TRW & Co · Internships
Internships at TRW & Co Singapore
Internships at TRW & Co Singapore offer law students and recent graduates supervised experience of cross-border advisory work: legal research, drafting support and document review for matter teams across six practice fields. This page explains what the work involves, who it suits, what we look for and how to apply.
Key pointInterns are judged on the quality of their research and writing, not on prior knowledge of any particular area of law; your cover note is the first writing sample we read.
At a glance
Supervised matter work
Interns support lawyers with research, first drafts and document review; every piece of work is reviewed before it is used.
Six practice fields
Disputes, corporate and tax, technology and data, real estate and energy, trade and ESG, and employment and mobility.
Apply by email
Send a CV, transcript and one-page cover note to info@trw.co with "Singapore internship application" in the subject line.
Terms confirmed in writing
Dates, duration, supervision and any stipend are not fixed in advance; they are confirmed on application and in a written offer.
Check your work rights
International students should check MOM rules, including the student exemption, Training Employment Pass and Work Holiday Programme.
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What internships at TRW & Co Singapore involve
Internships at TRW & Co Singapore give law students and recent graduates supervised exposure to real advisory work for businesses, investors and institutions. Interns support lawyers with legal research, first drafts, document review and matter administration, and see how a cross-border practice runs from the first client call to the final advice.
The Singapore office sits within an international firm with a network spanning Dhaka, London, Dubai, China, Italy, Switzerland, Chattogram and Sylhet. Much of the work therefore involves more than one legal system, and interns quickly learn to ask which law governs, which regulator is involved and where a document will be used.
An internship is a learning placement, not a substitute for professional training. Interns do not give legal advice, sign correspondence or deal with clients on their own. Every piece of work is reviewed by a supervising lawyer before it goes anywhere.
The work you could support
Interns are attached to matter teams rather than to a single desk. The mix depends on what the office is handling at the time, but the core tasks are consistent across practice fields.
Legal research
Finding and summarising statutes, subsidiary legislation, regulator guidance and case law on a defined question. Good research notes state the answer first, cite the source precisely and flag what remains uncertain.
Drafting support
Preparing first drafts of research memos, board papers, checklists, correspondence and contract schedules for a lawyer to review. You will see your drafts marked up, which is where most of the learning happens.
Document review
Reviewing contracts, corporate records and data-room material against a checklist, and recording issues in a consistent format. Accuracy and consistency matter more than speed.
Regulatory tracking
Monitoring announcements from Singapore regulators such as ACRA, MAS, MOM and PDPC, and summarising what changed and who is affected. This work often feeds into the firm’s Perspective insight library.
Matter teams across the six practice fields
The Singapore office organises its work into six practice fields, set out on the practices overview. Interns may support teams in one or several of them, depending on current matters and on interest shown in the application.
| Practice field | Example topics | Typical intern task |
|---|---|---|
| Disputes & Investigations | International arbitration, enforcement of foreign judgments | Chronologies, bundle indexes, research on procedural rules |
| Corporate, Capital & Tax | Company incorporation, shareholder agreements, fintech licensing | Corporate record review, filing checklists, comparison tables |
| Technology, IP & Data | Data protection and the PDPA, trade marks, AI governance | Policy gap reviews, regulator guidance summaries |
| Real Estate, Projects & Energy | Commercial leasing, construction contracts, energy projects | Lease and contract abstracts, approvals checklists |
| Trade, Regulation & ESG | Sanctions, customs, sustainability reporting, healthcare regulation | Regulatory timelines, screening research notes |
| Employment & Mobility | Employment contracts, Employment Pass applications | Policy reviews, work pass criteria research |
Because the firm works across jurisdictions, an intern may be asked to compare a Singapore position with the approach in Bangladesh, the UK or the UAE. You are not expected to know foreign law; you are expected to identify the right sources and to say clearly what you found and what you could not confirm.
Who an internship suits
Internships at TRW & Co Singapore suit people who want to understand how commercial and regulatory advice is actually produced. They are a good fit if you are:
- studying law at undergraduate or postgraduate level, or have recently graduated, in Singapore or overseas;
- interested in cross-border commercial work rather than a single domestic specialism;
- comfortable reading primary sources, including statutes and regulator guidance, rather than relying on summaries;
- able to write clear, plain English under supervision and to accept detailed feedback.
Students from other disciplines, such as economics, accounting, public policy or computer science, with a genuine interest in law and regulation are welcome to write in. Say why the work interests you and what you would bring to it.
The most useful intern is not the one who knows the most law, but the one who reads the source, answers the question asked and says plainly what is still uncertain.
What we look for
We do not use a scoring formula or a fixed list of universities. Applications are read as a whole, with attention to a few qualities that predict good work.
Clear, accurate writing
Most intern output is written. We look for short sentences, a logical structure and accurate citation. Your cover note is the first writing sample we see, so treat it as one. A focused page that answers the question “why this firm and this work” is better than a long letter that could be sent anywhere.
Research discipline
Good research starts with the primary source and records where each point came from. We value candidates who can explain how they would check whether a law is in force, whether guidance has been updated, and whether a secondary source is reliable. Moots, research assistantships or dissertations are useful evidence of this.
Curiosity about business and regulation
Our clients are founders, general counsel, finance teams and institutions. Interest in how companies raise money, hire staff, handle data or trade across borders helps you see why a legal point matters. Following regulator announcements and business news is a good habit to show.
Judgement and confidentiality
Interns see confidential client information. We look for maturity: knowing when to ask, never guessing to fill a gap, and treating everything learned on a matter as confidential. Every intern is expected to follow the firm’s confidentiality and conflicts procedures from day one.
Languages and cross-border experience
Not required, but helpful. Reading ability in Bengali, Chinese, Arabic, Italian, French or German, or time spent studying or working in another jurisdiction, can be directly useful on cross-border matters. Tell us about it in your application if it applies to you.
How to apply
Send your application by email to info@trw.co with “Singapore internship application” and your name in the subject line. Please include three documents:
- CV. Two pages at most, listing education, results to date, relevant work or volunteering, languages and any research or writing experience.
- Transcript. Your most recent academic transcript, official or unofficial. If your institution uses an unfamiliar grading scale, add a one-line explanation.
- Cover note. One page explaining why you are interested in this office, which practice fields interest you and when you would be available. Mention whether you are applying as part of a course requirement.
- Acknowledgement. We aim to acknowledge applications, but response times depend on workload and on whether places are available at the time.
- Review and conversation. Shortlisted applicants are usually invited to a conversation with a lawyer, which may be by video. A short written exercise may form part of the process.
- Confirmation. If an offer is made, the terms are confirmed in writing, including dates, duration, supervision arrangements and any remuneration.
Stipends, start dates, intake numbers and placement length are not fixed in advance and are confirmed on application. Please do not rely on figures from third-party websites or forums; only a written offer from the firm sets the terms.
Applications are handled in line with our privacy notice. Only send the documents listed above; please do not include identity documents, photographs or references unless we ask for them.
What to expect during the internship
Each intern works under a supervising lawyer who allocates tasks, reviews work and gives feedback. Expect to receive defined pieces of work with a clear question and a deadline, and to have your drafts returned with comments.
You will be expected to keep a simple log of tasks and time spent, follow the firm’s document and file naming conventions, and raise any potential conflict of interest before starting work on a matter. Matters are confidential, so you will not be able to discuss them outside the firm or mention them in later applications in a way that identifies a client.
Where possible, interns are also invited to sit in on internal discussions of current legal developments and to contribute research to insight articles, subject to review and editing by the lawyers who publish them.
Work authorisation for international students
If you are not a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, your right to undertake an internship in Singapore depends on your immigration status. It is your responsibility to check this, and we will ask about it before confirming any offer.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) publishes the rules. Full-time students holding a Student’s Pass at approved institutions may be exempt from needing a work pass during vacations, and during term for internships that count towards graduation requirements. Exchange students are not allowed to work under this exemption.
Students at overseas institutions generally need a pass. The Training Employment Pass covers training attachments that form part of a course of study, is valid for up to three months and cannot be renewed. MOM also runs a Work Holiday Programme for eligible students and young graduates. Eligibility criteria change, so check MOM’s current pages before you apply.
After the internship
An internship does not lead automatically to employment or a training contract. If you are interested in longer-term opportunities, the careers page explains how the firm approaches recruitment more generally, and you can learn about the wider team on the people page.
For questions about the process that are not answered here, use the contact page or email info@trw.co. Our office address is 21A Duxton Hill, Singapore 089604.
Frequently asked questions
01When can I apply for an internship?
You can send an application at any time to info@trw.co. Whether places are available, and for which periods, depends on the office's current workload and supervision capacity, so dates are confirmed on application rather than published in advance. If you are applying to meet a course requirement with fixed dates, say so clearly in your cover note so that we can tell you early whether those dates can work.
02Are internships paid?
Any remuneration is confirmed on application and set out in a written offer. We do not publish a standard stipend, and you should not rely on figures from third-party websites or forums. If remuneration matters to your decision, it is perfectly reasonable to ask about it once you are invited to a conversation.
03Do I need to be studying Singapore law?
No. Students of law in Singapore or overseas may apply, and applicants from related disciplines with a genuine interest in law and regulation are welcome to write in. What matters most is the ability to research primary sources, write clearly and work carefully under supervision. Familiarity with more than one legal system can be an advantage given the firm's cross-border work.
04I am an international student. Can I intern in Singapore?
It depends on your status. MOM allows full-time Student's Pass holders at approved institutions to work without a pass during vacations, and during term for internships that count towards graduation. Students from overseas institutions generally need a pass, such as the Training Employment Pass for attachments that form part of a course, or may be eligible for the Work Holiday Programme. Check MOM's current rules; we will ask about this before confirming any offer.
05Will I give legal advice or meet clients?
Interns do not give legal advice, sign correspondence or deal with clients on their own. You may attend internal meetings and, where appropriate and with client confidentiality respected, observe parts of a matter. All research and drafting is reviewed by a supervising lawyer before it is used, and all matter information is confidential.
06Does an internship lead to a job?
Not automatically. An internship is a learning placement. Interns who are interested in longer-term opportunities can tell their supervisor, and the careers page explains how the firm approaches recruitment more generally. Any future role would be the subject of a separate process and a separate written offer.
Sources and official materials
- MOM: Work pass exemption for foreign students — When Student's Pass holders may work without a work pass
- MOM: Training Employment Pass eligibility — Training attachments for foreign students, up to three months
- MOM: Work Holiday Programme — Six-month work and holiday pass for eligible students and young graduates
- TRW & Co — The international firm and its network
General information only, current as at 20 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Singapore law and regulatory practice change; check current official sources and take advice on the facts of your matter.
Talk it through
before you decide.
Share the decision, the jurisdictions and the timetable. A partner will tell you what matters, what can wait and what it will take.