlights from Recent IPOs. Liaise with the relevant working parties. Afternoon Have lunch with friends. Review precedents and assist an associate with drafting a waiver application to be submitted to the Stock Exchange. Evening Regroup with the associates in each of the project teams I am on. Grab a quick dinner with colleagues before continuing to work on outstanding items. Wednesday Morning Attend weekly Mandarin class. Complete a research task for an associate with an urgent question about the Companies Ordinance and the Listing Rules. Afternoon Have lunch with other trainees. Obtain documents from the relevant working parties for drafting and/ or verification purposes. Evening Regroup with the associates in each of the project teams I am on. Grab a quick dinner with colleagues before continuing to work on outstanding items. Thursday Morning Discuss issues with an associate before dialling into a conference call with the other working parties on the project. Follow-up on issues raised at the conference call. Afternoon Attend a lunch time foundation course on a topic such as Doing Business in China. Continue drafting and/or verification. Evening Regroup with the associates in each of the project teams I am on. Have dinner and drinks with friends before heading back to the office to do a bit more work. Friday Morning Respond to queries raised by the other working parties via and telephone. Afternoon Review and amend the translation of several English documents into Chinese. Regroup with the associates in each of the project teams I am on. Evening Catch up with colleagues at the firm s Friday night drinks before heading out. 10

15 A typical week of a winter clerk with Erica Lam Erica is a trainee solicitor at Mallesons Hong Kong office, having completed a clerkship at the firm in February, A little bit about yourself. It was not long ago when I was a student at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), studying a Commerce/Law (major in Finance) combined degree. The first two years or so were comparatively worry-free as there was no imminent need to make major decisions, such as whether to graduate and become a banker, a lawyer, or which country I would like to develop my career in. Time flied and soon into my degree I discovered that my passion really lay with the legal field. Having narrowed down my career choice, I wanted to find out more about the legal job market in Australia and overseas. Why I chose Mallesons Hong Kong? I found out from attending the HK Law Fair held at UNSW that there are indeed many opportunities in the legal field outside of Australia. This option really appealed to me as I have always had a strong attachment with Hong Kong, albeit the rumour that working in Hong Kong is a lot more intensive than in Australia (Yes this is a rumour because as a solicitor-to-be, you would have to be dedicated no matter which country you work in!). Therefore, I applied for a winter vacation placement with Mallesons Stephen Jaques, a top-tier law firm in both Australia and Hong Kong. What sort of work was I given? Working with Mallesons as a winter clerk was very rewarding. During my three week clerkship in their Dispute Resolution Group, I was given work from various solicitors ranging from small research tasks and drafting articles to attending important mediations. In particular, the mediation hearing was memorable, not because I understood all the submissions that were made by the counsel or my supervising partner (which were quite technical), but rather the privilege to be part of an mediation that could well be one of the biggest mediations in Hong Kong history. What also made the mediation more enjoyable was my supervising partner and other solicitors involved took time to explain the background of the mediation and delegated tasks which I could handle myself or with some assistance from my senior colleagues. Outside of the office. There were also numerous activities to assist the solicitors (and myself as a clerk) in developing our legal knowledge, such as in-house and external seminars and training sessions. To help us get to know the firm and its staff better, Mallesons also organised clerk activities and drinks in the office. A description of your typical week. My clerkship at Mallesons started off with a full day of training from 9am to 5pm where I was taught about the firm s network system, intranet, information technology and firm precedents, etc. After the training, a typical week would involve Tuesday team meetings from 9am to 9:30am, research tasks and drafting advice during the day. Depending on the practice group a clerk was placed in, the nature of work would vary slightly. For example, research occupied a lot of my time during my clerkship because I was placed in the Dispute Resolution Group. Clerks placed in the 11

16 other practice groups might be more involved in transactional work and less case-law research. I also had the opportunity to attend seminars and in-house training in between work. Upon drafting an initial advice or research memo, I would pass the work to my supervisor for review. My seniors were supportive in that they would give detailed feedback and suggest areas for improvements. Inevitably, there were times when advice was requested at short notice and had to be given within a quick timeframe. This meant the hours that I was expected to work also fluctuated slightly. While on a typical day, working hours would be 9am to around 6pm with one hour for lunch in between, where required, I would have to stay in office and work, just like other solicitors. At the end of our clerkship Mallesons held a farewell drinks session for us and presented us with a nice pen as a souvenir to show the firm s appreciation for our efforts. Tips for overseas students. I applied to work in Mallesons Hong Kong with an intention of pursuing my legal career in Hong Kong. Although a clerkship is not the only route to obtain a training contract with the firm, it is definitely a very useful way for both the firm and the clerk to understand each other first-hand. Working at Mallesons as a clerk not only enabled me to gain a training contract there, but also an insight on its areas of practice, its culture and its people. Moreover, working in the Hong Kong office allowed me to see what specific skills I still needed to gain (e.g. Chinese writing) and hence adequately prepare myself before I started the training contract with the firm. In summary, below are some tips for overseas students wanting to pursue a legal career in Hong Kong:! Apply for clerkships if you are a penultimate year student.! Be prepared for interviews after you have submitted clerkship applications e.g. questions you might be asked, questions you would like to ask the firm.! Adequately equip yourself with skills that are valuable in the legal field in Hong Kong - e.g. language skills, research skills. 12

17 What s new? There is even more to look forward to for new trainees at Mallesons. From 2010, all trainees who start with Mallesons will be involved in our new International Graduate Program. The International Graduate Program is a fully integrated, market leading program aligned with Mallesons 6 month graduate rotation system, and is designed to help you become a successful lawyer in an international market. Three exciting training programs support your graduate experience; and are designed to build your practical understanding of, and skills in, our areas of legal practice. These training programs are aligned with the rotation system, to ensure that your learning is closely linked to your on the floor graduate experience. LAUNCH delivered intensively over four weeks, Launch provides all the knowledge you need about the firm, your office, and our policies, processes and procedures. FUNDAMENTALS this 18 month program focuses on building the knowledge and skills you should possess regarding our business and the legal industry. The sessions focus on essential practice skills, as well business and legal essentials. PATHWAYS in-team, rotation based learning, conducted over a six month period that focuses on the specific knowledge and information you will need to be successful in each rotation. Trainees will have the opportunity to apply to complete a rotation in one of Mallesons international offices. Our international graduate program promotes and supports the mobility of our staff across our offices by providing a firmwide program. 13

18 A typical week of an intern with Thomas Liu Tom was a winter intern at DLA Piper s Hong Kong office in January, A little bit about yourself. I am currently in my fourth year of a combined International Studies/Laws degree at UNSW. The internship I did at DLA Piper Hong Kong was during their winter intake over the month of January. The internship ran for four weeks. During this time I worked in DLA Piper s Litigation and Regulatory Group. Within the practice group I worked most closely with the insurance team. Why did you decide to intern at Hong Kong? Before applying for the internship I felt that going to Hong Kong would be a great way to learn about both commercial practice but also the Asia and China market. This was particularly interesting to me from an international studies perspective as Hong Kong stands at an interesting intersection of law, politics and commerce. Having completed the internship it confirmed my feeling that Hong Kong is a unique place to learn useful skills and valuable knowledge. Why did you choose your firm and nominated your practice area? The two preferences I nominated to work in were regulatory and litigation, at the time two separate practice groups. When I started at DLA Piper the two became one practice group. My interest in working in the regulatory group comes mostly from my previous educational and work experience in government and politics. My interest to work in litigation, particularly at DLA Piper, came from the fact that DLA Piper has one of the largest litigation departments of law firms in Hong Kong. Also, my impression of litigation prior to working at DLA Piper was that it seemed like the most dynamic aspect of legal practice. Did you pull an all-nighter? No and there was never the expectation to do so. How many hours are you expected to work in a typical week? It is entirely dependent on the work. As a general rule, the interns aren t expected to work much later than 6:00pm unless there is urgent work. Trainees and associates however generally work until 8 or 9pm most days. Do you have any tips for overseas students thinking of settling and pursuing a legal career in Hong Kong? The lifestyle change is more difficult than one many initially imagine, particularly if one doesn t have any family or roots in Hong Kong. If one does have family and friends then I imagine the transition is much easier. However, Hong Kong is vastly different to Sydney and one shouldn t expect an abundance of easy comforts such as green ovals or quiet neighbourhoods. If you re intensely attached to exercise and a healthy lifestyle it will be harder to maintain in Hong Kong than in Australia. Having said that, there are many things about Hong Kong which makes it an exciting destination to start your career. One prominent factor is that the city can t be beaten for convenience of all sorts from public transport to dining. Also, the legal culture in Hong Kong is quite unique in a way that 14

19 can be best described as entrepreneurial. Most lawyers there who have worked in Australia or the UK say that in Hong Kong lawyers are trusted with more responsibility and real work at a much earlier level in your career. Finally, Hong Kong s central role in the Asia region as well as its importance to the China market make working there a valuable learning opportunity. A walk-through of a few days during a typical week. Monday: 9:30 am - Arrive at the office, read s, make coffee 10:30 am - Sit in on a team meeting to discuss yearly targets, client services and upcoming events 12:30 pm - Lunch with the other interns 1:30 pm - 3:30pm - Research and draft a memo on commercial arbitration in Hong Kong 3:30 pm - 6:00pm - Draft report on new insurance products Tuesday: 10:00am - 2:00pm - Attend a hearing at the Court of Appeals and sit in on debrief with Counsel 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Research and draft memo on limitations clauses in contracts 3:00pm - 4:00pm - Attend meeting with solicitors of an adverse party 4:00pm - 6:00pm - Sit in on teleconference with London Counsel 6:00pm - 8:00pm - Finish odd jobs, work on medium to long-term tasks Thursday: 9:30am - 11:30am - Research and report on a prospective client 11:30am - 1:00pm - Work on pitch presentation exercise 2:00pm - 5:00pm - Work on report for upcoming CSR program 5:00pm - 6:00pm - Answer s, finish odd jobs and talk to HR 7:00pm - 10:00pm - Attend inter-department social bowling event A description of your typical week. A typical week usually goes from Monday to Friday, however sometimes a weekend would need to be spent completing some work where there was a hard Monday deadline. Throughout the week there would be a mix of events ranging from formal internship events such as lunch, drinks and exercises as well as on the job tasks such as attending meetings, going to court and performing research and drafting tasks. The workload varies depending on the department but in Litigation and Regulatory the workload is significant but usually stable. From getting in the office anywhere between 9:00am and 9:35am one would be usually have more than enough work to be occupied comfortably until 6:00pm. A normal week in litigation also usually involves a considerable number of hours out of the office either meeting with other solicitors and counsel, clients or attending court. Some time is then spent drafting notes and memos on the various meetings and events that took place. On the social side, some teams go for drinks every few weeks on Friday nights, the firm arranges a proper social event for the interns to meet the fee-earners and management at the firm and occasionally the departments will organize social events such as bowling nights or hiking days for charity fundraising. 15

20 A selected list of law firms in Hong Kong Exhibitors of the 2010 Hong Kong Law Fairs in Australia Allen & Overy Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Baker & McKenzie Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees DLA Piper Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Herbert Smith Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Linklaters Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Lovells Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Mallesons Stephen Jaques Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Norton Rose Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Richards Butler in Association with Reed Smith Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Simmons & Simmons Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees 16

21 Other firms operating in Hong Kong Allen Arthur Robinson Website: Recruits: Trainees Barlow Lyde & Gilbert Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Bird & Bird Website: Recruits: Trainees Boase Cohen & Collin Website: Recruits: Trainees Boughton Peterson Yang Anderson Website: Recruits: Trainees Charltons Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Cheng, Yeung & Co Website: Recruits: Trainees Cheung, Tong & Rosa Website: Recruits: Trainees Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Clifford Chance Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Clyde & Co. Website: Recruits: Trainees CMS Cameron McKenna Website: Recruits: Trainees Deacons Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Dechert in association with Hwang & Co Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Dewey & LeBoeuf Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Duan & Duan Law Firm in Hong Kong Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Eversheds Website: Recruits: Trainees Fairbairn Catley Low & Kong Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Fred Kan & Co. Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Gall & Lane Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Gallant Y. T. Ho & Co. Website: Recruits: Trainees Grandall Legal Group Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified 17

22 Haldanes Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Hampton, Winter & Glynn Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Harney Westwood & Riegels Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Hastings & Co Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Hau, Lau, Li & Yeung Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Hui & Lam Website: Recruits: Trainees Ince & Co Website: Recruits: Trainees Jimmie KS Wong & Partners Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified K & L Gates Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified K Y Lo & Co Solicitors Website: Recruits: Trainees K. C. Ho & Fong, Solicitors & Notaries Website: Recruits: Trainees K.B. Chau & Co. Website: Recruits: Trainees 18 Kennedys Website: Recruits: Trainees King & Wood Website: careers.aspx Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Lau, Chan & Ko Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Liu, Chan & Lam Solicitors & Notaries Website: Recruits: Trainees Livasiri & Co Website: Recruits: Trainees Lo & Lo Website: Recruits: Trainees Mayer Brown JSM Website: careers/ Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Minter Ellison Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees ONC Lawyers Website: Recruits: Trainees Paul Hastings Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Philip KH Wong, Kenndy Y H Wong & Co Website: Recruits: Trainees

23 Robin Bridge & John Liu Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Salans Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Sidley Austin LLP Website: asiapacific/hongkong/recruiting/ Recruits: Trainees So, Leung, Yip & Sin Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Stephenson Harwood & Lo Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Stevenson, Wong & Co. Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Tanner De Witt Website: Recruits: Trainees Tsang, Chan & Wong Website: Recruits: Unclear/Unspecified Vivien Chan & Co. Website: Recruits: Trainees White & Case Website: Recruits: Vacationers & trainees Wilkinson & Grist Website: Recruits: Trainees Woo, Kwan, Lee & Lo Website: Recruits: Trainee 19

24 ACYA: Study and work in China Interning at a Leading Chinese Law Firm: TransAsia Lawyers A Legal Career in China Hong Kong Law Careers Guide 20

25 ACYA: Study and Work in China ACYA is a national grassroots organisation aimed at furthering the interests of young Australians and Chinese. We aim to encourage meaningful cross-cultural encouragement and promote opportunities for young Australians interested in China. As part of our activities, we secure various internships for our members, including internships within the legal industry in China. Read what one of our members, Patrick Mayoh, has to say about his experience with TransAsia Lawyers Interning at a Leading Chinese Law Firm: TransAsia Lawyers After leaving the Australian summer as a third year Asian Studies (Chinese)/Law student, I found myself on the 22 nd floor of the World Trade Tower in Beijing s bustling CBD reading through a satellite television landing agreement written in both Chinese and English. As the CCTV tower loomed over me in the background, I listened to my boss skillfully switch between perfectly fluent Mandarin and English as he advised a leading international media entity on television broadcasting rights in the PRC. Although I had lived and worked in China ( The Middle Kingdom ) on numerous occasions before returning to Beijing in the Year of the Ox, I quickly realised that I still had a lot to learn as an intern in a top-tier Chinese law firm. TransAsia Lawyers has a strong reputation in media & entertainment, employment and commercial law. The firm also advises international and domestic clients on Real Estate, Private Equity, IP, M&A, Corporate Accountability, Antitrust, Arbitration & Litigation, and Crisis Management. TransAsia holds a unique position in the PRC as it has a strong international and Chinese client base as well as close links with the PRC government. The firm has advised sizeable corporate entities including Alibaba, Bacardi-Martini, CNBC, Ericsson, Google, Microsoft, News Corporation and Time Warner, and has worked with the National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). TransAsia is also in alliance relationships with law firms around the globe, including its Australian partner Freehills and the leading Canadian firm Torys LLP. Working in this dynamic environment provided me with a rich insight into the application of Chinese law to international commercial arrangements. In particular, I regularly assisted partners in advising foreign media entities looking to enter the Chinese market. Throughout my three months at the firm, I was extremely privileged to work closely with the Managing Partner (and ANU alumnus), Jesse Chang, on numerous media matters. This direct contact with a guru in the field helped me better comprehend the dynamics of commercial relations in China s highly regulated media industry. TransAsia s expertise in media law and the firm s recent work with the SARFT comes at a time when the Chinese legal system is required to respond to innovative technologies and a growing body of international companies seeking to broadcast their content in the PRC. These demands, along with the state s desire to closely monitor the broadcast of information to the masses, made for a fascinating internship experience. In the often unclear and nebulous media regulatory environment, the answers do not always lie in the black-letter law. As such, common sense and problem solving skills are indispensable. As part of the media and entertainment law team, I also spent time working on the firm s authoritative publication China s Media & Entertainment Law (Volume III). This academic slant balanced nicely with the intense periods my colleagues and I often had to work to meet strict 21