Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Professional services
UnclaimedInternational law firm advising companies, financial institutions, governments and investors on complex commercial, transactional and contentious matters.
Last updated November 4, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Herbert Smith Freehills is an international law firm headquartered in London and widely associated with high-value cross-border transactions, major disputes, investigations, regulatory work and projects. The firm was created in 2012 through the combination of the London-based practice Herbert Smith and the Australia-based practice Freehills. That combination joined a long-established English commercial law firm with one of the leading Australian firms and gave the resulting organization a notably strong position in matters involving the United Kingdom, Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The Herbert Smith name traces its roots to London legal practice in the nineteenth century. The firm developed a reputation in commercial litigation, corporate transactions, finance, capital markets and work for major businesses and financial institutions. Freehills had an independent history in Australia, with predecessor practices dating back to the nineteenth century, and became known for corporate, resources, infrastructure, energy, projects and disputes work. The 2012 combination was structured as a Swiss verein, a model used by a number of international law firms in which member firms in different jurisdictions share a brand and certain infrastructure while retaining separate legal entities and financial reporting arrangements. The combined brand operates through offices and associated practices across important commercial centers. Its work commonly covers mergers and acquisitions, private equity, equity and debt capital markets, banking and finance, restructuring and insolvency, competition and antitrust, tax, employment, intellectual property, technology, data, real estate, energy, infrastructure, natural resources and project development. Its disputes practice includes international arbitration, commercial litigation, investigations, class actions, public international law and contentious regulatory matters. The firm also advises governments and state-linked entities on privatizations, major infrastructure programs and complex public law issues. A recurring element of the firm's positioning is the ability to coordinate matters across common-law and civil-law jurisdictions, particularly where transactions or disputes involve the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Sector strengths have included energy and natural resources, financial services, infrastructure, transport, technology, telecommunications, life sciences, consumer products and industrials. The firm also publishes legal updates, sector commentary and comparative guides intended for in-house legal teams and business decision-makers. Herbert Smith Freehills is a professional-services partnership rather than a listed consumer brand. Its lawyers serve institutional clients on confidential mandates, so much of its commercial activity is not publicly itemized. The brand's principal competitive attributes are its international network, large-scale disputes capability, transactional experience and reach in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The exact legal entities, office footprint, leadership structure and financial results can change over time as the partnership reorganizes or expands. No public stock ticker applies to the firm.
History
Herbert Smith Freehills was established in 2012 through the combination of Herbert Smith, a London law firm, and Freehills, an Australian law firm. The combination brought together two practices with long nineteenth-century histories and complementary geographic positions. Herbert Smith had developed in London as a commercial firm with a strong reputation for litigation, corporate work, finance and capital markets. Freehills had built a leading Australian practice with significant work in corporate transactions, disputes, resources, energy, infrastructure and major projects. Herbert Smith's historical roots are associated with London legal practice founded in the nineteenth century. Over time, the firm became prominent in commercial and financial work and represented major corporate and institutional clients in complex disputes and transactions. Its international development included expansion into selected European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets, reflecting the growing cross-border nature of its clients' operations. Freehills' predecessor firms developed in Australia during the nineteenth century. Its offices and client base were closely connected with the Australian economy, including mining, energy, infrastructure, financial services and large corporate groups. The practice also developed substantial capability in litigation, arbitration, competition, employment, property and public-sector work. These characteristics made Freehills an attractive combination partner for a London firm seeking deeper reach into Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The 2012 combination used a Swiss verein structure. Under that structure, participating legal practices remain separate legal entities in their respective jurisdictions while operating under a common name and coordinating selected functions, strategy and client service. The arrangement allowed the new firm to present a unified international brand without making every local practice a single globally integrated partnership for regulatory and financial purposes. Following the combination, Herbert Smith Freehills expanded its focus on matters requiring coordinated advice across multiple legal systems. Its principal practices came to include corporate and M&A, private equity, banking and finance, capital markets, disputes, arbitration, investigations, competition, employment, tax, intellectual property, technology, real estate, restructuring and projects. Industry work has included energy and natural resources, infrastructure, transport, financial services, technology, telecommunications, life sciences, consumer markets and industrials. The firm's disputes practice has been an important part of its market identity. It advises on commercial litigation, international arbitration, investigations, regulatory proceedings, class and group actions and public international law. Its transactional practices advise on acquisitions, joint ventures, financing, project development, privatizations, capital raisings and reorganizations. The combination's strategic logic was therefore broader than geographic coverage alone: it created a platform able to connect Australian and British market expertise with work in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and other international markets. The firm has also developed a substantial body of public legal commentary, including updates on sanctions, financial regulation, competition, climate and energy transition, digital regulation, disputes and corporate governance. These publications support its relationships with in-house legal departments and business clients, although they are advisory publications rather than consumer products. As an LLP and international law-firm network, Herbert Smith Freehills is privately held and does not have publicly traded shares or a stock ticker. Public information about its work is necessarily selective because client mandates are often confidential. Its present identity is best understood as an international professional-services brand built on the combination of two established common-law firms, with especially deep institutional links to the United Kingdom, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
- 2012
Herbert Smith Freehills is formed
[1]Herbert Smith and Freehills combine and begin operating under the Herbert Smith Freehills name.
- 1882
Herbert Smith's London roots
[1]The Herbert Smith lineage dates to nineteenth-century legal practice in London, later developing into a major commercial law firm.
- 1850
Freehills predecessor practices develop in Australia
[1]The Freehills lineage is associated with Australian predecessor practices dating from the nineteenth century and a long connection with corporate, resources and disputes work.
Products and positioning
A full-service international law firm with particularly strong roots in the United Kingdom and Australia, positioned for complex cross-border transactions, disputes, projects and regulated-industry matters.
Transactional legal services
Corporate and M&A
Advice on public and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations, private equity investments, takeovers and strategic transactions. The practice commonly coordinates legal, regulatory, financing, competition and tax work across several jurisdictions.
Contentious legal services
Disputes and arbitration
Commercial litigation, international arbitration, investigations, class actions, enforcement proceedings and related strategic advice. The offering covers disputes involving contracts, shareholders, financial products, infrastructure, energy, natural resources and public international law.
Financial legal services
Finance and capital markets
Legal advice for lenders, borrowers, sponsors, issuers and investors on acquisition finance, structured finance, project finance, debt capital markets, equity offerings, financial regulation and banking transactions.
Projects legal services
Energy, infrastructure and projects
Advice across the development, financing, construction, operation, acquisition and disposal of infrastructure and energy assets. Matters may involve renewables, conventional energy, transport, utilities, mining, natural resources, public procurement and major public-private projects.
Regulatory legal services
Investigations and regulatory
Advice to companies, boards and financial institutions on internal investigations, enforcement risk, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, financial crime, governance, competition and sector-specific regulatory obligations.
Brand decisions
2012
Combination of Herbert Smith and FreehillsM&ABackground
The two firms sought to combine Herbert Smith's London and international commercial practice with Freehills' Australian and Asia-Pacific platform.
Action taken
They established a common Herbert Smith Freehills brand and coordinated international practice through a Swiss verein structure, while member firms retained separate legal identities.
Aftermath
The combination created a major international law-firm platform with particularly strong positions in the United Kingdom, Australia and cross-border work involving the Asia-Pacific region.
Recent events
Reported
Herbert Smith Freehills and FCA develop Covid insurance claims tool[3]
Herbert Smith Freehills and the Financial Conduct Authority worked together to create the Covid Calculator, a tool to help businesses identify potential insurance claims related to Covid-19.
Reported
Herbert Smith Freehills elects 26 new partners[4]
Herbert Smith Freehills announced that it had elected 26 partners worldwide, including eight new UK partners.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/herbert-smith-freehills-llp · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled