Herbert Smith Freehills

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is a leading international law firm and one of the UK’s most prestigious firms.

It’s a member of the Silver Circle, the group of leading UK law firms that sits just behind the Magic Circle in terms of prestige, and is regarded by many in the industry as the most prestigious firm outside of the Magic Circle.

HSF was formed from the merger of City stalwart Herbert Smith and Australian firm Freehills in 2012. It combined Herbert Smith's strong UK and European presence with Freehills' leading position in the Asia-Pacific region (Freehills was considered one of the ‘Big Six’ Australian law firms) in a strategic move to create a global law firm capable of competing at the highest level internationally.

The combination brought together two firms with rich legacies and complementary strengths, and was emblematic of the trend towards globalisation in the legal industry, as firms sought to better serve clients with needs across multiple jurisdictions.

In a similar vein, Silver Circle rival Ashurst merged with Australian firm, and fellow ‘Big Six’ member, Blake Dawson in 2012, while Magic Circle firm Linklaters entered into a long-term strategic alliance with Allens in the same year. In summary, 2012 was a busy year for tie-ups between UK and Australian law firms!

Herbert Smith Freehills' merger was considered a success and since then the firm has continued to perform strongly.

Today, the firm boasts a team of more than 2,600 lawyers, including 450+ partners, and 24 offices globally across Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia.

HSF is renowned for its market-leading litigation and disputes practice. The firm is frequently the go-to choice for complex, high-value legal disputes across multiple jurisdictions. It is also known for its strengths in corporate/M&A, energy, resources and infrastructure, and real estate.

HSF makes our ranking of the UK's most prestigious law firms.

Other things to know

Transatlantic merger: In an attempt to strengthen its presence in the US, in November 2024 HSF announced another merger. This time with US firm Kramer Levin in a combination that will create a $2bn transatlantic powerhouse, with revenues that should put it in the top 20 globally. The tie-up is expected to complete in the second quarter of 2025.

Advice to the Post Office: HSF played a significant (and somewhat controversial) role in the Post Office Horizon IT scandal - widely considered one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

The firm was engaged by the Post Office in 2019 to assist with the group litigation brought by sub-postmasters who were wrongly accused of theft and fraud due to errors caused by the defective Horizon IT system. HSF also advised the Post Office on the subsequent compensation schemes and the public Horizon IT inquiry. It was revealed that HSF had earned £163 million in fees from the Post Office up to March 2024.

What is Herbert Smith Freehills known for?

Herbert Smith Freehills is a corporate law firm specialising in a broad range of practice areas. Its clients include companies, financial institutions and governments. It’s particularly known for its strengths in the following areas:

Litigation and Dispute Resolution: Its strongest card, HSF is globally acclaimed for its litigation and dispute resolution practice, including corporate litigation, arbitration, and mediation. It has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers for commercial litigation, as well as leading banking, competition and real estate litigation practices.

Energy, Resources, and Infrastructure: After litigation and disputes, HSF is probably best known for its work in the energy, resources, and infrastructure sectors, advising on some of the largest and most complex projects worldwide. The firm has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers for its oil & gas practice, and its power practice.

Real Estate: HSF has a market-leading real estate department, known for its expertise in all aspects of property work. It is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers for the highest-value real estate work.

Corporate/M&A: The firm’s corporate practice is well-regarded, advising on mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures. It has a Band 3 ranking by Chambers for big-ticket M&A deals.

Capital Markets: HSF has long had a highly regarded debt and equity capital markets team. It has a Band 3 ranking by Chambers for its equity capital markets team, and a Band 4 ranking for its debt capital markets team. The firm is also strong in securitisations.

What's Chambers?

We use Chambers rankings to demonstrate a firm's strengths. Chambers is the most highly-regarded provider of law firm rankings in the legal industry. Law firms are ranked in bands from 1 (highest) to 6 (lowest) across a range of practice areas.

It's important to note that being ranked in any band at all is still considered a significant achievement.

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Who does Herbert Smith Freehills compete with?

HSF is an 'upper mid-market' law firm, with a stand-out litigation practice. It primarily competes with the likes of Ashurst and Norton Rose Fulbright, but would be considered a worthy Magic Circle substitute on many matters.

Herbert Smith Freehills is the 9th biggest law firm in the UK by revenue. In 2023, its revenue was £1.186 billion.

In 2023, its profit per equity partner (PEP) was £1,173,000.

How much does a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills make?

In 2023, Herbert Smith Freehills’ average profit per equity partner (PEP) was £1,173,000.

This is the total amount of profit available for distribution among equity partners, divided by the number of equity partners at the firm.

This represents the average amount that equity partners are entitled to. Some will receive significantly more, some less. It depends on the firm’s profit-sharing formula and each partner’s seniority.

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How many trainees does Herbert Smith Freehills take?

Herbert Smith Freehills takes on 65 trainees each year in the UK.

Trainees complete four seats in different departments, each lasting six months.