Bridging the Gap: From Construction Law to Site Commercials

Thanks to the support from Hornell Hall, this past summer, I had the unique opportunity to complete two distinct but highly complementary internships: first at Gary Soo’s Chambers, and subsequently with the Quantity Surveying (QS) team at Build King. By experiencing the intricate legal framework of construction disputes before stepping onto a live civil project, I gained a comprehensive, top-down view of Hong Kong’s engineering and construction industry.

My summer began at Gary Soo’s Chambers, during my mini-pupillage, headed by Gary Soo I was immersed in the legal mechanics that govern construction projects. My focus was on reviewing complex contract clauses, analyzing project correspondence, and understanding how disputes are formally resolved. I learned how legal professionals interpret documents, variation claims, and extension of time (EOT) requests. Seeing the legal consequences of poor site documentation or contractual breaches early in my summer instilled a deep appreciation for rigorous record-keeping and clear communication.

Carrying these legal insights with me, I transitioned to my second internship at Build King, where I was assigned to the QS team on a civil project focused on the construction of a new lift system. This experience was highly practical and allowed me to see the contractual mechanisms I had studied in chambers playing out in real-time.

My day-to-day responsibilities involved "taking-off" quantities from construction drawings, verifying on-site measurements, and preparing documentation for interim payment applications. Evaluating variation orders gave me a hands-on understanding of how project cash flow is maintained. Because of my prior time at the chambers, I approached these daily QS tasks with a heightened awareness of exactly why accurate commercial documentation is so critical to avoiding downstream legal conflicts.

Combining these two experiences was incredibly rewarding. Gary Soo’s Chambers taught me how construction mechanics are governed and protected by the law, while Build King allowed me to apply that legal awareness directly to the commercial management of a physical project. This dual perspective has fundamentally changed how I view construction contracts and has provided a strong, practical foundation as I continue my studies at HKU.
I am deeply grateful to both teams for these valuable opportunities and their guidance throughout the summer. It was a transformative learning experience, and I strongly encourage fellow Hornellians to pursue similar internships, stepping out on site or exploring specialized fields like construction law offers invaluable perspective that goes far beyond the textbook.