Interesting selling points

• Renowned for its dispute resolution expertise, with multiple Band 1 rankings from Chambers and Partners in areas such as litigation, international and cross-border disputes, and investigations and enforcement. However, it also demonstrates strength across non-contentious practices.
• Unique Digital Law Group focuses on legal-tech and provides a rotating cohort of lawyers from various practice areas with experience and insights into technology, ensuring technological advancements are integrated throughout the firm.
• Training contract offers distinctive choices such as 'Digital Law Group' and 'ESG' alongside the traditional practices, giving trainees exposure to emerging legal areas.
• Trainees receive a variety of specialist knowledge, skills and mindset training through the firm's Business Skills Academy, plus have the opportunity to develop business development skills through initiatives run by the Trainee Business Development Committee.
• The firm’s commitment to innovation and adapting to meet evolving client demands (including around cost certainty and operational efficiency) is demonstrated through its investment in legal technology tools such as HSF Jigsaw and CheckMate, as well as the establishment of its Digital Law Group.
• Dedicated to providing pro bono legal services to various NGOs, governments and marginalised individuals with notable projects including support Centrepoint, the London Legal Advice Clinic and the Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP). 

We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics.

Practice areas / services

Herbert Smith Freehills is a full-service law firm, with a broad range of practice areas including: 

• Business and Human Rights 
• Capital Markets 
• Climate Change 
• Competition, Regulation and Trade
• Corporate 
• Corporate Crime and Investigations 
• Crisis Prevention and Management 
• Cyber Risk Advisory 
• Data Protection and Privacy 
• Digital Legal Delivery 
• Dispute Resolution 
• Emerging Technology 
• Employment, Pensions and Incentives 
• Environment, Planning and Communities 
• ESG, Sustainability and Responsible Business 
• Finance 
• Financial Services Regulatory 
• IBOR Transition 
• Impact Investment 
• Legal Operations 
• Mergers and Acquisitions 
• Native Title and Indigenous Heritage 
• Partnerships and LLPs 
• Projects 
• Private Wealth and Charities 
• Public Procurement 
• Real Estate 
• Restructuring, Turnaround and Insolvency 
• Tax
• Technology, Media and Entertainment and Telecommunications 

Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded Herbert Smith Freehills its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for the following departments: Commercial and Corporate Litigation, Construction: Non-contentious, Corporate Crime & Investigations, Employment: Employer, Planning, Real Estate: £150 million and above, Administrative & Public Law: Mainly Commercial, Banking Litigation, Employee Share Schemes & Incentives, Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas, Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (Corporates), Insurance: Mainly Policyholders, Investment Funds: Closed-ended Listed Funds and Projects: Mainly Domestic. See here for more information.

Key sectors / industries

Herbert Smith Freehills services a broad range of industries, with some of its highest-value clients operating in the following sectors: 

• Energy
• Financial Institutions 
• Government and public sector
• Real Estate

In addition, Herbert Smith Freehills services the following industries: Agribusiness, Automotive, Consumer, Financial Buyers, Infrastructure, Leisure and Sport, Manufacturing and Industrials, Mining, Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare, Private Capital, Professional Support and Business Services and Technology, Media and Telecommunications. 

Work

Herbert Smith Freehills advises on complex legal matters that draw on all elements of the firm’s international network. Some examples of recent projects include: 

• National Grid: Herbert Smith Freehills advised the National Grid on its divestment of National Grid Electricity System Operator Limited (ESO) to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) for an enterprise value of £630 million, an industry-transforming transaction that aims to help the UK reach net zero goals. 
• Severn Trent Water: The firm represented Severn Trent Water in a long-running and significant dispute brought by a group of personal search companies against all of the major water and sewerage companies in England.  
• EDF Renewables: The firm advised EDF Renewables and Korea Western Power Co Ltd on the 500 MW Manah I Solar PV Plant project in Oman.
• Disputes: widely recognised for its disputes resolution practice, the firm has also been mandated on a number of high profile disputes, including advising the Republic of Tunisia in connection with a $1 billion+ claim brought by a foreign investor; advising Goldman Sachs in connection with a claim brought by the Libyan Investment Authority; and advising Johnson & Johnson in connection with a class action lawsuit relating to hip implant products.

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Headquarters: London, Exchange House

Offices: Herbert Smith Freehills has an international network of 24 offices, including offices in Hong Kong, Dubai and Brussels. 

Insights, internships and other opportunities

Herbert Smith Freehills offers a number of opportunities for individuals wishing to gain experience in the legal industry and learn more about life at the firm. Such opportunities include: a ‘First Year Workshop’, which comprises a range of events and seminars delivered to introduce the firm to interested students; a ‘Campus Ambassador’ programme, which involves ambassadors building a relationship with the firm whilst promoting the firm to fellow students; and substantive winter, spring and summer vacation schemes open to both students and graduates.

Training contract

Herbert Smith Freehills offers a four-seat training contract, with each seat lasting six months. Trainees are expected to undertake at least one seat in dispute resolution and at least two seats in transactional teams, but the firm offers a large degree of leeway regarding which seats may be chosen within those broader practices. 

Unique seats include the newly founded ‘Digital Law Group’, which focuses on legal-tech, and ‘ESG’, which focuses on helping clients to manage the risks and opportunities stemming from environmental, social and governance issues. 

While on the scheme, trainees receive a variety of specialist knowledge, skills and mindset training through the firm's Business Skills Academy. Trainees can also participate in the ‘Trainee Business Development Committee,’ a group founded to provide junior lawyers with business development skills early in its career.

Secondments

Herbert Smith Freehills offers trainees the opportunity to apply for 6-month international or client secondments, with previous international locations including Sydney, Singapore, and Paris, and previous client secondments including UBS, British Aerospace and Sky.

Corporate social responsibility

Pro bono work is ‘woven into the fabric’ of Herbert Smith Freehills as it has a ‘significant history’ of providing pro bono legal services to clients including charities, NGOs, the governments of developing nations, and marginalised individuals. Examples of its work includes: 

• Centrepoint: Herbert Smith Freehills works in collaboration with the in-house legal team at Goldman Sachs International to provide free independent and confidential legal advice to young people supported by Centrepoint, which is the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. 
• London Legal Advice Clinic: The firm is involved in the clinic, which provides a free service including representation in court and tribunals, for the residents of Tower Hamlets who could not otherwise access legal support. 
• Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP): The firm provides legal advice and representation to asylum seekers at the Asylum Support Tribunal. ASAP aims to reduce destitution among asylum seekers by protecting their legal rights to food and shelter. 

Diversity and inclusion

The firm’s approach to diversity and inclusion is driven by the principle of ‘Leading for Inclusion’ which is a strategy Herbert Smith Freehills has adopted to help it become the leading global law firm for diversity and inclusion. Examples of initiatives include: 

• Ability Network: this network is focused on building disability confidence throughout the firm, encouraging a better understanding of disability, and influencing policies and practices.
• Family and Caring: alongside its Family Network, the firm also has agile working, and parents and carers are offered support when taking and returning from parental leave. The parental leave policy entitles co-parents to up to 24 weeks of leave at full pay to welcome a new child. 
• IRIS Network: this network brings together LGBT+ people and allies from across the firm to advocate for LGBT+ inclusion within and beyond the firm. It has relaunched the firm’s trans and non-binary guidelines to offer enhanced 1:1 coaching, plus contributes dedicated pro bono hours to decriminalise homosexuality and deliver LGBT+ rights across the world.