Richard Bennett, group general counsel, sent a letter rejecting a young woman who had sought unpaid work in his department. He wrote that, while HSBC’s financial business had a graduate internship programme, the legal department “does not have anything similar”.

He added: “HSBC does not have a structured work experience programme although, occasionally, arrangements are made for sons and daughters of HSBC executives, particularly if they work in the legal or compliance departments, to gain such experience.”