Questions we get asked.

For the litigation trainee programme: an LLB or equivalent, either completed or currently being completed with exams finished. CLP, the Bar course or an LLM are welcome but not required. Fresh graduates are welcome.

For the paralegal programme: a law degree. Trainees who do well are offered it, and graduates can apply for it directly.

For the internship: a law degree in progress. It is the route for students who have not finished exams yet, and it is a shorter paper, seven questions in 25 minutes.

Every route at the firm asks for law. If you have not studied it, there is nothing here we could honestly point you at, and we would rather say so than take an application we cannot progress.

No. The litigation trainee programme is unpaid. It is part-time, 7am to 11am, a month at a time. We say so here rather than leave it to be discussed later, so you can decide whether it is worth your time before you sit the assessment. The paralegal programme is also part-time, 7am to 12pm, over three months. Pay for the paralegal programme and the internship is not published here: ask us.

Part-time is deliberate: it is meant to fit around CLP, the Bar course or final-year study, so you can get real files without giving up your studies.

There is also an optional class each day, 11am to 12pm, straight after the working morning. It is not compulsory, and nobody is marked down for skipping it. They exist because most of what makes a good litigator is not picked up from the files alone.

Thomas Philip is a disputes firm. Litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution, which is why the trainee programme is litigation and only litigation.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The office address and directions are provided when a place is offered.

Not through this site. Every route here, the internship, the trainee programme and the paralegal programme, is a chance for us to get to know you. If you stand out, we may offer you pupillage.

Trainees who have done well are offered the three-month paralegal programme. Pupillage can be offered to anyone who stands out, on any route: the partners look for genuine legal aptitude, professionalism and commitment.

No, and we would rather say so plainly. Pupillage is offered to people who stand out. The decision depends on your performance and on the firm's capacity at the time.

The trainee programme runs monthly. Tell us your earliest available date on the application form and we will work around it where we can.

Because the scoring assumes everyone wrote under the same conditions. Forty minutes, typed in real time, no pasting, it is the fairest way to compare answers, and it is how the work itself often happens.

If the clock runs out you can still submit what you have written. We see that time ran out and read your answers accordingly.

We aim to review every application within seven days of submission. Candidates taken forward are contacted by email. There is no separate interview stage; the assessment and your documents are what the decision is made on.

Yes. Every applicant receives a written outcome, including those we do not take forward. We do not leave people waiting on silence.

An automated first read scores every application against our published criteria and writes a short reasoning note. It ranks and summarises, it does not decide.

Someone at the firm reviews every assessment and can override it in either direction before any outcome is sent to you. If you would prefer a manual review from the start, ask us and you will get one. It will not count against you. The full process is set out here.

The written answers. They carry more weight than any other part of the application. A transcript is not required, and a strong set of answers will carry a modest academic record; the reverse is not true.

We are looking for whether you can identify the real issue and weigh the evidence honestly, including the parts that hurt the client's case.

Yes. We ask that you wait six months and that the new application reflects something that has changed, further study, work experience, or a stronger piece of written analysis.

It is held by the firm, used only to assess your application, and kept for six months from the outcome, or 12 months if you asked us to keep you on file. You can ask to see, correct or delete what we hold at any time. See the privacy notice for the detail.