Legal Trainee Scheme

A Training Scheme that will expand your horizons

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The objective of the Legal Trainee Scheme is to provide legal trainees with practical training in accordance with the requirements of the Law Society of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Bar Association and enable them to acquire experience in various types of legal work undertaken by Government lawyers.

Legal Trainees (Solicitor) will join a two-year programme comprising attachments* to the following -

  1. our Civil Division for six months;
  2. our Law Drafting Division for three months;
  3. our Prosecutions Division for six months;
  4. a private law firm for six months; and
  5. one of the legal/judicial group of departments (including Legal Aid Department, Intellectual Property Department, Official Receiver’s Office, Legal Advisory and Conveyancing Office of the Lands Department, Land Registry and Companies Registry) according to the preference of individual trainee, or our Secretary of Justice’s Office / Civil Advisory Unit of the Civil Division / Constitutional and Policy Affairs Division / International Law Division / Law Drafting Division, for another three months.

Legal Trainees (Barrister) will join a one-year programme comprising attachments* to the following -

  1. our Civil Division for three months;
  2. our Prosecutions Division for five months;
  3. the Judiciary as a judge’s marshal for one month; and
  4. a practising barrister in the private Bar for three months.

* The training attachments may be subject to change.

UNIQUE EXPOSURE

This is a unique training scheme in which you will be able to gain insights into the work of a government counsel and that of a lawyer in private practice. Under the training scheme, a Legal Trainee (Solicitor) will be seconded to a private law firm to work for six months to serve a totally different clientele. We will try to arrange for the trainee to work in a firm of his/her choice and in the areas that the trainee is interested in. Likewise, we will try to arrange for a Legal Trainee (Barrister) to be attached to a set of chambers of his/her choice to learn directly from a barrister in private practice.

Exposure that could only be found in DoJ

For both streams

  • To attend a 12-week Criminal Advocacy Course including mock trials;
  • To prosecute different types of cases in the magistrates’ courts;
  • To give legal advice to law enforcement agencies; and
  • To assist experienced counsel in criminal prosecutions and in civil trials.

For the solicitor stream

  • To advise different Government bureaux and departments in diverse areas of law, such as tort, inland revenue, immigration and civil service employment;
  • To work in one of the legal/judicial group of departments, or the Secretary of Justice’s Office / Civil Advisory Unit of the Civil Division / Constitutional and Policy Affairs Division / International Law Division / Law Drafting Division; and
  • To attend certain chambers hearings in civil cases.

For the barrister stream

  • To work as a judge’s marshal.

What's more

Legal Trainees will be sponsored to attend training courses required by the Law Society of Hong Kong under the Continuing Professional Development Scheme or by the Hong Kong Bar Association under the Pupils Advanced Legal Education Programme.

From time to time, the Department will invite eminent scholars and distinguished practitioners to give talks or seminars to keep the trainees abreast of the latest developments in the law.

MENTORSHIP ARRANGEMENT

Your overall personal growth is as important as your ability to acquire the requisite knowledge and skills for being a successful lawyer. Throughout the training period, two experienced DoJ counsel will be assigned to be your mentors to provide guidance and advice and to share with you their experience.

Experienced counsel in each division of the Department to which you will be attached will also monitor your professional development during the training. They stand ready to provide you with practical advice on the work allocated to you.

From Learning to Earning
by Mr Wesley Wong, SC,JP, Secretary, Law Reform Commission

CAREER TALK

Briefing sessions on the Legal Trainee Scheme will be held around November every year at The University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

RECRUITMENT

Invitations to apply will be advertised on Fridays in the Ming Pao and on Saturdays in the South China Morning Post in February 2024. The advertisement will also be posted on the website of the Department of Justice.

The applications for the Legal Trainee Scheme (2025 Intake) and Legal Trainee Scheme [2026 Intake (early trawl candidates)] is now open until 28 March 2024.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend interview(s) in July. Successful applicants are generally expected to start their training in the following summer.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Please see ‘Existing job vacancies’ under ‘Careers’ section for details.

TERMS OF APPOINTMENT AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

Terms of engagement

Legal Trainees will be engaged on temporary month-to-month terms. Legal Trainees (Solicitor) will join the Legal Trainee Scheme for a period of two years and Legal Trainees (Barrister) will join the Legal Trainee Scheme for one year.

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), currently $60,065; and in the second 12 months (as applicable to Legal Trainees (Solicitor)), a monthly salary equivalent to the pay on MPS point 28, currently $62,895.

Mandatory Provident Fund

Legal Trainees are subject to the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485).

Leave

Legal Trainees are entitled to earn leave at a rate of 14 days per year.

Medical and dental benefits

Medical and dental benefits are available to Legal Trainees in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated from time to time.

Enquiries can be made to Executive Officer (Personnel)4 or Clerical Officer (Training) of the Department of Justice at 3703 6535 or 3703 6563 or to our Training Registry via email: training@doj.gov.hk.

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