Applications are invited from candidates who are permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to fill Legal Trainee vacancies under the Legal Trainee Scheme (LTS) from 1 August 2025. For the purpose of this Scheme, those pursuing practical training under the Solicitor Stream are called Legal Trainees (Solicitor) and under the Barrister Stream Legal Trainees (Barrister).
Eligibility
| Candidates should be - | |||
| (a) | Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) graduates/PCLL students or potential PCLL students of the local universities who will graduate in 2025; | ||
| civil servants serving in the Department of Justice, the Legal Aid Department, the Legal Advisory and Conveyancing Office of the Lands Department, the Land Registry, the Companies Registry, the Intellectual Property Department, the Official Receiver’s Office and the Judiciary who hold qualifications recognised for training purposes by the Law Society of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Bar Association; | |||
| (b) | have attained ‘Level 2’ or above in English Language and Chinese Language [Notes (1) & (2)] in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) or the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE), or equivalent. |
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| Notes | (1) | For appointment purpose, ‘Grade E’ in English Language (Syllabus B) and Chinese Language in the HKCEE before 2007 is accepted administratively as comparable to ‘Level 2’ in English Language and Chinese Language in the 2007 HKCEE and henceforth. | |
| (2) | ‘Level 1’ result or above in the Use of Chinese paper of the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) will also be accepted as meeting the Chinese language proficiency requirement for appointment as Legal Trainee. | ||
Duties
Legal Trainees will undergo practical training under professional guidance designed to satisfy the training requirements of the Law Society of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Bar Association. The training period is two years for Legal Trainees (Solicitor) and one year for Legal Trainees (Barrister). Legal Trainees are not civil servants and do not occupy any posts on the establishment. They are not appointed on civil service terms of appointment and conditions of service.
Salary
Legal Trainees will receive, in the first 12 months, a monthly salary equivalent to the pay on point 27 of the Master Pay Scale (MPS), and in the second 12 months, a monthly salary equivalent to the pay on point 28 of the MPS.
The pay equivalent to point 27 of the MPS is $60,065, and the pay equivalent to point 28 of the MPS is $62,895 currently.
Legal Trainees are subject to the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485).
How to apply
Candidates should submit, on or before 6:00 p.m., 28 March 2024, duly completed application forms [G.F. 340 (Rev. 7/2023)] to the Collection Box, G/F, Main Wing, Justice Place, 18 Lower Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong [Re: Application for the post of Legal Trainee (2025 Intake) (Attn: Personnel and Establishment Section)]. Please ensure that sufficient postage is paid if the application is sent by post. Late applications will not be accepted. Application forms are obtainable from any Public Enquiry Service Centre of District Offices of the Home Affairs Department or from any Job Centre of the Employment Services Division of the Labour Department. The form can also be downloaded from the Civil Service Bureau's website (https://www.csb.gov.hk). Candidates should specify the post title they apply for, i.e. Legal Trainee (Solicitor) (2025 Intake) or Legal Trainee (Barrister) (2025 Intake). Candidates who have no specific preference may indicate this by inserting Legal Trainee (Solicitor/Barrister) (2025 Intake) under “Title of job applied for”. Candidates under this last category may be assigned to a stream the Selection Board finds most suitable for them in accordance with their performance at the selection interview. Completed application forms should be accompanied by -
| (a) | copies of documents in respect of academic and valid language qualifications with full details of examination results at the (i) HKDSEE/HKCEE, (ii) Bachelor of Laws (LLB) level or equivalent, (iii) International English Language Testing System (IELTS), (iv) PCLL (if available) and (v) CRE (if applicable); and |
| (b) | supplementary letters detailing personal interests and other relevant information. |
Where possible, an academic reference written by a staff member of the Faculty/School of Law should be provided and sent direct by the staff to the aforesaid address on or before 30 April 2024.
Candidates who are selected for interview will normally receive an invitation in June 2024. Those who are not invited for interview may assume that their applications are unsuccessful.
Enquiries
Enquiries can be made to Executive Officer (Personnel) 4 or Clerical Officer (Training) of the Department of Justice at 3703 6535 or 3703 6563.
General Note
As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the Government is committed to eliminating discrimination in employment. The vacancy advertised is open to all applicants meeting the basic entry requirement irrespective of their disability, sex, marital status, pregnancy, age, family status, sexual orientation and race.