US firm
K&L Gates
A full-service US firm whose Hong Kong office is expanding fast in capital markets, corporate and funds, and trains its own solicitors through a four-seat contract fed by a three-week summer internship.
- Category
- US firm
- Origin
- US; a large integrated global firm
- HK presence
- Opened 1996 as the firm's first Asia office; full-service, growing bench
- HK strengths
- Capital markets, corporate & M&A, asset management & funds, disputes, TMT
The Hong Kong practice
What does K&L Gates's Hong Kong office actually do?
K&L Gates opened in Hong Kong in 1996, its first Asia office, and now runs as a full-service practice serving clients across all major industries in Greater China and the region. It offers 22 practice areas, with real depth in capital markets, corporate and M&A, banking and finance, asset management and investment funds, litigation and dispute resolution, IP, and technology, media and telecoms. Its lawyers are fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and trained across the US, England, China and Australia, which suits the cross-border, regulatory and contentious work the office handles. Source ↗
The story right now is growth. The office has been adding partners at pace, positioning itself around the Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong's IPO revival, and the managing partner has been explicit that Hong Kong remains central to the firm's regional strategy. For a trainee, a firm in build-out mode can mean broader exposure and more responsibility than a settled office, because there is genuinely more work than hands.
The training contract reflects that breadth. It rotates through four six-month seats covering at least three of the firm's core practice areas, so you would touch capital markets, corporate, funds and disputes rather than being locked into one lane. It is a genuinely full-service programme at a firm actively investing in its Hong Kong bench.
Internship & trainee programme
How do you get into K&L Gates Hong Kong?
There are two routes, and both are real and verifiable. The Hong Kong Internship Programme is a three-week summer placement (June to August) for law students in their second year or above, across Corporate, Finance, Asset Management and Investment Funds, and Litigation. The Hong Kong Trainee Solicitor Programme offers a limited number of training contracts a year. Details sit on the firm's Hong Kong trainee solicitor page and its internship page.
- InternshipThree weeks over June–August, for law students in their second year or above. Apply to HKInternRecruit@klgates.com. Summer 2026 deadline: 31 March 2026.
- Training contractA limited number each year. Four six-month seats; the first three cover at least three core practice areas, and trainees usually choose the final seat. Apply to HKTraineeRecruit@klgates.com.
- Trainee datesThe 2027 training contract window closed at the end of October 2025, reviewed on a rolling basis, with a decision target of end of January 2026.
- Who can applyAt least a predicted or achieved 2:1 (or equivalent) law degree or JD from leading universities. Hong Kong PCLL required before starting.
- SupervisionA principal partner throughout the contract, plus a supervising partner for each seat, with direct on-the-job feedback and a firm-wide annual review.
Watch out
The trainee window is rolling, so "reviewed on a rolling basis" means a late application can be too late even before the stated deadline. Apply early, and note the internship and trainee routes have different deadlines and different email addresses. Check current dates on the Elite Pathfinder deadline tracker.
Recent moves worth knowing
What has K&L Gates's Hong Kong office been doing recently?
The clearest public signal from the Hong Kong office is a deliberate, sustained build-out of its corporate and capital markets bench, aimed squarely at the Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong's IPO market. This is the intel to weave into an application: it tells you where the office is going.
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Capital markets team hire: Janney ChongApril 2025
K&L Gates added capital markets partner Janney Chong, with counsel and an associate, to build its equity capital markets offering in the Greater Bay Area. Leadership called Hong Kong one of the world's largest IPO markets in 2024 and central to the firm's regional and global strategy. Source ↗
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Capital markets partner: Guiping LuJanuary 2026
The firm brought in Guiping Lu, from Mayer Brown, on debt and equity capital markets including Hong Kong IPOs with Rule 144A tranches and cross-border M&A, deepening its US-HK cross-border capability. Source ↗
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Corporate/M&A partner: Yang WangJune 2026
K&L Gates added corporate and M&A partner Yang Wang, from Dechert, its fourth partner in Hong Kong since 2025, scaling up cross-border M&A across Greater China. Source ↗
Insider tip
A firm hiring four partners in a year is telling you what it wants to become. Referencing that build-out, and tying it to the Greater Bay Area and the HKEX IPO revival, shows commercial awareness most applicants lack. Build the habit with our commercial awareness guide, and the Weekly News Digest breaks down one Hong Kong deal a week.
Interview & selection intel
What does the K&L Gates Hong Kong selection process look like?
The published process is direct: you apply by email with a cover letter, CV, academic transcripts and certificates, plus any reference letters or work experience testimonies. Trainee applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so timing matters as much as content. K&L Gates does not publish a Hong Kong aptitude test or a set assessment-centre format, so prepare for a lawyer-led interview rather than a psychometric gauntlet.
The academic bar is explicit: at least a predicted or achieved 2:1 or equivalent law degree or JD from leading universities, and beyond grades the firm says it wants people who are self-motivated and in constant pursuit of excellence. Because the office is in active growth and the trainee cohort is small, interviewers are testing whether you can add to a stretched, expanding team quickly.
The internship, at three weeks, is the shortest of the four firms in this cluster, so first impressions count fast. Expect the standard tier-one themes: why capital markets and corporate, why Hong Kong, why a firm that is scaling up rather than a settled one, and whether you can reason commercially. Our guide to the Hong Kong vacation scheme interview walks through how these conversations run.
How to stand out
How do you stand out for K&L Gates Hong Kong?
With a small trainee cohort, a rolling process and a fast-growing office, the edge is a targeted, early application, real commercial fluency on the office's build-out, and using a short internship well. Here is where to put your preparation.
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1Apply early and apply specifically. On a rolling review, a strong late application can still miss out, and a generic one will not survive. Reference the capital markets and corporate build-out and the Greater Bay Area focus. Cut the usual errors with our guide to the top mistakes on HK applications, and the Law Firm Application Academy drills the written craft.
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2A three-week internship gives you little time to prove yourself, and the interview rewards commercial, case-style reasoning. Know how firms mark case studies first, then practise on real problems in the Online Case Study Centre and pressure-test yourself in the Mock Assessment Centre.
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3A small, growing office decides on fit and on whether you can carry work early. One-to-one coaching is the fastest way to sharpen how you think out loud, handle follow-ups and show you would add to a stretched team.
Quick answers
K&L Gates Hong Kong, in five questions
Does K&L Gates run an internship in Hong Kong?
Yes. K&L Gates runs a three-week summer internship in Hong Kong, held between June and August, for law students in their second year or above. Interns work across Corporate, Finance, Asset Management and Investment Funds, and Litigation and Dispute Resolution. For summer 2026 the deadline was 31 March 2026, and you apply to HKInternRecruit@klgates.com.
Does K&L Gates offer a training contract in Hong Kong?
Yes. K&L Gates offers a limited number of Hong Kong trainee solicitor contracts each year, structured as four six-month seat rotations, with the first three seats covering at least three of the firm's core practice areas and the final seat usually chosen by the trainee. Applications go to HKTraineeRecruit@klgates.com.
What does the K&L Gates Hong Kong training contract look like?
Four six-month seat rotations over two years. The first three seats cover at least three of the firm's core practice areas, and trainees usually pick their preferred focus for the final seat. Each trainee has a principal partner throughout, plus a supervising partner for each seat, and the firm aims for every trainee to work with each partner.
What does K&L Gates look for in Hong Kong applicants?
At least a predicted or achieved 2:1 (or equivalent) law degree or JD from leading universities, plus candidates who are self-motivated and in constant pursuit of excellence. A training contract offer is conditional on completing the Hong Kong PCLL before starting.
What is K&L Gates's Hong Kong office known for?
A full-service Hong Kong office, opened in 1996, that has been expanding fast in capital markets, corporate and M&A, and asset management, adding several partners since 2025. It advises on cross-border transactional, regulatory and contentious matters across Greater China and the Greater Bay Area.