Linklaters has introduced a China-London training contract, offering native Mandarin speaking undergraduate or graduate diploma in law (GDL) students the chance to qualify in the UK before starting work in the firm's Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai offices.

During the two-year training contracts, successful applicants will compete four six month seats, splitting their time equally between London and one or more of the firm's Chinese offices.

Applications for the first programme closed earlier this month, and the firm is set to start the selection process shortly to recruit three trainees who will qualify as English law solicitors.

"We have been pleased with the number of application forms we have received and the interest shown in the China-London training contract," said Linklaters graduate recruitment partner Simon Branigan. "We need to recruit people with the skills and experience to match the needs of our clients. Our China-London training contract is a forward thinking programme which will help us achieve that."

Applicants will go through the same recruitment process as a trainee being recruited for London – an online critical thinking test and interview day consisting of a written critical thinking test, work simulation exercise, commercial interview with a partner and an HR interview – but will have an additional test of their Mandarin skills.

The firm has no plans to introduce so-called 'CV blind' interviewing for trainees, where the educational background of the candidate is hidden from the interviewer.

"I support the rationale behind a 'blind' interview process and we did trial it, but the effect is not always what people intended," said Branigan. "Counterintuitively, our trial had a negative impact on our social diversity measures. Our interviewers are highly skilled and it is important they are able to exercise their judgement during the recruitment process. Sometimes context is needed to do this."

Branigan added that unlike other magic circle firms, Linklaters was not preparing to cut its overall trainee intake though.

While all of the magic circle already have local training contracts in Hong Kong, it is thought that Linklaters will be the first to have a scheme where trainees qualify in England and Wales before starting work in Asia.

Last year, Clifford Chance became the first magic circle firm to launch graduate training schemes in the Middle East.