Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

What it involves:

Supporting transactional finance matters, including reviewing transaction documents and helping to manage deals through to closing.

Example trainee tasks:

Transaction management; reviewing and drafting documents; reviewing facility agreements; handling closing.

Who trainees work with:

Partners, supervisors, other members of the deal team and clients.

Early responsibility:

High with trainees report handling closings from the outset, with responsibility increasing as they gain experience.

Support and supervision:

Trainees sit directly with their supervisor or partner. The team also runs regular substantive training on key documents and topics.

A first month might involve:

Reviewing transaction documents, supporting deal management and assisting with closing under the supervision of senior lawyers.

What it involves:

Supporting the tax aspects of transactions and funds work, including reviewing documents for tax provisions and contributing to tax structuring work.

Example trainee tasks:

Reviewing subscription documents and side letters; reviewing facility agreements for tax-related provisions; incorporating mark-up comments into tax structure papers; providing team updates on recent matters.

Who trainees work with:

Supervisors, senior lawyers and wider transactional teams.

Support and supervision:

Trainees sit directly with their supervisor or partner and receive regular departmental and substantive training.

A first month might involve:

Reviewing documents for tax provisions, assisting with tax structure papers and supporting tax work connected to funds or finance matters.

What it involves:

Supporting contentious matters through legal research, drafting, document review, matter management and preparation for client or court-facing work.

Example trainee tasks:

Legal research; drafting sections of witness statements; document review; administrative matter-management tasks; attending client calls and meetings.

Who trainees work with:

Partners, supervisors, associates and clients, with opportunities for court exposure on some matters.

Early responsibility:

Trainees can take significant responsibility, including drafting parts of witness statements and helping to manage matters.

Support and supervision:

Trainees sit directly with their supervisor or partner, with formal team training taking place throughout the seat.

A first month might involve:

Legal research, document review, supporting matter management and attending team or client meetings before taking on more substantive drafting.

What it involves:

A broad seat spanning both transactional and disputes work rather than specialising in one practice area.

Example trainee tasks:

Working on arbitration submissions and transactional matters, including insurance deals.

Who trainees work with:

Lawyers across transactional and disputes practices in the Hong Kong office.

A first month might involve:

Moving between contentious and transactional matters, potentially contributing to an arbitration submission alongside work on an insurance transaction.