Herbert Smith Freehills
| Headquarters | London, England Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 26 (2020) |
| No. of lawyers | 2,600 (2024) |
| No. of employees | c.5,000 (2024) |
| Key people | Justin D'Agostino (CEO); Rebecca Maslen-Stannage (Senior Partner) |
| Revenue | £1.306 billion (2023/24) |
| Profit per equity partner | £1.315 million (2023/24) |
| Date founded | Herbert Smith (1882) & Freehills (1852) (2012 by merger) |
| Founder | Herbert Smith Freehills |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership (Herbert Smith Freehills LLP) Partnership (Herbert Smith Freehills) |
| Website | herbertsmithfreehills.com |
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP (HSFK) is a global law firm with headquarters in London, England and Sydney, Australia. As of 2024, the firm was the 33rd largest by revenue. It was formed on 1 October 2012 by a merger between the United Kingdom-based Herbert Smith founded in 1882, then a member of the Silver Circle of leading UK law firms, and Freehills founded in 1852, one of the Big Six Australian law firms.
Herbert Smith Freehills has achieved particular recognition in dispute resolution, former Herbert Smith partner F.A. Mann having played a pivotal role in transforming London litigation. As of 2024, HSF retains the most UK-listed clients of all law firms, representing 116 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. It also advises the highest number of FTSE 100 clients in United Kingdom Court of Appeal cases.
According to GlobalData, as of 2023 Herbert Smith Freehills secured the most Asia Pacific (APAC) M&A mandates by deal value, being "among the only two advisers to surpass $20bn in total deal value during Q1-Q3 2023”.
As of 2024, Herbert Smith Freehills had the highest litigation revenue in the UK of any law firm at £314.6m, significantly higher than Freshfields and Quinn Emmanuel both with revenues of c. £197m.
Herbert Smith Freehills is consistently called upon for some of the highest value and most complex litigation. In 2022, Herbert Smith Freehills was the law firm with the highest average claim value in the High Court and has maintained its position within the top three firms every year since.
Herbert Smith Freehills announced its merger with U.S. law firm Kramer Levin effective 1 May 2025. The new firm will be known as Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, abbreviated as HSF Kramer in the U.S.
Herbert Smith Freehills has had a longstanding relationship with London's National Portrait Gallery since 2004, supporting numerous exhibitions and major projects such as the Gallery's reopening in June 2023 and sponsoring its exhibition, the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award.
Herbert Smith Freehills is a member of the Earthshot Prize Global Alliance along with Arup, Bloomberg L.P., Deloitte, Hitachi, the INGKA Group, Microsoft, MultiChoice, Natura & Co, Safaricom, Salesforce, Unilever, Vodacom, Walmart, and British Airways.