Herbert Smith Freehills LLP (New York)

Our Survey Says

Vault’s Verdict

Although its U.S. presence is limited to one small New York office, Herbert Smith Freehills is one of the largest and most prestigious global law firms. The New York office has a pleasant, collegial culture with plenty of socializing for those who seek it, and relations between partners and associates are positive overall. The firm has a higher-than-average billable hour requirement of 2,100 for bonus eligibility, though bonuses are market scale, as are the firm’s base salaries. Quality of work rates highly, with early client interaction and early responsibility for entire cases. That early responsibility, combined with limited training and mentoring, means candidates should be ready to hit the ground running. Technology is generally good, although the firm does not encourage remote work, and the home servers being in the U.K. can make things slow from time to time. While the firm has several wellness initiatives, associates note that high workloads make it challenging to take advantage of those efforts. Partnership is said to be realistic with a transparent path to get there, although it is highly selective and somewhat dependent on timing. The firm supports pro bono work, though a limited number of hours count toward the billable hour requirement. Associates note an absence of mentoring programs for diverse attorneys and of diverse senior attorneys to do such mentoring, though they do believe the firm is committed to diversity efforts.