PRC firm
Han Kun
A China-founded full-service firm with a locally licensed Hong Kong practice, international capital-markets work and a historically small internship-to-trainee route.
- Category
- PRC firm (内资所)
- Origin
- Beijing; Hong Kong office opened 2014, its first outside the mainland
- HK presence
- Han Kun Law Offices LLP; Gloucester Tower, The Landmark, Central
- HK strengths
- Capital markets, PE & M&A, funds, compliance, disputes
The Hong Kong practice
What does Han Kun's Hong Kong office actually do?
Han Kun sits in the top rank of mainland Chinese law firms for corporate and capital markets work, and Hong Kong was the first place it planted a flag outside the mainland, opening in 2014. Source ↗ The current office is at Rooms 4301–10, 43/F, Gloucester Tower, The Landmark, 15 Queen's Road Central. Current contact details ↗
The practice mix is the cross-border engine room: equity and debt capital markets, private equity investment, cross-border M&A, fund formation, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution, through Han Kun Law Offices LLP, a locally licensed Hong Kong law firm. The former Hong Kong office and associated local firm merged in November 2022; the old Miao & Co association description is no longer current. Firm announcement ↗ In practice that means the same deal team can sit on both sides of the boundary: PRC counsel on a Hong Kong IPO one month, English and Hong Kong law counsel on a bond programme the next.
For a trainee, the draw is exposure to the northbound-southbound deal flow that defines the Hong Kong market right now — mainland issuers listing in Hong Kong, offshore bonds, cross-border licensing — from inside the Chinese firm advising them, rather than watching from the international-counsel side of the table.
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026
How does The Legal 500 rank Han Kun in Hong Kong?
The current Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026 guide ranks the firm’s Hong Kong practice across 1 practice area. Open any area below to see the corresponding Legal 500 table and editorial.
- Tier 2PRC firms in Hong Kong ↗
- Firms to watchCapital markets (equity) ↗
“Firms to watch” is separate editorial recognition, not a numbered tier.
These are third-party market rankings, not recruitment rankings. The tables can change with each edition; this summary was checked on 23 September 2026.
Internship & trainee programme
How do you get into Han Kun Hong Kong?
Older Legal Cheek coverage describes an internship-to-trainee route, with about 14 internships and two trainee places. These are historical programme figures, not a confirmed 2026–27 intake or a current application window. Source ↗
- Route inWinter or summer internship, then conversion. Apply via the firm's careers page; the Hong Kong recruiting contact is hr.hk@hankunlaw.com. Source ↗
- Intake sizeOlder coverage reported two trainees a year; confirm the current intake directly.
- The contractOlder coverage described two years in one department without rotations. Ask whether the current training arrangement remains the same. Source ↗
- LanguagesChinese and English are relevant to the cross-border work; check the vacancy for any specific language requirements.
Watch out
No dated 2026–27 Hong Kong internship notice was found on the firm's public careers page on 23 September 2026. Confirm current openings with the Hong Kong recruitment team; older intake figures above are indicative, not a promise of available places. Track the moving parts alongside every other firm on the Elite Pathfinder deadline tracker so a quiet posting never costs you a cycle.
Recent matters worth knowing
Which recent deals has Han Kun's Hong Kong office run?
These matters show Han Kun's Hong Kong and cross-border work. Where the firm acted only as PRC counsel, that is stated; a Hong Kong listing does not by itself mean the Hong Kong office led the mandate.
- Sichuan Development's US$450m sustainability bondsAugust 2026
Han Kun Hong Kong acted as issuer's international counsel and listing adviser on a US$2bn medium-term note programme update and US$450m sustainability-bond drawdown. This is a current example of the Hong Kong team's own international debt practice. Source ↗
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Baidu's RMB10bn offshore renminbi notesMarch 2025
Han Kun counselled Baidu on PRC law for a RMB10bn (USD1.4bn) two-tranche senior notes offering listed on the Hong Kong exchange — per CITIC Securities, the largest five-year offshore RMB bond by a Chinese issuer as of March 2025. Source ↗
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Guangzhou Metro's USD3bn MTN programme update2025
Han Kun served as international counsel to the underwriters and the trustee, advising on English and Hong Kong law — proof the Hong Kong office runs offshore debt work in its own right, not just as PRC counsel. Source ↗
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Hengrui Pharma's USD1.25bn licensing deal with GSKJuly 2025
Han Kun advised GSK as China counsel (with Davis Polk as global counsel) on one of the year's marquee China-to-global pharma licensing deals. Source ↗
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Seres Group's HKD14.28bn Hong Kong IPONovember 2025
On Hong Kong's largest carmaker IPO of 2025, Han Kun counselled Chongqing Industrial Investment Master Fund, whose HKD2.18bn ticket was the largest single cornerstone investment in the Hong Kong IPO market in the second half of 2025. Source ↗
Insider tip
Interviewers at PRC firms hear "I'm interested in China work" all day. Beat that by explaining one deal properly — start with our commercial awareness guide, and let the Weekly News Digest keep you supplied with a dissected Hong Kong deal every week.
Interview & selection intel
What does the Han Kun Hong Kong selection process look like?
Older Chambers Student coverage describes this sequence: HR evaluates your credentials, experience and skills, runs a phone interview, then a second interview with a partner practising in the area you said you were interested in. Source ↗ Note the trap in that structure: naming a practice area is part of the application, so "I'm open to anything" reads as unprepared.
If you obtain an internship, use live work to demonstrate drafting ability, reliability and responsiveness to feedback. Do not assume that older reports of programme length or conversion numbers apply to the current cycle. Our guide on how to shine during a scheme applies here almost verbatim.
The current public careers page does not specify Hong Kong assessment stages. Older interview accounts are preparation context, not proof that no aptitude test will be used. Prepare your CV and interview examples carefully; our breakdown of the Hong Kong vacation scheme interview covers how these partner conversations actually run.
How to stand out
How do you stand out for Han Kun Hong Kong?
Prepare a specific practice-area rationale, understand cross-border work and use any internship to demonstrate reliable work. Confirm the current programme and intake before planning around older figures.
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1Explain your preferred practice area while staying open to the firm's current training structure. Build a written case for your chosen department and run it through the "So What" test; the Law Firm Application Academy drills exactly this.
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2Arrive commercially bilingual: able to explain why a mainland issuer lists in Hong Kong, what a cornerstone investor does, why offshore RMB bonds exist. Practise case-style reasoning on real transactions in the Online Case Study Centre, then pressure-test it in the Mock Assessment Centre.
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3An internship can be part of the assessment. Taking instructions carefully, acting on feedback and working professionally all matter. Those are rehearsable habits — one-to-one coaching fixes them before they cost you the offer.
Quick answers
Han Kun Hong Kong, in five questions
How many training contracts does Han Kun offer in Hong Kong?
Older Legal Cheek coverage reported two trainees annually, usually selected from interns. No dated 2026–27 intake notice was found on the official public careers page; confirm current numbers with the firm.
How do you get a training contract at Han Kun Hong Kong?
Historically, internships fed into trainee recruitment. Use the firm's current careers channels to confirm openings and the application route; older programme descriptions are not evidence of a current vacancy.
What does the Han Kun Hong Kong training contract look like?
Older coverage described two years in one department without seat rotations. Confirm the current structure with the Hong Kong recruitment team before relying on that description.
What does Han Kun's Hong Kong office actually do?
Equity and debt capital markets, private equity, cross-border M&A, funds, compliance and disputes. Han Kun Law Offices LLP has been a locally licensed Hong Kong law firm since the former office and associated local firm merged in November 2022.
How is the Han Kun internship-to-trainee selection run?
Older Chambers Student coverage described an HR interview followed by a partner interview, with interns assessed on their work. The current public careers page does not publish a Hong Kong-specific assessment sequence.