Your future starts here
Established in 1980, our Hong Kong office currently has around 100 fee earners who have spent the majority of their careers in the territory and have a detailed understanding of business in Asia. The resulting practice is truly international in scope, enjoying deep relationships with Asian and international businesses. We provide market-leading advice on a complete range of matters, including corporate, banking and finance, dispute resolution, transportation, international trade, investigations and regulatory, employment, and property. We have an established reputation for handling IPOs, M&A, and cross-border transactions, leveraging our deep understanding of the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets.
Our people combine the delivery of high-quality legal advice with a practical and commercial approach to solving legal issues.
Graduate recruitment brochure
Searching for the best fit, you have a big decision to make. To ensure you make the right one for your career, you’ll want to know what sets us apart from other law firms.
Ready to take the next step? View our graduate brochure to see whether Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP is the right place for you.
Training contracts
We offer exceptional training, which includes an extensive programme of seminars, lectures, and workshops. Our training programme is divided into four six-month seats, providing balanced, practical, hands-on experience in different areas of law. All trainees are supervised directly by a partner, which provides an excellent opportunity to learn by example and obtain invaluable guidance. A number of our current partners started with the firm as trainees.
We are looking for candidates with outstanding academic and personal achievements. We expect our trainees to maintain the high standards we set ourselves. Applicants should be enthusiastic, personable, intelligent, and able to contribute to the firm. We expect successful candidates to be fluent in English as well as Cantonese and/or Mandarin.
There are approximately six training contracts available each year, and we aim to retain 100% of our trainees upon completion of their training contracts.
All our 2027 trainee vacancies in Hong Kong are filled. Applications for our 2028 Hong Kong training contract open on 1 January 2026.
For additional information, please contact Julia Yau, Graduate Recruitment & Training Manager.
Vacation schemes
Our Hong Kong office offers both summer and winter vacation schemes, which provide students the opportunity to gain a clear insight into life at our Hong Kong office and a solid understanding of the type of work encountered as a Hong Kong trainee.
The schemes are for law students who are looking for a training contract which starts in two to three years’ time. Applicants should have outstanding academic and personal achievements. We are looking for law students who are enthusiastic, personable, intelligent, and willing to contribute to the firm. We welcome both local and overseas applications.
Our vacation schemes are typically for a three-week period in one of our practice groups. Students will be supervised by one of our partners and work closely with our associates and trainees.
During the placement, students will be given the opportunity to see what it is really like working in a leading international law firm and how it feels to work in our office. They will be given various tasks such as legal research, translation work, and drafting documents, and they may have opportunities to attend client meetings and/or go to court. Also, they will be invited to join the talks, firm events, and trainings during their time with us.
All vacation students will be considered as training contract applicants and they will be included in the training contract assessments.
There are approximately 16 summer and eight winter placements available each year.
Summer Vacation Scheme 2026
Applications for our Summer Vacation Scheme opened on 1 August 2025, and remain open until 15 January 2026.
Winter Vacation Scheme 2026/2027
Applications for our Winter Vacation Scheme are open from 1 August 2026 to 31 October 2026.
Hong Kong Vacation Scheme application form