Freshfields US LLP

Founded in 1743, Freshfields is one of the oldest international law firms in the world. Its first client was the Bank of England, which remains a firm client to this day. In 1801, James William Freshfield joined the firm as a partner. Successive generations of lawyers in the Freshfield family would go on to work at the firm through the 1910s.

Freshfields opened its first U.S. office in New York in 1977 and opened its Washington, DC, office in 1998. In 2000, Freshfields merged with top German firms Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber and Deringer Tessin Herrmann & Sedemund, expanding the depth and breadth of its reach across Europe. Freshfields was among the first western firms in Asia and now has a sizable presence there. Today, the firm boasts over 2,800 lawyers in 30 worldwide offices. 

Multi-jurisdictional Reach

Given its international scope, it is no surprise that Freshfields has a knack for tackling cross-border work. The firm also takes a multidisciplinary approach to its work, approaching matters with an eye toward regulatory and risk management and collaborating across practices and offices to help clients with their most complex matters.

In the United States, the firm works across more than a dozen industries, including automotive, chemical, consumer goods, energy and natural resources, financial institutions, financial sponsors, government and public sector, infrastructure and transport, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, healthcare, professional and business services, real estate, and technology.

The New York office specializes in corporate, domestic and cross-border M&A, capital markets and corporate governance, international arbitration, white collar defense, civil and securities litigation, executive compensation and employee benefits, finance, intellectual property, life science transactions, restructuring and insolvency, tax, and tech transactions. Moreover, the Washington, DC, office hosts a powerful U.S. antitrust practice that is seamlessly integrated into Freshfields’ No. 1 global antitrust practice and leading Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) practice. This office also houses preeminent international trade, white collar defense, and international arbitration teams.

On the opposite coast, the growing Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices service the region’s innovative client base by bringing the firm’s expertise to areas such as corporate, domestic and cross-border M&A, capital markets and corporate governance, securities litigation, executive compensation and employee benefits, intellectual property, and life science and tech transactions. Most recently, the firm has expanded into the Northeast with the opening of their newest office in Boston. The Boston office will focus on strategic opportunities with private capital, life sciences, and emerging companies.

Focus on Others

Pro bono is ingrained in Freshfields’ culture, and the firm does not distinguish between pro bono hours and client hours. According to the firm, “At Freshfields, we endeavor to make a positive impact through pro bono work promoting access to justice and access to opportunity.” The firm’s recent pro bono work has included asylum and immigration cases, projects related to women’s rights, and supporting businesses and nonprofits on the corporate side. In 2024, Freshfields US gave over 49,000 hours of pro bono advice.

• Advised Google on numerous transactions, including its $32 billion acquisition of Wiz, the largest acquisition ever by Google.
• Advised ServiceNow on numerous matters, including its $7.75 billion acquisition of Armis, the client’s largest acquisition to date.
• Successfully represented Rio Tinto in a U.S. federal climate change class action in Puerto Rico asserting RICO and related tort claims based on defendants’ alleged political speech and lobbying activities; the court dismissed all claims, including dismissal of the claims against Rio Tinto for lack of personal jurisdiction and dismissal of the remaining claims as untimely under the applicable statutes of limitation
• Represented Grupo Agroinsumos in securing an award totaling over $2.8 billion in an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes arbitration against Venezuela, the second-largest award ever obtained against Venezuela, and subsequently secured the complete dismissal of Venezuela's application for annulment of the award.

• Eight practice groups ranked Band 1 globally: M&A, Antitrust, Crisis Management, Litigation, International Arbitration, Private Equity, Tax, and Public Interest Law, 2025—Chambers Global 
• Top 10 for Global and Cross-Border M&A, 2025—Bloomberg, LSEG, and Mergermarket
• One of the Most Innovative Law Firms in North America, 2024—Financial Times 
• Ranked as one of the world’s leading international arbitration practices since 2008—Global Arbitration Review; International Arbitration Practice Group of the Year (7 times since 2017), 2025—Law360; Arbitration Firm of the Year (16 times since 2005), 2025—Lexology Index
• Global Elite Firm for Antitrust, 2024—Global Competition Review