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Hong Kong independent

Johnson Stokes & Master

Founded in Hong Kong in 1863, JSM spent 16 years inside Mayer Brown before relaunching as an independent firm in December 2024. Its 2027 summer internship feeds both the 2028 and 2029 trainee cohorts.

Category
Hong Kong independent
Founded
1863, Hong Kong (Edmund Sharp)
Scale
120+ lawyers incl. 40 partners; HK, Beijing, Shanghai
HK strengths
Real estate (Legal 500 Tier 1), shipping finance, construction, insurance, employment

The Hong Kong practice

What does Johnson Stokes & Master's Hong Kong office actually do?

JSM is one of Hong Kong's oldest and largest home-grown firms, describing itself as "one of the largest law firms in Hong Kong" with more than 120 lawyers, including 40 partners, across offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. More than a third of its Hong Kong lawyers are dual-qualified. The practice is built on three core departments — Commercial, Dispute Resolution and Real Estate — and those are exactly the seats a trainee rotates through.

Real estate is a flagship practice, alongside commercial, disputes, construction, insurance and employment work. Use the Hong Kong-only Legal 500 table below for the current edition; older firm announcements sometimes combine Hong Kong and mainland rankings and should not be treated as a Hong Kong category count.

The office's recent history is the thing to understand. Founded in Hong Kong in 1863 by Edmund Sharp and named "Johnson, Stokes and Master" in 1890, it merged with Mayer Brown on 28 January 2008 to form "Mayer Brown JSM", then dropped the JSM name entirely from 1 September 2018. The split from Mayer Brown was announced on 2 May 2024, and JSM relaunched as an independent firm on 2 December 2024 after Law Society approval — "a Hong Kong icon returns", as the firm put it. (JSM; Mayer Brown; Wikipedia.) Source ↗ Source ↗ Source ↗

JSM and Mayer Brown now operate as two independent firms with no ongoing cooperation stated by either side. If you want the split from the other perspective, read our Mayer Brown Hong Kong profile.

1863founded in Hong Kong, a genuine home-grown icon
120+lawyers across Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai
40partners in the independent firm

Summer internship and training contracts

How do you get into Johnson Stokes & Master Hong Kong?

2027 Summer Internship applications run from 1 September 2026 to 10 January 2027. JSM recruits on a non-rolling basis and does not currently offer direct training contracts. Official early careers page ↗

  • Internship5–30 July 2027; approximately 18–20 places.
  • Training contractsTwo additional 2028 places and seven 2029 places; final-year interns are considered for both cohorts.
  • EligibilityPenultimate- and final-year undergraduate or JD law students.
  • SupportPCLL maintenance grant and tuition reimbursement; two-year contract with six-month rotations.

Complete both steps

The application and online assessment must both be completed by 10 January 2027.

Recent matters worth knowing

Which recent deals has Johnson Stokes & Master's Hong Kong office run?

Since relaunching independent, JSM has been busy on deals, laterals and promotions. These are the publicly announced ones, and they show a firm rebuilding its bench while its real estate practice keeps closing landmark deals.

  1. Shorea Capital acquires The PembertonSeptember 2026

    JSM advised Shorea Capital on its first Hong Kong living-sector acquisition. The buyer plans to seek permission to convert the Bonham Strand commercial building into living accommodation; Eugene Wong led the legal team. Source ↗

  2. HK$2.3bn Ibis hotel acquisitionSeptember 2026

    JSM advised a CapitaLand Investment-led consortium on buying Ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan for conversion to student accommodation. The deal connects the firm's real-estate practice with demand for student housing. Source ↗

  3. HK$1.2bn Quarry Bay development-site acquisitionJuly 2025

    JSM advised a consortium of investors on the HK$1.2bn acquisition of a residential development site at 992-998 King's Road and 2-16 Mount Parker Road from receivers, led by partners Peter Ho and Eugene Wong with Alvin Yeung. (JSM press release.) Source ↗

  4. Geoffrey Y.M. Chan appointed Senior PartnerJune 2026

    JSM appointed Geoffrey Y.M. Chan as Senior Partner from 1 June 2026, succeeding Terence Tung. (JSM press release.) Source ↗

  5. First lateral partner hire after the split2025

    Joe Kamho Choy joined as partner and co-head of Employment & Benefits from Eversheds Sutherland — JSM's first lateral partner hire since relaunching independent. (Legal 500 developments.) Source ↗

  6. Seven lawyers promoted to partner and counselJanuary 2025

    JSM promoted seven lawyers, three to partner — Cherie Leung (real estate), Michelle Yee (IP) and Jenny Yu (insurance) — and four to counsel. (JSM press release.) Source ↗

Insider tip

A firm rebuilding after a demerger is a story you can use: it tells you where JSM is investing and what it needs from new joiners. Learn how to read a deal in our commercial awareness guide, and the Weekly News Digest breaks down one Hong Kong deal a week and tells you what to actually say about it.

Selection process

What does the JSM selection process look like?

Eligible applicants take an online strengths-based assessment. Selected candidates attend an assessment centre on 20–22 or 25–27 January 2027, including Chinese and English written work and an interview. Training-contract selection follows the summer internship. Published process ↗

How to stand out

How do you stand out for Johnson Stokes & Master Hong Kong?

With training-contract recruitment through its internship, your edge comes from a sharp application, a genuine reason for choosing a home-grown firm, and treating the internship as the extended interview it is. Here is where to put your preparation.

  • 1"Why an independent Hong Kong icon rather than a global brand" is a question you must answer convincingly. Make the case commercially, not sentimentally, and run every achievement through the "So What" test. Our guide to the top mistakes on HK applications shows the fixes, and the Law Firm Application Academy drills the written craft.

    Law Firm Application Academy →

  • 2The internship puts you inside live Commercial, Dispute Resolution and Real Estate work. Rehearse commercial, case-style thinking rather than winging it; it helps to know how firms mark case studies first. Practise on real problems in the Online Case Study Centre and pressure-test yourself in the Mock Assessment Centre.

    Online Case Study Centre →Mock Assessment Centre →

  • 3Because trainees are drawn from interns, the internship is a working interview: you are assessed on how you handle real matters, how you think out loud and how you take feedback. That is a rehearsable skill, and one-to-one coaching is the fastest way to fix the habits that lose offers.

    In-person coaching →

Quick answers

Johnson Stokes & Master Hong Kong, in five questions

How do you get a training contract at Johnson Stokes & Master?

Apply for the summer internship. JSM does not currently offer direct training contracts.

What does the JSM training contract look like?

It is a two-year contract with six months in each of the firm's core practice groups, so four seats across Commercial, Dispute Resolution and Real Estate.

Does JSM support the PCLL?

Yes. JSM provides a maintenance grant during the PCLL year plus full PCLL tuition fee reimbursement, along with medical and life insurance.

Who can apply to JSM Hong Kong?

The current 2027 notice invites penultimate- and final-year undergraduate or JD law students. Applicants outside those categories should confirm eligibility directly.

When does JSM recruit?

Applications and online assessments close on 10 January 2027.

Start here

A JSM application is won on a genuine case for the firm, then in the room.

Get the written application right with the Application Academy, then rehearse the internship and interviews one-to-one before it counts.

Explore the Application Academy Book in-person coaching